Mr. Malcolm's List (8 page)

“You are probably correct.
 
However, I would really like to hear your opinion.”

Selina looked up at Malcolm, whom she found looking very
serious all of a sudden.
 
Why, I do
believe he’s testing me
, she thought in surprise.
 
She found herself growing a little anxious
under his critical gaze and could think of nothing to say.
 
What if she said the wrong thing?
 
What was it he wanted her to say?
 

Then she felt an energizing spurt of anger followed by a
wonderful calm.
 
How dare he sit in
judgment of her.
 
She did not care what
he thought.

“Well, as the daughter of a clergyman, it is obviously
important to me that there are houses of worship available to all.
 
However, I cannot help but feel that the
million pounds set aside for this purpose exorbitant.
 
The Holy Book itself says:
 
‘If a brother or sister be naked and
destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye
warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit?’
 
I believe our government intends by this measure to suppress the
radicals and keep anarchy at bay, when they could use some of those funds to
better the lot of the poor, thereby accomplishing the same purpose, but in a
way more truly Christian.
 
I do not
suppose that Jesus Christ, who ‘had no where to lay his head’, and who
frequently fed the poor would be pleased with some elaborate structure built in
his name while those of its congregation had barely enough to eat.”

Selina had grown impassioned during her speech and,
realizing that her voice had begun to rise, broke off in some embarrassment and
looked over at Malcolm.
 
“I apologize for
the lecture, but you did ask my opinion.”

“And I should have known better than to ask the daughter of
a clergyman.
 
I am sure your father
himself could not preach a more eloquent sermon,” he told her, smiling.

“So what is your opinion?”

“Very much the same, actually,” Malcolm said.
 
“Although I do not think I could have begun
to express it as well as you just did.”

Selina, sensing the approval in his gaze, realized she’d
passed his test.
 
She was pleased for a
moment, until she remembered that she had begun the evening with the resolve to
fail
to meet his requirements.

She reminded herself of this once again when the gentlemen
rejoined the ladies after dinner and Julia announced that there should be
music.

“Selina, would you honor us with a song?” Julia asked.

“I am sorry, Julia, but I have no musical ability
whatsoever.
 
It would be a punishment to
force you all to listen to me.”

There were quite varying reactions to Selina’s calm
pronouncement.
 
Cassie looked pleased, as
he felt it a punishment to have to listen to any lady perform on the
pianoforte, skilled or not.
 
Mr. Ossory
looked his same agreeable self; he actually smiled at Selina’s admission.
 
Mr. Malcolm looked a little displeased,
Selina thought, perhaps even surprised.
 
Julia, of course, looked cross, but managed a little chuckle.

“Oh, Selina, you are quite the joker.
 
Of course you have musical ability.
 
I heard you play myself just yesterday.
 
She is quite talented,” she assured Malcolm.

Selina had thought Julia out of the house when she was
practicing the day before.
 
She had not
realized Julia had heard her.
 
She
thought about arguing further but Julia appeared implacable in her
determination to have Selina perform and Selina did not feel she should cause a
scene.
 
There was no other option than
for her to play for the company.
 
But
,
she told herself as she took her seat at the pianoforte,
that does not mean
I have to play well.

She launched into a Beethoven sonata, determined to miss
most of her notes, but she found that such a thing was easier said than
done.
 
Her fingers automatically flew
over the keys, playing the notes that she’d memorized and were second nature to
her, and she was halfway through before realizing it was too late to succeed in
convincing people she did not know how to play.

When she finished she looked sheepishly at her
audience.
 
Cassie, who had taken her at
her word when she said that she had no musical ability, tried to console
her.
 
“That was not so bad, what?” he
asked, smiling bravely at the others.

“My dear fellow, it was not bad at all.
 
It was superb,” Malcolm said.
 
“But Miss Dalton, I do not understand.
 
Why did you try to convince us you have no
talent?
 
Do you have such an aversion to
performing before others?”

