She angled her head toward him, one brow arched. “Do go on.”
He surveyed Elianna. Her eyes sparkled with amusement but also something else. She was offering up a dare. He enjoyed a good challenge as much as he did a mystery. “I wish to know more about you. Where you came from? How you came to be Lady Caroline’s companion? You never did give me your surname.”
“As Lady Caroline said, there is nothing to tell. I am truly rather boring.” She reached for another rose, taking its stem carefully in her gloved hand before cutting it free from the bush.
Clearly, his current line of inquiry would not get him anywhere. He moved to the crimson roses next to where she stood and plucked one from the bush, then deposited it in her hair. The time had come to change tactics. He would woo her into revealing her truth, her hardship.
“Now you’ve gone and disheveled my coiffeur.” She patted her hair, a playful grin upon her lips.
He brushed his hand across her arm. “I have done nothing more than add an ornament to highlight your beauty.”
“Then I should thank you, my lord.”
No doubt remained that she, too, found enjoyment in their exchange. Still, something seemed off with the woman, and he meant to get to the bottom of whatever it was. “Miss Elianna, I would like to dance with you at the upcoming ball. As Lady Caroline’s companion, I am quite certain you will be in attendance.” His chest tugged at the crestfallen expression that overtook her face as she turned back to her task. More evidence that something was amiss here—but what? “Do say you will commit a set for me.”
She sighed, but did not look back at him. “I will try.”
He moved around the bush to face her. The thick green foliage scraped at his breeches as he went, but he paid it no mind. His only concern was for Miss Elianna and an overwhelming desire to put a smile back on her face. “I may well perish if I am denied the opportunity to dance with the most beautiful woman in attendance.”
Her gaze snapped up to meet his. “You are incorrigible.”
“Would you wish me any other way?”
Laughter escaped her as a broad smile lit her face. “No, I do not suppose I would.”
A sense of victory settled in him at her admission. She liked him, enjoyed talking and flirting with him. It was but a matter of time before she would confide in him.
Elianna knew a fool when she saw one. Despite her understanding of her position in life, she could not help but find Lord Sinclair charming. Imagine, allowing a rogue to keep company with her. Worse, she found herself considering a way to attend the ball for no reason beyond the chance to dance with the man. If she could peer into a looking glass at this very moment, a fool would be staring back at her.
She positioned a pink bud among the other roses as she recalled Lord Sinclair’s roguish grin. The man had more charm than should be allotted to one gentleman. When he’d teased her and unleashed his devil-of-a-smile, she’d nearly fell into his arms. Even now, warmth spread through her simply from thinking about him. She would give about anything to enjoy the ball with him as her former self, Lady Elianna, for just one night.
After arranging the final rose into a crystal vase on Lady Caroline’s sitting room table, Elianna stood back, a sigh escaping her lips as she examined her work. One more miniscule task given to her by Lady Berkly for no other reason than to remind her that she was a servant to the family—not a member.
Years had passed since her cousin and his family swept into her life. Back then, she’d been but a girl ready to embark on her first season. It had been all too easy for the seventh Earl of Berkly to suppress her—control her. His behavior always confounded her. Even now at two and twenty, she wondered at the earl’s motivation. Why would one treat their own kin in such a way? She always reached the same conclusion—power. Perhaps the time had come for her to assert herself.
Elianna straightened her posture, holding her shoulders straight and head high, she marched from the room. Come what may, she would go to Lady Berkly and make her wish to attend the ball known. Lord Sinclair had been correct, as Lady Caroline’s companion she should be in attendance. Surely, her cousin would see reason and permit her to go.
Drawing to a stop outside of Lady Berkly’s drawing room, Elianna smoothed her skirts then rapped on the door.
“Enter,” Lady Berkly called in her shrill tone.
Elianna drew in a steadying breath, steeling herself for what might come, then entered the room.
“For what reason do you interrupt me?” Lady Berkly set her book aside to peer at Elianna.
