by Amelia Grey
Chapter 16
Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.
—Othello, act 2, scene 3
The Great Hall looked as if it had been sprinkled with gold dust.
Louisa stood at the entranceway to the large, sweeping ballroom with Gwen and Mrs. Colthrust. The brass and crystal chandeliers glittered and glimmered. Huge mirrors hung on the high walls, reflecting and scattering soft candlelight all over the ballroom.
The ceiling had been washed in a shade of sky blue, a scene of flowers, ferns, and waterfalls painted around the outer edges. Cherubs holding harps, hearts, and bows and arrows looked as if they were dancing across the heavenly tableau. At a quick glance, Louisa counted sixteen massive fluted Corinthian columns draped in pale blue tulle, ivy, and beads that looked like strings of pearls. Large urns overflowing with colorful flowers and statues of Greek gods and goddesses were standing in various places around the room. The décor of the spacious room lived up to its name. It was indeed a great hall.
There were two steps down from the entrance level to the ballroom, which must have held at least five hundred people. To the far side, Louisa saw a vast dance floor where fashionably gowned ladies and dapperly dressed gentlemen twirled, swayed, and hopped as the orchestra played a lively quadrille.
Mrs. Colthrust had chosen an ivory gown with pale pink ribbon fashioned into bows at the high waist and capped sleeves for Gwen, and an alabaster-colored gown with long sheer sleeves and pale green cuffs for Louisa. Both she and Gwen had their hair pinned up with ribbons woven through their golden curls. Mrs. Colthrust wore a low-cut puce-colored gown with strands of beige lace adorning the bodice and skirt. Her headpiece resembled a crown of gold with feathers shooting out of it.
“I’ve never seen so many candles,” Gwen said.
The three ladies stood in the entryway and took in the opulence and frenzied movement of the ballroom below.
“Don’t look so awestruck, Gwen,” Mrs. Colthrust said in her usual tart tone. “You must see to it that every gentleman you meet thinks you are accustomed to this kind of grandeur, and to be surrounded by it is what you will expect once you marry him.”
Louisa smiled at that outrageous comment. She didn’t know anyone who would want to or could afford to live amid such grandeur, except perhaps the King, the Prince, and maybe an arrogant duke or two.
“How will I ever get to know anyone in this crowd?” Gwen asked Mrs. Colthrust. “I’ve never seen so many people in one place.”
“Yes, dear, you have. You’ve been to market day in your village square. I will seek out the people I know well and introduce you. And if the duke keeps his word, he promised to make sure you meet the patronesses of Almack’s, which could be crucial to your making a match this Season. But if he doesn’t show, I know what to do. I’ll find his mother, the dowager duchess, and ask her to fill in for her son. I need to speak to her anyway and thank her for all the help she gave with the merchants. You two need to do the same.”
“We will,” Louisa said.
“Will all the parties be this big?” Gwen asked.
“Don’t be silly, dear girl,” Mrs. Colthrust said. “Can’t you remember anything I have told you these past weeks? Must I go over all the invitations and the names again?”
“Of course not,” Louisa said, speaking up for her sister. “I’m sure it’s not uncommon to be a little nervous and a tiny bit intimidated by seeing your first ballroom. I know I am.”
“I suppose I was, back in the day, too,” Mrs. Colthrust said. “However, Gwen, there will be many parties held in homes. Some will even be intimate dinner parties of less than fifty people. Those are the ones we want you to be invited to as the Season progresses. Gentlemen want to know that the young lady they choose for their bride is sought after by many. It makes the hunt for the right match more exciting. Don’t you think so, Louisa?”
“Yes,” Louisa agreed, though she wasn’t so sure. She had no knowledge of what Mrs. Colthrust was referring to. She took Gwen’s hand and said, “You are beautiful, and you will woo every gentleman you meet tonight.”
Gwen smiled, too. “I need only woo one.”
