Lily’s Ruination

By Alex Sestak

In early nineteenth century England, a woman’s worth was rarely appreciated, and among the aristocracy (the ton) that especially applied to an intelligent woman. Lady Lily Maxwell, daughter to the earl and countess of Townsend, fit this category all too well. In the first ball of her first season, Lily sought refuge from the inane talk of her counterparts and the gentlemen around her by stepping outside. Unfortunately for her, this would lead to her ruin among the ton and even in the eyes of her parents, yet she had done nothing wrong. While most women would have borne their ruination in silence, Lily resolved otherwise.

Angry at the ton’s unfair treatment, she left London for the countryside where she could begin constructing her revenge. With a convenient death in the family, and a chance meeting with others equally furious with the ton, she had all the tools she needed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664162730

Alex Sestak

Alex Sestak graduated from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria VA in 2019. She intended to major in Creative Writing in the Honors Program of George Mason University beginning in Fall 2020. She wrote this book when she was 17 and was in the final stages of its editing when she passed away in June 2020, at the age of 19, following three courageous battles fighting brain cancer. Alex loved reading, travelling (having visited countries on five continents), art in all its forms, and animals, especially her beloved dog, Belle. She is survived by her parents Susan Clark-Sestak and Joe Sestak, for whom Alex was the best daughter imaginable.

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Lily’s Ruination

Alex Sestak

Copyright © 2021 by Alex Sestak.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/27/2021

Xlibris

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Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Epilogue

Post-Script

ANGELIQUE’S STORY

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Foreword

Our daughter, Alex, wrote this book when she was 17. She was originally determined to be an artist, but later realized her true love and passion was for art in the form of creative writing, especially historical fiction. She had a deep love of British history, inspired particularly by the novels by Philippa Gregory about Henry VIII and the Tudor Court as well as her own visits to places such as Hampton Court, Middleham, and Ludlow.

Alex had no formal creative writing education. She simply wrote from the heart, and her characters were her friends. She was resolute in her belief that good always triumphs over evil and that women are a force with which to be reckoned. You will see both of these themes prominently in this book.

We could not be more proud of all that she accomplished in her abbreviated life. Because in addition to the hurdles of wanting to be a successful novelist, Alex faced medical challenges. When she was only 4 years old, she was diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumor. At the time, some of her doctors gave her only 6 months to live. But Alex received some of the best medical care available – in the form of surgery, high-dose chemotherapy (that few adults would ever be able to endure), and proton beam radiation. She was able to beat that brain cancer back for over a decade. When she was 17, she had a reoccurrence, which she beat again. Sadly, in December 2019, when Alex was 18, the cancer returned for a third time. We tried everything possible, and she continued to edit her book, but the third time proved too much. Alex died shortly after she turned 19.

This book is her gift to us, to all of those who knew and loved her, and to those who never met her. We consider it her testament to the strength of believing in fulfilling your dream. We know that Alex intended to make this a trilogy. She began the second book, and it is included here as a Post Script. Sadly, we do not know how she intended the second or third book to end. Regardless, we hope you will find entertainment, and perhaps even inspiration, in what she has written.

We are so proud of her and all she accomplished. We also miss her every day.

Chapter 1

Lily, honestly, put that horrid book away and come look at these beautiful patterns, Lady Josephine Maxwell, Countess Townsend, ordered in an exasperated tone, holding up the dress patterns she had been examining.

I don’t see why, mother, Lady Lily Maxwell replied tritely. Whatever I pick out, you’re just going to dismiss and pick out something you like that makes me look like a box of lace and bows vomited on me. Not to mention that this port book is quite fascinating. It vividly describes what is sold by whom and in which port.

That’s quite enough, Lily, the countess reprimanded. "You’re having your coming out this season, and you need to be noticed. If you aren’t, then you’ll never make a decent match, and Angelique can’t be presented until you’re married. You need to remember that. Not to mention that no gentleman wants a wife who talks about books, especially not books that deal in trade," the countess forced out the last word as though it left a dirty taste in her mouth.