She could not help but wonder at how the lady managed to act demure around others when she was always so bitter toward Elianna. Truly, would it pain her overmuch to be kind? She met Lady Berkly’s cold stare and offered a small smile. “I do apologize for intruding, however, I have a request that cannot wait.”
“Very well. Out with it girl.”
Elianna swallowed, her heart racing. “I wish to attend the ball.” Elianna took a step closer to her cousin. “As a guest,” she finished before she lost her nerve.
Lady Berkly’s face went from white, to pink, to scarlet. Elianna worked to hold her posture while stealing her nerves. She would not let this go without a fight.
At last, Lady Berkly found her tongue. “You must be jesting.”
“Not at all, my lady.”
Her cousin rose from the velvet wingback chair she’d occupied. “Servants do not dance at balls.” She laughed and waved a dismissive hand. “Do cease this nonsense at once.”
Elianna held Lady Berkly’s gaze, defiance bubbling up in her. “While that fact is indisputable, you cannot deny that companions often attend with their ladies.” She had an overwhelming desire to add that as a lady, she most certainly had a right to attend, but she held her tongue. It would do her no good to point out a fact they both already knew—a long ignored truth her cousin worked hard to hide.
Lady Berkly made haste to stand before Elianna, mere inches separating them. Her eyes flashed with anger. “You dare to challenge me?”
Despite the urge to flee, Elianna held her ground. “I only wish to attend as Lady Caroline’s companion. Something often seen at society events.”
“You are a servant first, companion second. It would do you well to remember the fact.” Lady Berkly turned her back to Elianna.
She should accept her cousin’s words and leave the drawing room. Forget about balls and dashing lords. Still, she’d come this far. “What would it hurt for me to attend one ball?”
Lady Berkly’s back stiffened before she slowly turned to Elianna. “I will see you as a scullery maid if you do not cease this nonsense immediately.”
Crestfallen, Elianna nodded. “As you wish.”
She took her leave, determined to dance with Lord Sinclair—and dance she would. Somehow, someway, she’d attend the ball.
Chapter 4
Elianna stretched her cramped fingers and looked at Anna. “I can still recall a time when I enjoyed needle work, though I cannot imagine why.”
Anna rolled her eyes, shoving her own needle through the cloth she held. “You enjoyed sewing because you were doing it for pleasure. Now it is but a chore.”
With a sigh, Elianna resumed her stitching.
“How incredibly unfair that you work into the evening hours mending Lady Caroline’s gown for a ball you are not permitted to attend. A new frock at that. I’d wager Lady Berkly damaged the garment on purpose for no other reason than to force you to repair it.” Anna scowled, causing her brows to crease.
“At least they did not toss me out on the streets or send me to a dreadful nunnery.” Elianna shoved the needle back through the organdy with a bit more force than necessary. “Ouch.” She jerked her hand away and shook it in the air, her finger stinging where the needle had pricked it.
“Are you all right?” Anna asked with concern in her gaze.
Elianna stilled her hand to study her throbbing finger. A small spot of crimson pooled where the need
le had punctured her skin. “I’m quite fine, just a small wound.” She rose and went to fetch a handkerchief, then held it over the injury as she returned to her seat before the servant’s hearth.
“You must be careful, Eli.” Anna sighed, her shoulder’s relaxing. “And I am referring to more than your skills with a needle and thread.”
“I am afraid I have no idea what you are alluding to.” Elianna gathered the white gown back onto her lap, ready to resume the necessary repairs. How did one rip a dress without ever having worn it? Did Lady Berkly simply tug the seam out?
“You are well aware of how servants gossip.” Anna shot her a sideways glance.
Elianna’s eyes rounded and she gave a nod. Surely, the servants could not know of her confrontation with her cousin so soon.
“Well, Lady Berkly’s maid told the butler that she threatened to reduce you to a scullery maid. Whatever did you do to warrant her anger this time?”