“No, it is not that,” Selina said, wondering how to explain
her bizarre behavior.
 
“I just thought
that if I claimed to have talent I was sure to disappoint, but if I claimed no
talent any performance I gave was bound to be acceptable.”

“It was quite acceptable,” Mr. Ossory told her.
 
“Let us have another.”

“No, no.
 
It is
Julia’s turn to perform,” Selina said, turning to her friend.
 
“Perhaps you would like to sing for us,
Julia.
 
Julia has a beautiful singing
voice,” Selina told the others.

Julia modestly demurred, but it was obvious she was not
truly averse to the idea.
 
This was her
opportunity to shine before Mr. Ossory.
 
She was a talented singer, and Selina thought she made a pretty picture
as she sang before them, accompanying herself on the pianoforte.

Selina’s thoughts had been so full of Mr. Malcolm she had
given scant consideration to her conversation with Mr. Ossory.
 
She wondered if she was making a mistake in
not encouraging him.
 
He was obviously an
estimable young gentleman, and Selina thought she would have a very comfortable
life with him.
 
She turned from her
contemplation of him to look at Mr. Malcolm, who was staring at her, and her
heart began an accelerated rhythm that had been noticeably absent when she had
been observing Mr. Ossory.
 
And all of a
sudden the thought of having a “comfortable life” was very unsatisfying.

Seven

The day
following the dinner party Julia, Selina, and Cassie sat in the Thistlewaite’s
drawing room, discussing their successful entertainment of the previous
evening.
 
Selina felt a strange sense of
having lived through this moment before, and was reminded of their first
meeting three weeks ago upon her arrival in town.
 
It seemed a long time ago that they sat in
this very room and discussed their plan of captivating Mr. Malcolm.

And now
Selina felt
she
was the one whose heart was in danger.

However,
Cassie and Julia were extremely optimistic.
 
Cassie assured the ladies that Malcolm had spoken very highly of Selina
following the dinner party.

“He said
that he admired Selina greatly.
 
He had
first been impressed by her wit and humor, but was concerned that she was not
serious enough, which augured an unsteady character.
 
But he said after last night that fear had
been laid to rest.”

“’Not
serious enough.
 
Unsteady in
character.’
 
He certainly makes rash
judgments,” Selina said, annoyed.
 
“What,
was I to launch into a political debate in the middle of a ball?”

“You see,
Selina, it is just as I told you.
 
There
is no pleasing the man.
 
If you had not
joked with him, he would have been sure to castigate you as lacking in humor,”
Julia said.

Cassie
realized that once again he’d managed to put his foot in it.
 
“I have probably quoted him incorrectly.
 
He was very complimentary, believe me.
 
He said that Selina had met nearly all of the
qualifications on his list, but there were a few others that he needed to test
her on.”

“So this
is what I have to look forward to, is it?
 
To be tested by Mr. Malcolm?” Selina asked.

Before
Cassie could reply, they were interrupted by Reeves’s announcement of a caller.

“Mrs.
Covington,” Reeves intoned.

“Good
morning, good morning,” Gertie said, as she bustled into the room.
 
She was resplendent in a peach frock cut
indecently low for afternoon wear, her blonde hair covered with a huge bonnet
bedecked with flowers.

“Cousin
Gertie.
 
How nice to see you again,”
Selina said, looking at Julia for direction.

“Please
sit down, Mrs. Covington,” Julia said.

“I
thought we agreed it was to be Gertie, and you’re to be Julia.
 
Heaven knows I can hardly say your last name
without spitting, although I suppose I shouldn’t admit to it.”

Selina
rather thought it would have been better had she not, but before she had a
chance to offer any opinion at all on the subject Cassie drew attention to
himself with a little cough, and Julia introduced the two of them to each
other.

Gertie
was struck dumb for a full thirty seconds when she discovered she was in the
presence of a lord, and into the unusual silence Reeves announced another
caller.

“The
Honorable Mr. Malcolm,” he said.

“Good
heavens!
 