I know, I know, Lily groaned, bored, clearly having heard this already. But really, what does a dress fitting have to do with anything?

It’s everything, the countess responded adamantly. You have to pick out the right clothes so you’re shown to your best advantage, because honestly you aren’t the prettiest pansy in the bunch; that’s Angelique. She’ll be a diamond of the first water for sure. Why was it that you were born first and not her? the countess lamented.

Lily sighed and returned to her book; not even bothering to tell her mother that if a man cared so much about what she wore, then she had no interest in marrying him. Her mother certainly knew how to cut her down though. Just identify all the ways in which Angelique was better than her and it was like a slap in the face. It wasn’t as though Angelique ruled it over her; quite to the contrary, Angelique was always supportive of Lily. It was everyone else that compared the two sisters, finding fault with Lily and success with Angelique. It wasn’t particularly surprising. Angelique took after their mother, a classic English beauty: short, curves in the right places, with silky blonde hair, blue eyes, bow-shaped pink lips, and milky skin. Comparatively, Lily took after their father: tall, straight as a rail, skin more olive than pale, brown eyes, and dark hair. Lily only wished people put a little more stock in a woman’s brain, rather than her looks.

Lily…Lily…Are you even listening to me? Lady Townsend demanded.

No, mother, I am not. Might as well live up to her expectations, right? Lily thought to herself.

You…You insolent girl! Lady Townsend exclaimed furiously, although in a hushed voice so as not to draw the attention of the other ladies in the modiste’s shop to their argument. Fine! I’ll just pick out your gowns then. Since I clearly care more about it than you do.

Lily just nodded and turned back to her book. Hopefully this torture would end soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was one book, several hours, many pin sticks, numerous dress patterns, dozens of fabrics, and yards of lace later when Lily and Lady Townsend finally left the dress shop. Lily lagged behind her mother who set a brisk clip ahead of her, obviously still annoyed with her daughter. Their footmen trailed behind them, struggling to carry boxes full of paraphernalia: bonnets, gloves, kid boots, dancing slippers, and the like.

Lady Townsend fumed that Lily was her firstborn and not Angelique, while Lily seethed that her mother insisted on dragging her from one shop to another, not bothering to listen to Lily’s opinions on anything. Even when Lily did bother to offer her ideas, they would just be rejected. What did her mother expect? That Lily was fine with being told that her opinions were stupid and that she would continue to offer them even after being put down repeatedly?

Upon arriving home, Lily made a speedy retreat to her chambers before her mother could berate her again while Lady Townsend went into the parlor, giving instructions to the butler, Mr. Porter, to let callers know she was at home and receiving, although Lady Lily had taken ill and would not be available. It was a blatant lie, but necessary nonetheless. It would not do for the gossip-mad ladies who came to call to know that she and Lily had quarreled. After all, so much was riding on Lily making a good marriage, which wouldn’t happen if Lily’s name was being tossed around in gossip. Angelique’s future depended on it, and no good man would accept a lady with scandal attached to her.

Sitting in her parlor, Lady Townsend had the pleasure of a call from Ladies Ashford, Gillton, and their daughters. It wasn’t that much of a pleasure, as Lady Ashford appeared ready to eat the Townsends out of house and home with all the pastries she consumed. She clearly had no care for her waistline, not to mention that the ladies’ daughters kept asking after Lily – for whom Lady Townsend had to keep making excuses. It was not out of kindness that they queried, Lady Townsend was well aware; they just wanted to either gossip with Lily or find a source of gossip in her. It was less than half an hour later when the ladies finally left, as was appropriate for morning calls, much to Lady Townsend’s relief.

Seeing that it was just before three o’clock, Lady Townsend rose and walked to the dining room. Although their country manor had both a family dining room and a formal one, in London they had only the one dining room, so it was really much too grand for a simple family luncheon. A few footmen entered after she had seated herself, carrying large platters of food. Setting them on the table, they retreated to the corners of the room. Far enough away so as not to make their presence obvious, but close enough that they could come quickly if needed.

