Coming forward, the duchess placed a gloved hand on Lily’s arm and smiled. “I do not wish to hear another word of apology from your lips, Lady Barnard. I am here this morning to see if you have recovered from last night’s events.” Her voice was filled with kindness as she spoke.
Lily’s eyes widened as she opened and closed her mouth. “Your Grace, I do not know what to say, I… I was a little flustered…”
The duchess held up her hand to silence Lily. “I understand more than you would know, Lady Baranrd. Shall we have a seat? I would love to tell you about the time when I made a faux pas of my own.” She gestured to the seats, and Julian suddenly realized that she was taking the lead.
A feeling of gratitude overcame him as he waited for the ladies to sit beside one another on the settee.
The housekeeper hurried in with a tray of tea and hastily prepared sandwiches before leaving again with a slurry of curtsies.
Julian watched as Lily eyed the pot of tea, her hands wringing together in her lap.
You can do this.
He discreetly nodded to her, hoping his gesture of encouragement would give her the strength she needed. Yet her eyes remained fixed on the pot.
Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and stood, reaching for the pot with trembling fingers.
The duke began to tell Julian a story about something that had occurred in Parliament, yet Julian's attention remained focused on his wife.
She poured one cup, hesitated slightly, then poured the next. By the time she had managed to pour all four cups, her face had paled slightly, and her tremor had gotten worse, yet not so much as a single drop of tea had been spilled.
They both breathed a sigh of relief when both the duke and duchess had been served.
Lily handed Julian his cup with a grateful smile before taking her own and sitting back down beside the duchess, who smiled at her.
“You know, you did that so beautifully, Lady Barnard. I recall the time I spilled an entire pot over my governess's lap. Mrs. Bradley was her name, and was she not furious at me!” The duchess shook her head and laughed after sipping her tea.
Lily’s eyes grew wider. “You must have been quite a young child, Your Grace,” she remarked.
Shaking her head, the duchess laughed even harder, filling the air with a sound not unlike a chattering bird. “Not as young as I would have liked. I was sixteen, and we were serving one of my mother’s friends; it was all in preparation for my coming out, you see.” She gestured in the air with a flourish as she shook her head. “I was utterly mortified.”
The duke grunted again and turned to Julian, starting yet another conversation about the war as he ignored the ladies. “Did you hear that our allied forces won the battle at Borodino? Napoleon thought he had us, but we showed him!” He huffed proudly.
Listening with half an ear, Julian could not help but appreciate the duchess’s efforts. He had wondered if the name card had been incorrect, yet now he was certain that it had not been. The duchess had come to Lily’s aid at the expense of her own reputation, and he appreciated her for it.
She would make a powerful ally for Lily if their friendship and understanding grew in time.
They began to chat more freely as Julian noticed how Lily relaxed her shoulders and laughed along with the duchess.
“I am certain that I would not have been able to face anyone again if I had spilled an entire pot!” Lily laughed freely and shook her head.
“Oh, but you will, my dear. Just like you will hold your head high and face the rest of thetonagain. And what works in yourfavor is the fact that thetonhas a very short attention span when it comes to such matters.” The duchess seemed pleased with herself as she sipped her tea.
“I doubt that anyone would forget any time soon, Your Grace,” Lily conceded, stiffening a little again.
Placing her cup back in the saucer, the duchess turned fully to her.
“They certainly will, my dear. Just you wait and see. Once someone else has their turn to make a faux pas, yours will become something of the past. It would honestly be easier if the ladies of thetoncould get together and make a roster. Because, unfortunately, we must all have our turn at some point. It is the unspoken rule of theton. Consider this your introduction into Society, my dear.”
“And as long as you maintain the correct alliances, your debut should continue to be nothing less than success,” the duke interjected, making his wife sigh as she shook her head with a pleasant smile.
The rest of the tea proceeded without further interruptions as it became clear that the duchess and Lily would become friends.
“Well, my dears, thank you so much for hosting us so graciously with no notice. I am looking forward to our next visit.” The duchess stood along with her husband as they all said goodbye.
“It was a pleasure having you with us, Your Grace. Please do feel free to stop by at any time,” Lily curtsied and showed them to the door.
Julian waited until they were alone again before smiling at her. “I hope you can see now that things were not as bad as you had assumed. And you served the tea wonderfully, not a drop was spilled.”