An honorable
and
a lord,” Gertie exclaimed loudly,
and Selina felt a momentary twinge of embarrassment that she was connected to
such a vulgar woman.

Julia
once again performed the introductions, and Mr. Malcolm proclaimed himself
honored to make Mrs. Covington’s acquaintance.

“Oh, no,
sir, it is I who is honored.
 
I have never
been in the same room with a lord and an honorable.
 
Although I am not exactly sure what it means
to be an honorable.
 
It’s the next best
thing to being a lord, right?”

“I am the
younger son of an earl,” Malcolm said, looking a little taken aback.

“Now
that’s a real pity.
 
Because you’ve got
the look of a lord, much more so than this young gentleman here,” Gertie said,
gesturing towards Cassie.
 
“No offense,
my lord, you seem a good sort, but Mr. Malcolm has a more dignified look about
him.”

“It’s all
right.
 
I know I’m not the dignified
type,” Cassie said.

Julia
decided it was time someone took control of the situation.
 
“Cassie, Mrs. Covington would probably enjoy
going for a drive.
 
I do not believe she
gets out very much and she would enjoy such an excursion, would you not, Mrs.
Covington?”

“That
would be a fair treat, but his lordship may have other plans for the
afternoon.”

Cassie
started to nod, but encountered a commanding look from Julia.
 
“Not—not at all.
 
I would be pleased to take you for a spin.”

“Well,
thank you kindly.
 
I am glad I dressed so
sensibly today.
 
I was going to wear a
different gown but I decided it looked a little too immature.
 
There is nothing worse than a woman in her
mid-twenties dressing like a debutante.”

No one
knew what to say to such an obvious falsehood, so Cassie finally broke the
silence by suggesting they take their leave.

“Of
course, of course.
 
One thing I learned
after two trips to the altar is that gentlemen don’t like to be kept
waiting.
 
Julia, Selina, I’ll call again
sometime soon.”

“We look
forward to it,” Selina said, and Cassie and Gertie left the room.

“How are
you acquainted with Mrs. Covington?” Malcolm asked the ladies once Gertie was
gone.

“She is
–“ Selina started to say.

“My
cousin,” Julia interrupted.

Selina
looked at Julia in confusion, wondering why she would claim Gertie as a
relative when Selina was a little hesitant to do so herself.

“Cousin
by marriage, that is,” Julia clarified.

“I
see.
 
Does her presence here indicate you
have decided to introduce her into society?” Malcolm asked.

“Oh,
no.
 
No, of course not.
 
I just realized that she was lonely since the
death of Cousin—”

“
Arnold
,”
Selina whispered.

“
Arnold
,”
Julia continued.
 
“So I paid her a call
and invited her to do the same.
 
I did
not want her sitting at home alone.”

“No, of
course not.”

A
strained silence descended upon the inhabitants of the salon.
 
Malcolm had come to invite Selina to go
driving with him, but felt uncomfortable doing so in the face of Julia’s remark
that she did not want Mrs. Covington sitting at home alone.
 
Selina was still a little peeved with Malcolm
because of the remarks he’d made to Cassie, and Julia was wondering how she
could maneuver Malcolm and Selina into a position where they could be alone
together.

Mrs.
Thistlewaite came into the drawing room at that moment, a little surprised to
find herself the focus of all attention.

“Oh,
excuse me,” she said, as if she’d stumbled into someone else’s drawing room and
not her own.
 
“I just came to ask Julia
something.”

“It is
perfectly all right, Mrs. Thistlewaite.
 
I am about to take my leave.
 
However, I wonder Miss Dalton if you would like to go driving with me.”

“Oh.
 
That would be lovely,” Selina said, a little
less than enthusiastically.

Mr. Malcolm
looked at Selina searchingly, before saying, “You do not have to go if you do
not want to.”

“Of
course I want to.
 
Let me just get my
hat,” she said, rising and leaving the room.
 
Julia excused herself as well to follow Selina to her chamber.