Lord Townsend and Angelique entered shortly thereafter, taking their usual seats. Lady Townsend assumed Lily was still in her room and would not be attending luncheon, a relief in all honesty. She’d had quite enough of her troublesome eldest daughter for one day. She could use some time with just Angelique. Angelique never made her angry, contradicted her, or acted unladylike. No, Angelique was the perfect daughter; she would do exactly as Lady Townsend told her to. It appeared she was wrong about Lily, however, as not a few seconds later she swept into the room, taking her seat across from Angelique. Lady Townsend shook her head. It really was unfair that the oldest daughter had to be brought out first, a long-enforced aristocracy rule.

Porter entered next, carrying a silver tray with letters on it. Bowing next to her, he announced, The afternoon post, your ladyship.

Picking the letters delicately off the tray, Lady Townsend proceeded to open them with the engraved letter opener, a wedding present, which Porter had handed to her. After opening the last one, she nearly squealed with excitement. But she was much too well bred to do something so crass. Looking at Lily, she declared with as much calm as she could muster, We’ve been invited to Lady Dunford’s ball on Saturday. Isn’t that wonderful?

Lily refrained from rolling her eyes, her mother’s idea of wonderful was far different from hers. No, Mama, but I suppose we’ll be attending?

Of course, Lily. We would be fools to miss an event such as the first ball of the season. Why, I hear that Lady Dunford only invites the most elite members of society. For us to have been invited is an honor. Just think, you might meet a duke or a marquess.

Lily was quite certain that Lady Dunford invited all of the good ton.¹ At best, Lady Dunford was simply able to attract dukes and marquesses to her balls because of their excessive extravagance, which was saying something among the aristocracy, people who were not known for simplicity. Her mother was fooling herself if she thought only the elite of society would be present. Lily even doubted that they counted as part of the elite ton, what with her mother having come from a family of nouveaux riches, something her mother tried desperately to suppress. Also, her father and his ancestors had been in danger of going bankrupt quite a few times.

Whatever you say, Mama, Lily replied, not bothering to hold back the groan in her voice.

Apparently, her mother heard it because she glared at Lily with ferocity. Now you listen to me, Lily Maxwell, when we go to this ball, you will act as a proper Lady should. You will not spout off mind-numbing facts or correct people. You will smile and laugh when you dance and talk with gentlemen as though you are interested in what they have to say, because you will be. Am I understood?

Lily forced herself not to roll her eyes again. What her mother found to be mind-numbing facts such as mathematical formulas and physics were actually incredibly fascinating information to Lily. She found them to be one of her only avenues of escape from the truly mind-numbing monotony of her present life. Besides which, she couldn’t help it if men didn’t know how to do math properly. But not wanting to have her mother lecture her further, Lily agreed. She planned, nevertheless, to break the agreement as soon as they arrived at the ball.

Satisfied, Lady Townsend turned back to her luncheon, a paltry thing that could barely be counted as a meal, as she was determined to retain her slim figure which had managed to catch her an earl. Well, that and the enormous dowry her father had offered. It was a desire she had never been able to instill in Lily.

Chapter 2

It was three days later and the day of the ball had arrived, along with Lily’s dresses – ugly things every one of them, absolute monstrosities. With bows, lace, and beads covering them so entirely that Lily could barely find the fabric making up the dress.

Lily could feel the maid’s sympathy as she helped Lily into one of the dresses, a pale pink atrocity of ruffles, lace, bows, and beads with a large hoop skirt, short ruffled sleeves, and a too-low scoop neckline. She then proceeded to arrange Lily’s hair – not only piling and twisting it, but also adding decorations such as fake pink roses, small felt birds, and matching pink jewels to catch the light. Lily shook her head, her mother really was desperate to marry her off if she’d insisted adding this many accessories, not that it would help, God knew. When the maid was done, she handed Lily her gloves, the only piece of clothing without adornment, and left the room. Lily sighed and frowned as she viewed herself in her full-length mirror. What was her mother thinking, getting her this dress and all of these ridiculous accessories? If she was noticed by men, it wouldn’t be because they thought she was attractive, but rather because she looked like someone escaped from Bedlam.