Mrs. Colthrust continued her explanation to Gwen, and Louisa listened as she looked at the people in the room below. She was awestruck by the many rich colors of fabrics and the elaborately styled gowns. Some of the ladies wore headpieces that were tall, feathered, and beaded while others, like Louisa and Gwen, wore simple ribbons, strands of pearls, or fresh-cut flowers woven throughout their hair. The gentlemen were handsome, too. All of them wore black coats with tails, but their waistcoats were in a variety of bold colors and adorned with either brass or silk-covered buttons.
Louisa realized she was looking at the faces of the gentlemen in the room, hoping to catch sight of the Duke of Drakestone. It was maddening how easily her thoughts turned to him. She hadn’t seen or heard from His Grace since the afternoon he showed up at her house unannounced and tricked her into touching him and kissing him. Her cheeks still heated whenever she thought about that day. She refused to fool herself and say she hadn’t enjoyed his touch and his kisses that afternoon—because she had. And though it pained her to admit it even to herself, she wanted to see him and talk to him again.
“Already, I see many handsome gentlemen,” Gwen said. “I do hope one of them will ask me to dance.”
“Ha! One of them?” Mrs. Colthrust said sharply. “You shall dance with them all. And you, too, of course, Louisa.”
“I will do my share of looking over the young men,” Louisa assured her chaperone. She had thought she’d be looking only for Gwen, but now she wanted to look for herself as well. She needed a kind and considerate gentleman to sweep her off her feet and banish all thoughts of the duke from her mind—and, of course, accept her sisters, too.
“Look, here comes Mr. Newman. His uncle is a baron and quite well thought of in Society. Mr. Newman will be the perfect gentleman to start the evening. Both of you stay calm and behave exactly the way I’ve instructed you, and all will be well.
“Mr. Newman, how are you this evening?” Mrs. Colthrust said in the soft, friendly voice she usually reserved for when she was talking about the Dowager Duchess of Drakestone.
“Quite well, Mrs. Colthrust, and you?”
“Absolutely heavenly. I’m always enchanted by the first ball of the Season. I don’t believe you’ve met my nieces,” she said.
“No,” he said, taking his time to smile at both Gwen and Louisa.
“They’ve only recently arrived in London. And they are, of course, Lord Wayebury’s nieces, too,” she said, and then made the proper introductions.
Mr. Newman bowed. “Ladies, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. And may I add that all of you are looking lovely tonight.”
Mrs. Colthrust laughed softly, flicked open her fan, and fluttered it as she said, “How kind of you to say.”
The conversation continued with Mr. Newman asking how they were enjoying the city. Louisa took a step back and let Gwen answer. She wanted to see how Gwen interacted with the young man. And she wanted to look the young man over, too. He was tall, slim, and had a very youthful-looking face. His brown hair was trimmed short. His eyes seemed a little ordinary and without much sparkle, but when he smiled, he was very pleasant to look at.
“Miss Prim,” Mr. Newman said, looking at Louisa, “am I correct in understanding that you are spoken for by His Grace, the Duke of Drakestone?”
Louisa opened her mouth to blurt out a strong no when it dawned on her that perhaps she should leave that bit of information a little vague for the time being. “At this time, there are still many things to be settled between the duke and me.”
“I see. Well, perhaps, Miss Prim and Miss Gwen, you’ll both save a dance for me later in the evening?”
They both assured him they would, and after he excused himself, Mrs. Colthrust, Gwen, and Louisa moved down into the depths of the noisy ballroom. They met one person after another. Mrs. Colthrust
was doing an excellent job of introducing them. It amazed Louisa that the woman could sound so cold when talking to her and her sisters and sound like a sweet and gentle woman when introducing them to the ton.
Louisa was also surprised that almost everyone they met either mentioned the Duke of Drakestone or asked her about him. What was happening between her and the duke was on everyone’s mind. She answered them all the same way she had answered Mr. Newman.
Over the course of an hour or so, Mrs. Colthrust was like an out-of-control steamship plowing through stormy waters when they were trying to get from one side of the overpacked ballroom to the other, and like a dainty butterfly flitting from one flower to another when they moved from one group of people to another. After only a few minutes, it was impossible for Louisa to remember half the people she’d met just minutes before. And from the look on Gwen’s face, she wasn’t doing any better.
