Chapter 7
Each Other
Three months later, the Lady Isabella was in a delirium of excitement for an upcoming ball. She had her Lady’s maid assemble an entire boutique’s worth of options for the night’s apparel, on which she was deliberating now.
“Hurry up with the rest. Come on. I’m brimming with anticipation.”
Her Lady’s maid, absolutely laden with clothes, staggered through the door and tossed the pile on her bed. Miss Olivia, thus extraordinarily promoted after Camille’s abrupt dismissal, wiped her brow and looked at the array of gowns and accessories spilled out before her.
“Which were you thinking of wearing, my Lady?” she asked. Isabella pondered for a moment.
“Well, the midnight blue one is by far the most impressive of my evening gowns. However, will not the Earl of Balton be attending tonight?”
“He will be, my Lady,” said Olivia, blushing.
“And why all this embarrassment, my dear?” asked Isabella.
“Well, he has been to the last three balls, and has danced with me at least twice at every one. And lately, he has been acting so strangely.”
Isabella, who had been discussing the matter with Thomas just that morning, smiled a mischievous smile.
“Are you hoping, Miss Olivia, that he will propose?”
Olivia did not answer, but a blossoming grin on her face told all.
“Then you shall wear the midnight blue,” Isabella said. “I have always preferred green, anyway. It is Thomas’s favourite colour.”
Olivia smiled. “Is he finally to be attending, then?”
“Not officially, no. But he will be there. Goodness knows, with all this political unrest, and my father still at war, a woman like me needs a strapping young bodyguard.”
Thomas, too, had been promoted. However, he still found time to attend to his flowers, which he offered on a regular basis to both young women. In fact, despite their heightened offices, both Olivia and Thomas had a marked increase in their leisure time. All servants of the Roslyn estate had. As if transformed, Isabella had resumed her post as Lady of the estate by establishing new traditions such as shortened work hours, holidays, and even, on many occasions, gratitude.
Yet, there were some orders that must be obeyed: Obedient to the Lady’s wishes, Olivia removed her maid’s garb and donned the blue gown, which Isabella helped to fasten.
“How I ever got on the golden one alone I will never figure out,” Olivia joked, and the two of them giggled.
Once Olivia was set, she began the more extensive process of preparing her friend and mistress for the ball. By the time they were finished, both were positively resplendent.
Doing a final check in the mirror, Isabella rang the servant’s bell. Seconds later, Thomas appeared, panting, at the door. He had obviously just run there.
“Is there a danger, my Lady?” he asked.
“Actually, yes,” said Lady Isabella. “I have to venture down an entire flight of stairs to reach the ball, and I fear, in my weakened state, I will need assistance. Will you attend me?”
Thomas smiled.
“Every day, for as long as you shall live,” he said, taking her hand and guiding them from the room.
With a fond and happy smile, Olivia watched them depart, then sighed before reclining on the bed. She had many gowns to straighten and return to her Mistress’ closet. But for now, she desired a moment simply to relax, which she knew Isabella would not begrudge her.
Below, surely dressed even more splendidly than she, awaited a man who truly loved her. This man had, despite the societal uproar that accompanied their courtship, nonetheless sought daily to increase it. She knew it was not his station or his appearance that drove her love, but his utter acceptance of who she was becoming, rather than what she had been born as.
She knew Isabella felt the same of Thomas.
After all, she thought, it is not about what station one is born into, but rather the realization that all we poor mortals have in this life is each other.
THE END
About the Author
Amelia Fernside fell in love with the U.K. a few years ago during a long hike on Cumbria Way in England’s Lake District. That experience led to a love affair with the novels of Jane Austen and other British writers. That, in turn, led Amelia, a journalist by profession, to write her own romance stories. She now says she is having “the time of my life.” Amelia lives in Washington state with her husband, three dogs and a crazy Manx cat named Louie.
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More Books by Amelia Fernside
Click HERE for more information about these and other regency romance short stories by Amelia Fernside.
One Perfect Moment
Mary-Anne’s horse was spooked by an adder, and she was about to fall off when a young man rode up and saved her. Who was he? Why did he vanish? The years went by. She waited … and hoped.
The Ugly Duckling
Lady Augusta dangled her legs over the edge of a cliff overlooking the North Sea as the waves crashed into the jagged rocks below. No one had ever loved her. Now no one ever would. She leaned forward …
The Unlikely Heiress
Ellen agrees to marry a man she doesn’t love just to appease her snooty family. There’s one thing, however, that can save her from a loveless marriage. But the odds of that happening are exceedingly slim.
Grace’s Last Affair
Grace is broke and about to lose her estate. A novelist with writer’s block will pay her if she’ll help finish his book. Little does she know she’s in the final chapter.
If One Sister Won’t, the Other Will
Cecilia Baxter had been in love with Charles St. Germain since she was a child. But because her older sister Emmeline was first in line, she was given the privilege of marrying Charles. That is, until Emmeline left town and fled to France. Did that clear the way for Cecilia to marry Charles? Well, yes and no. The road to romance is sometimes full of twists and turns.
Lady Laura and the Captain
Who says you have to be young and beautiful to find a suitable husband? Laura and her two friends, all dowagers, decide to shun the regency rules of romance and find new love – because love was more important than anything. But their journeys weren’t easy. Book One of The Dowagers’ Pact Trilogy.
Sarah and the Historian
Book Two of The Dowagers’ Pact Trilogy
Deborah and the Mystery Man
Book Three of The Dowagers’ Pact Trilogy
Regency Romance: Each Other Page 7