Pulling on her gloves, Lily exited her bedchamber and walked across the hall to Angelique’s room. Tapping quietly on the door Lily heard a soft come in in reply. Opening the door, she walked into Angelique’s room to find Angelique curled up on a chair reading one of her medical books. It was an important love the two sisters shared. Reading gave them both some escape from all of their mother’s match-making plans. It also gave them the opportunity to expand their knowledge of their real interests. Lily was most intrigued by finances and science, while Angelique leaned more toward medical texts. Although Angelique was also known to escape into the latest novels on occasion.

Busy? Lily asked.

Oh, no, no, not at all, Angelique insisted, looking up from her book and placing a bookmark in it before closing it and setting it aside. Turning to look at Lily her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open.

That bad huh?

No! That is… um… Well… I uh…

It’s alright, Angelique, you don’t have to make up some lie. I know I look terrible, all thanks to mother of course. That got Angelique to chuckle. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to be heading out soon.

Oh, you’re not bothering me. I’m just doing some reading. Thank you for coming in though. You must promise to tell me all about it when you return.

Yes, of course, I promise, Lily called over her shoulder to Angelique as she slipped out the door.

Lily descended the stairs to find her father waiting with a glass of scotch, but there was no sign of her mother. Typical. Lady Townsend always took forever to prepare for outings. But once she was ready, heaven forbid if anyone tried to slow her down. Lily started pacing back and forth across the hall. This was a habit that drove her mother crazy, because no proper lady should pace, they should wait patiently and calmly. It was ten minutes later when Lady Townsend descended the stairs decked out in ribbons, bows, and jewels. Lily didn’t see her right away, too engrossed in her inner monologue, so she got her hand smacked for pacing.

Let’s go, Lady Townsend insisted breezing towards the door, I don’t want to be unfashionably late.

Lily had to hold back a retort about how they already were because her mother had taken so long to dress.

Entering the carriage, Lord Townsend gave a knock on the roof with his walking stick. Then they were off to the ball. Lily stared out the window, lost in the scenery outside and engrossed in her own musings, only catching bits of her parents’ conversation.

Lily knew her parents had had an arranged marriage. Lady Townsend had had the money and Lord Townsend the title, but they didn’t love each other, not by a long shot. Still, they seemed content enough. Lady Townsend got the access and privileges the title provided, and Lord Townsend could pay off his debts and keep on spending. Lily shook her head. It was all too ridiculous, the reasons for which the ton married – and now her parents expected her to marry for the same reasons. Well, not exactly the same, as she was neither title-less nor destitute, but they wanted her to marry up. A marquess or a duke would do wonderfully in their eyes, although an earl would not be too great a failing. To be honest, Lily didn’t know if she could do it; could she simply marry someone for their title? But then, maybe she’d be one of the lucky ones and actually love the man she married. Still, that was far-fetched; there were very few in their class who married for love.

Seeing that they had arrived, Lily dispersed her sullen thoughts. It would not do to have a sad face at the ball. She might not want to go along with her parents’ plan, but being depressed never did anyone any good. Rousing herself, Lily exited the coach; her parents already had, something she hadn’t noticed. Her mother looked at her sharply for holding them up, but said nothing.

Entering the ballroom, their names were announced. It was a large room with glass doors and windows thrown open along two walls, in an attempt to cool down the ballroom, which was overheated from all the people packed within it. The other walls were covered in paintings and gold trimming. Along the walls were chairs and couches, places for older matrons and wallflowers to sit. The dancing had already started, and women in their more tasteful gowns glided across the floor in the arms of gentlemen. Why couldn’t I have dresses like those, that wouldn’t make me stand out like a sore thumb, Lily pondered, fruitlessly she realized. But Lily knew