Louisa and Miss Kindred were able to teach Gwen many things over the years, but neither of them had the faintest idea how to help her make a good match. Mrs. Colthrust was the most abrasive person Louisa had ever known, but she seemed to know her way around Polite Society. Louisa supposed she had to thank her uncle for asking Mrs. Colthrust to assist them and not leaving them completely on their own.
When Mr. Newman claimed Gwen for her first dance of the evening, Louisa had wanted to watch them, but that was impossible. Mrs. Colthrust took hold of her wrist and dragged her through the crowd to be presented to the Earl of Bitterhaven. As the introductions were made, Louisa was standing almost eye level with the earl. He wasn’t a tall, regal, or dashingly handsome gentleman, but he wasn’t a poorly looking man either. He was fit for his age, and his brown eyes seemed kind.
“Yes, yes, I knew your father, Miss Prim, and I know your uncle well, though I’m sorry to say I don’t remember ever meeting your brother. It was a shame what happened to him, and so young.”
“Yes, it was,” Louisa said softly, feeling a lump of sadness rise in her throat. Most everyone she’d met mentioned the duke. The earl was the first person to have remembered and mentioned her brother, and for that consideration, she took an instant liking to him. “Thank you for remembering him.”
“Where is your uncle these days? I haven’t seen the old chap at any of the clubs recently.”
“He’s on extended holiday,” she said, not wanting to tell the gentleman she had no idea where her uncle was.
“He and my sister wanted to get away and explore the world, so we don’t know from week to week where they might be,” Mrs. Colthrust added.
“I see, yes—well, of course they would enjoy such a journey. And this is your first Season, isn’t it, Miss Prim?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, if you don’t think the Duke of Drakestone will mind, I’d enjoy a dance with you. You don’t mind, do you, Mrs. Colthrust?”
“No, not at all.”
“Good.” He looked at Louisa. “I’m sure they’ll be announcing a waltz soon. When they do, I will meet you by the urn on the right side of the floor.”
The earl then said his good-byes and walked away.
“Tell me what you thought of him,” Mrs. Colthrust said almost as soon as the man’s back was turned.
“He seems a very kind man,” Louisa said truthfully.
“Is that all you can say?” Mrs. Colthrust complained. “That answer will not land you a husband.”
No, she could add that there were no quivers in her stomach, no catch in her breath. Her heart didn’t race at the sight of him, and her breasts didn’t tingle when he looked at her and spoke to her. And the shame of it was that the only man who made her feel all those wonderful things was a beast. But she couldn’t say any of that to Mrs. Colthrust.
Annoyed by Louisa’s less-than-satisfactory answer, Mrs. Colthrust excused herself to go to the retiring room. Louisa took the opportunity to unobtrusively make her way over to the long line of dowagers, spinsters, and widows who were sitting against the wall near the dance floor. She stood at one end of a line of about twenty ladies. They were chatting, laughing, and fanning themselves. They seemed to be having a delightful time. Louisa listened to their chatter while she watched Gwen, who was now dancing with a gentleman other than Mr. Newman. It certainly hadn’t taken her sister long to lose her shyness. Gwen looked stunning, and she hadn’t missed a step since Louisa started watching her dance.
“He’s here, ladies, he’s here,” Louisa heard one of the women sitting in the line say. “Quiet now, quiet.”
Louisa looked in the direction they were all staring and saw none other than the handsome Duke of Drakestone. Her stomach tumbled over itself. He stood at the entrance to the ballroom, looking like a magnificent Adonis. She didn’t know if her heart skipped a beat, fluttered, or stopped altogether when she saw him. She must have been introduced to more than twenty gentlemen, but so far, none of them came close to making her feel the way the duke made her feel when she looked at him.