“I dared to dream.” Elianna allowed her shoulders to slouch as she studied the fire crackling before them. Orange and blue flames flickered on the one log that had been centered in the old stone fireplace. A log retrieved by another servant in an effort to keep the servant’s area warm, she might add. Lady Berkly would never provide wood for them.
“That is not fair.” Anna huffed. “Tossing my words at me simply because whatever you were about failed to work.”
Elianna’s heart sunk at having upset her friend. It was not at all like her to be unkind. Not to anyone or thing, least of all Anna, her one true friend. “You are correct and I am sorry. That was not fair of me in the least.”
Anna set her work aside and angled her body toward Elianna’s chair. “You have been acting amiss all evening. Are you going to confide in me or is it your desire to leave me guessing?”
“Oh, very well.” Elianna turned her attention on Anna. “I met a gentleman, a viscount, while in London.”
Anna leaned closer, a wry grin tugging on her lips. “Do go on.”
“I fear there is not much to tell. However, he is in attendance at Crystal Court and expressed a desire to dance with me at the ball.” Anna sat silently as Elianna stood and walked across the stone floor. The swish of her slippers against the hard surface whispered off the walls of the small room, filling the air around them as she made her way across the room. After reaching the hearth, she pivoted back toward Anna. “I requested permission to attend the ball as Lady Caroline’s companion. Lady Berkly became angry and denied my request.” Elianna averted her gaze. “I should have confided in you when you mentioned the ball a moment ago. Do forgive me.”
Anna came to stand before her, taking Elianna’s hands in hers. “Oh dear, I am sorry.”
Elianna fought the tears welling in her eyes. “I should have guessed Lady Berkly would not allow me to go. All the same, I intend to dance with the viscount.”
Anna released Elianna’s hands. “How do you plan to make that work?”
“I am not quite certain, but I have the workings of a plan.” Elianna’s shoulders stiffened, her pulse speeding up as her mind rolled over her idea. “It is a masquerade ball. If I can come up with a gown and mask, I can attend for at least a few hours before Lady Caroline needs me to tend her.”
She would need a large mask, the more ornate the better, for hiding her identity. Moreover, her gown would have to be fashionable as well as unrecognizable. Elianna had yet to figure out the details, but she had to believe everything would work out—just once things would go her way.
Casting a smile at Anna, she smoothed her skirt—the livery colors of Lord and Lady Berkly’s servants. She’d be spotted immediately, and likely taken for a servant if she dared to wear any of her frocks no matter how severely they altered the dress. She grasped Anna’s hands, her eyes silently pleading. “Might you be willing to assist me?”
A moment of uncertainty flashed in Anna’s warm gaze. “Of course, I will help in any way I can.”
Involving Anna would put her at risk. Elianna would not be able to look at her own reflection if Anna suffered because of her. She gave a squeeze to Anna’s hand. “Helping me could prove hazardous. It was wrong of me to ask. Please forget that I did.”
“Oh no you don’t.” Anna protested. “I am going to help. Consequences be damned.”
“Truly, you do not have to. I feel wretched for asking in the first place. What if I am found out and we both lose our positions at Crystal Court?”
Anna gave a wry grin. “Then we travel to London together and gain positions as seamstresses. Leastwise then, we may actually be thanked for the damage we are doing to our hands mending so many garments.”
She could not stifle the laugh that bubbled up in her. “How I do adore you, Anna.”
Elianna returned to her seat and resumed her mending, chatting with Anna about her plot as they worked. Once finished, she led them up to the attic. Clutching a candle in her hand, she waved for Anna to follow. “Surely there is something of use stashed away up here.”
“Most certainly. Though we must be careful not to choose anything Lady Caroline or her formidable mama will recognize.” Anna stepped past her holding her own candle.