“Selina,”
Julia said, once they were in Selina’s chamber.
 
“Do not tell Malcolm that Gertie is your cousin.
 
One of the items on his list is ‘Genteel
relations.’”

“So that
is why you claimed her for your own cousin.
 
I must admit I found that a little strange.”

“Yes,
well, I thought it was the wisest thing to do.
 
So do not mention anything to the contrary to Malcolm.”

“I will
not, Julia,” Selina said, putting on her bonnet.
 
“I promise to be everything he desires in a
woman:
 
witty, humorous, serious, sober,
genteel, musical…all at the same time.”

“Excellent,”
Julia said, totally missing the sarcasm in Selina’s voice.

Selina
let out an exasperated moan and Julia looked at her in surprise. “Selina, is
something the matter?”

“No, of
course not, what could be the matter?
 
I
am merely preparing for my role.”

Julia
finally realized that Selina was being less than sincere.
 
“I know this is not pleasant for you Selina,
but I think it should be over soon.”

“Yes, I
know.
 
I am not sure if that is my
greatest hope or my worse fear,” Selina said with a sigh and, checking her
appearance one last time in the mirror, left the room.

She and
Malcolm passed the first few minutes of the drive in silence, Malcolm finally
saying, “You are very quiet this afternoon.”

“I beg
your pardon,” Selina said.
 
“The weather
this afternoon is quite lovely, is it not?” she said, making an attempt to
appear in better spirits.

Malcolm
looked up at the sky, which was filled with ominous-looking dark clouds.
 
“I suppose, if you like gray, cloudy
days.
 
Please do not feel that you have
to make conversation.
 
I much prefer
silence to those that ramble on with nothing to say, like that Mrs. Covington.
 
She was quite a character, was she not?
 
I am glad I am not courting Miss
Thistlewaite.”

“Excuse
me?
 
What do you mean by that?”

Malcolm
looked a little surprised at the vehemence of Selina’s tone.
 
“Nothing, really.
 
I mean it’s rather obvious, isn’t it, that I
would want my future wife’s relations to possess a modicum of gentility.”

“And if
they did not?” Selina asked.

“Why, you
look quite fierce.
 
I do not understand
why you are so upset, it is a moot point, after all.
 
I am not courting Julia Thistlewaite, I am
courting—” he paused, looking a little self-conscious.
 
“Well, I think it’s fairly obvious who it is
I am courting, isn’t it?”

“But if
you were courting Julia and you had met Mrs. Covington, would it affect your
opinion of Julia?”

“Well, it
would have to, would it not?
 
I mean,
that
is
something you have to consider when contemplating marriage with
someone.”
 
Malcolm looked over at Selina,
who was frowning.
 
“Why do you look so
grim?
 
Do not tell me you have a relation
as vulgar as Mrs. Covington?”

Selina
forced a smile.
 
“No, I would not tell
you that.”
 
Not after Julia forbade me
to,
Selina thought.

“I am
pleased to hear it.”

They had
reached the park and Malcolm nodded at someone in a passing carriage, but did
not stop.
 
He looked over at Selina,
wondering if he should take her home.
 
It
was obvious she was displeased with him.
 
Perhaps she thought his attitude toward Mrs. Covington arrogant.
 
But she had seemed out of sorts even before
that.
 
He was struck suddenly with the
thought that she might not like him.
 
It
was a novel idea, so accustomed was he to females of all kinds fawning over
him.
 
For the first time it occurred to
him that even if she passed all the items on his list, she may not accept his
suit.

She was
looking exceptionally beautiful that afternoon in her russet colored carriage
dress, which just matched her hair.
 
Her
beauty shocked him each time he saw her, although she was not the most
beautiful woman he’d ever known.
 
It was
more than just her outward appearance he found so appealing, although he had to
admit he found it very appealing indeed.
 
But he was attracted also by her traits of character: her vitality, her
humor, her intelligence, her kindness.
 
She was everything he desired in a woman.
 
He wondered suddenly what it was that she
desired in a man.