There were more murmurings from the ladies lining the wall. She stared at them in disbelief as they moistened their lips, touched their hair, and pinched their cheeks. They all looked at him with adoring expressions. Louisa smiled. She couldn’t blame them for mooning over him, but did they really think this arrogant man was going to notice them? Not that they weren’t all lovely in their own way, but surely they knew the duke could command the attention of any of the beautiful young ladies in the room, except for Gwen.
He spoke to people as he passed but didn’t let any of them deter or stop him for long.
“Do you think he will favor us as he has in years past?” one of the ladies asked.
“I don’t see why not,” another answered.
“Of course he will,” another lady said.
Someone farther down the line said something Louisa couldn’t hear, and apparently the other women didn’t hear her either, because she said it again only louder, “He’s done it every year he’s attended a ball, as far, as I know.”
“He does it just to make the young ladies jealous that they are not chosen for his first dance.”
“He’s such a rake.”
“Isn’t he handsome tonight?”
“And the older he gets, the more handsome he becomes.”
“I do believe he’s wearing his hair a little longer this year.”
“Makes him look even more like a devilish rogue, doesn’t it?”
The ladies laughed, and Louisa moved closer to the lady in the chair beside her. The room was so crowded, she didn’t think the woman would notice that she was listening to their conversation. She was intrigued by what they said, and amazed she could even hear the ladies with the music and all the other loud chatter going on in the room.
“Hush, now, all of you.” Still another lady, farther down the line, said, “Of course he will favor us. He always has, and I’m certain he always will.”
“At least until he marries.”
“If he marries.”
“Of course he will. He’ll need an heir.”
“I heard he wasn’t going to marry that Miss Prim. Has anyone heard any more about that?”
Louisa stiffened. The ladies had no way of knowing who she was. She wasn’t even sure any of them had noticed her standing there.
“He would have married her long ago if he was going to.”
“My brother said the duke is waiting so long because he is hoping she will marry someone else.”
Several of the ladies laughed.
“I’ve heard she’s going to be here tonight. Has anyone seen her?”
Louisa remained as straight and stiff as if a rod were in her back. She would have no choice but to admit who she was if the lady she was standing next to turned to her and asked her name.
“Look. He’s coming this way. Quiet now, and smile. Here he comes.”
“See, I told you he would pay his respects to us before he asks any other lady to dance.”
“Which of us do you think he’ll pick?”
“It was I who was first the year before that.”
“I was picked first one year, too,” another lady said.
Louisa marveled that these ladies were bragging about who was the first of the Season to dance with the duke. Obviously, not many gentlemen treated them to a dance, or else the duke’s favor wouldn’t be so important to them.
Louisa watched as His Grace stopped and bowed before each lady, taking her hand and kissing it, saying a few words before straightening and moving on to the next one and doing exactly the same thing again.
He was getting closer to the end of the line, closer to her. She should hurry away before he looked up and saw her. He’d never know she’d been there, because he didn’t let his eyes wander around the room or sneak a peek at the next lady in line while he was talking to whoever was in front of him. He wasn’t kissing air or looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. He gave whomever he was talking to his full attention and, as the lady had said, the respect they deserved for their age and their position be they widow, spinster, or dowager.
She kept thinking she needed to leave before he saw her, but she couldn’t make her feet move. When he rose from talking to the last lady, he found himself standing before Louisa. She thought she saw surprise in his eyes—but couldn’t be sure because he was too good at hiding all his emotions except annoyance. She’s seen that one more than once.
Louisa curtsied, looked into his beautiful green eyes, and whispered, “Your Grace.”
He bowed and said, “Miss Prim.”
He reached for her gloved hand, and the second his fingers closed around hers, she felt a blanket of warmth as if she were standing in front of a roaring fire. He kissed the back of her hand and then stepped between her and the row of ladies.
His gaze swept up her face, quickly down her body, and back up to her eyes. “You are very lovely tonight. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Well, I—I am all dressed for the ball tonight,” she said, thinking she must have looked absolutely wretched the few times he’d seen her at the Mayfair town house. “If you’d had the decency to let me know that you were going to call on me, you wouldn’t have caught me in such a state of dishabille while playing with my sisters.”