Elianna glanced around at the old furniture, trunks, and tarp-covered piles cast in the glow of the candlelight. The floorboards creaked beneath their feet, and cobwebs clung to the ceiling and walls. The fine hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end, but she refused to be dissuaded. She stepped further into the vast space. “Come along. Let us start in the back. I’d wager the farther into the room we go, the less likely it will be for anyone to recognize what we take.”
Anna nodded. “Quite likely.”
Elianna inhaled the stale air, fighting not to sneeze or worse, cough. It would not do for them to be caught up here. Reaching the back of the attic, she paused to look about. A trio of old trunks sat clustered in the far corner. She held her candle in one hand and pointed with the other. “Let us start there.”
Anna moved to the far trunk and sat her candlestick on the floor before kneeling next to an oak trunk with leather straps. “I will check this one. You start with one of the others.”
Elianna moved to a trunk with brass fittings. After situating herself and her light, she popped the lid open. Her heart dipped clear to her toes at the photograph of her mother staring up at her. With shaking hands, she reached in and ran her fingertips over the image. She’d not seen her mother’s likeness, nor her father’s, since her cousins took up residence here.
All of her parents’ things had been swiftly removed from sight. Her cousin refused to permit her to hang onto even the smallest mementos. She had thought it all discarded based on the sizable piles of their property she watched get carted away. How had these remained?
Lifting the picture from the trunk, she sighed. How different her life might have been if Mother would have survived. Perhaps Father would not have been so reclusive. Maybe both of them would still be with her. Elianna closed her eyes. Now was no time for such things. She set the picture aside and began rifling through the trunk.
Knickknacks, linens, a set of calling cards—nothing of use to her. She began carefully packing things back into the trunk, her heart heavy but spirits high. They had discovered her mother’s things. Most certainly there was an old gown here somewhere. The Berklys would never recognize something that had never belonged to them.
“I found some ostrich feathers we might be able to use for your mask.” Anna’s voice broke into Elianna’s thoughts.
She turned to her friend who held a fistful of large white feathers. “How splendid. They will do very well.” Elianna closed the lid to her own trunk and stood. A large object covered with a tarp near the opposite wall caught her attention. “I am going to look around over there.” She gestured toward it. “While you check the remaining trunk.”
Having reached her query, Elianna took hold of the tarp and tugged. It slid away, sending a cloud of dust into the air. She covered her mouth and nose while waiting for the d
ust to settle. Much to her dismay, she’d uncovered a china hutch. She nibbled on her lower lip.
“Did you find anything?” Anna called.
“Nothing of use. And you?”
“Some more feathers, lace, and a linen square embellished with pearls, but nothing that would make a suitable ball gown.”
Elianna squinted into the darkness. “We’ll keep looking. There has to be something here.”
“I would not dream of stopping before we find it,” Anna said in her usual optimistic tone.
Elianna moved from thing to thing, pulling tarps and opening lids until she was quite certain she’d been right when she labeled herself a fool. Anna had searched the entire back wall and now worked her way along the west-facing one. In turn, Elianna searched the east-facing wall before moving to the middle of the room. Not expecting much of anything, she pulled another tarp free.
Elianna tossed open the doors of the armoire. “Anna, do hurry.” She reached in and began shifting through the dresses hung inside. “I have found a stash of gowns.”
“And I discovered a mask. Nothing fancy, but we can fix that.” Within a few heartbeats, Anna reached her.
Elianna stepped aside enough to allow Anna a peek.
“How marvelous. We are sure to find something here.” Anna retrieved a pink day dress and held it out toward Elianna. “You would be stunning in pink, and I am certain we could make it into a ball gown. Just not a silk one.”
With a smile, Elianna resumed riffling through the gowns until she felt the slippery, softness of silk. Pulling the frock free of the armoire, she smiled. “I do believe it would make our task easier if we were to start with a ball gown.”
Anna stroked her fingers over the dress. “Yes, indeed. A bit of updating and this will be lovely.” She smiled.
Enticed by Lady Elianna (Fabled Love Book 3) Page 3