The Trouble with Anna

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

I T WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE townhouse was awash with boxes. More arrived every day, frothing over with new gowns and lacy chemises, carefully packed with delicate hats, or sturdy boots, or whalebone stays. One slim square box had nothing in it but a single linen handkerchief, which Charlotte snatched up with a look of high mischief and stuffed into her pocket. Anna’s wardrobe swelled, but the steady stream of deliveries showed no sign of slowing.

“Just how much did I spend?” Anna asked as she dressed for her very first London dinner party, a small gathering of friends handpicked by the Dowager, and, more important, Anna and Charlotte’s first venture into gambling on a larger scale.

Strangely, Anna didn’t have even the smallest urge to vomit. Where had her newfound confidence come from? she wondered. Was it the clothes, or the love of the people who’d bullied her into them?

Even now Charlotte was fussing over the evening gown laid out on Anna’s bed. It was pale silver, shot through with tiny dots of silver thread that sparkled faintly, like morning frost. The thread had been Charlotte’s idea, as had so many of the details in Anna’s new wardrobe. Anna had always known Charlotte had an eye for clothes, but she’d never realized how encyclopedic her knowledge was, nor how much art she brought to dressing. She and Josephine squabbled over every detail of Anna’s wardrobe like a pair of Oxford scholars locked in debate.

Charlotte looked up and frowned. “You’re looking revoltingly sentimental! Don’t you dare hug me and wrinkle my gown before we get downstairs.”

Anna stuck her tongue out. “All right! Then back to my question—how much did I spend?”

“An absolute fortune, but Chatham can afford it. Which begs the question—if you can spend Chatham’s money on clothes, why can’t you spend Chatham’s money on other things you want?”

“Because if Chatham pays for something, Chatham owns it. Which means Cousin Simon owns it when he inherits. I suppose he could even repossess my wardrobe if he wanted to. The only way I own something outright is if I pay for it from my personal allowance, which is, unfortunately, quite small.”

“Small for now but not for long, Anna.” Little devils danced in Charlotte’s eyes. “Let’s win a bunch of money tonight!”