Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Diane let out a squeal when Marie entered the drawing room. “What a gorgeous gown. It looks splendid on you! Turn around so I can see all of it!”
Marie’s face warmed with pleasure as she spun around so that her friend could see all of the ruffles and pearls on the peach gown.
Diane was right. The thing did look splendid.
The gown enhanced her curves without giving too much away, and the color brought out the pink in her cheeks.
The peach butterfly pins and pearls that Miss Parson had used to pull her dark hair on top of her head had completed the look.
“Your father is wonderful for letting you buy such expensive things,” Diane wistfully said.
“Your father is wonderful, too. You look lovely.”
Diane glanced at her purple gown and shrugged. “I thought so until I saw you. But I should have known I’d fade in comparison to you. No one can compete with you in beauty.”
“You must not think like that. I have always thought you were exceptionally beautiful.” And that was true. Marie had admired Diane from the moment she’d noticed her. “You have no idea how many ladies wish they could be you.”
Diane laughed, and though she waved off the comment, she seemed to relish it. “Ladies only wish to be me when you’re not around. By the way, how was your outing with Lord Gilbert yesterday?”
“It was fine.”
Diane didn’t hide her disappointment. “Only fine?”
“We went to the museum to look at portraits. It wasn’t very interesting.” At least such an activity hadn’t ever been something Marie enjoyed. She supposed it had been meant for Lord Gilbert. “Lord Gilbert liked it. He told me something about half of the people in those portraits.”
Diane’s eyes lit up. “Like what?”
“Well, he went to King George IV’s coronation.”
“He did?”
Marie nodded. “He got a chance to see him. Apparently, the portrait was made when he was considerably younger because it hardly looks like him anymore, especially in relation to his weight.”
“I think most people in royalty gain weight. Did you ever see a painting of Henry VIII?”
Marie thought of the one she’d seen in the museum. “Yes. He was rather big.”
Diane let out a laugh. “You’re much too kind, Marie.
He was like a hot air balloon.” She stopped laughing and glanced around the room to make sure no one had overheard her.
When she realized they were safe, she relaxed.
“I think some people just gain weight as they get older. That’s why we marry young.
We need to secure our future while we still look our best. Now, I want you to tell me the truth: will Lord Gilbert be visiting you again? ”
“He did mention wishing to.”
Diane squealed and hugged her. “You must be excited.”
One would think so, but Marie wasn’t. She had agreed to see him again.
It was such a novel thing to have someone interested in her, and he was attractive and wealthy.
She felt it was best to see him again just to make sure she wasn’t making a mistake by saying no this early in the courtship.
Perhaps she would enjoy the next time she and Lord Gilbert spent time together.
“We don’t want to let my aunt wait any longer in the carriage,” Diane continued. “She’s not feeling all that well. She’s having her lady’s time.”
It took a moment for Marie to understand her meaning. “Would it be better if we had someone else chaperone us? Miss Parson acts the part when necessary.”
Diane’s eyes grew wide as if that was the most preposterous thing she’d ever heard. “Servants don’t chaperone at dinner parties. All of London would laugh at us if we had her come along. My aunt is just going to have to bear with it.”
Marie winced.
“Don’t worry. My aunt already took something for the discomfort. In a half hour, she’ll only have a mild ache,” Diane assured her.
Marie still didn’t like the sound of this. Thankfully, she didn’t suffer cramping during that time of month like some ladies did, but she didn’t like anyone to be in pain.
Diane took her by the hand and urged her out of the drawing room. “Come! I hear Lord Monheim is going to be at this dinner party. He is rumored to be wealthy, good looking, and influential in the Ton. Those are three things I adore most in a gentleman.”
“Don’t you want to marry for love?” Marie asked, hurrying to keep up with Diane as the two left the townhouse and went down the steps.
“Of course, I do. I love money. I love being in the presence of a handsome gentleman. And I love influence.”
Marie didn’t know how to respond to that, so she kept silent as she went to the carriage. She recognized Lady Sharon at once. This was Diane’s aunt on her father’s side.
Diane touched the loose curls that framed her face. “I hope this hat doesn’t ruin all of the work I went through to look like this.” Her gaze went to Marie. “Would you believe it took me an entire hour to get the curls exactly the way I wanted them?”
“I believe it.” Marie had always thought that Diane must take a long time to get ready for social gatherings since she always looked better than everyone else.
Diane put her hands in her lap then leaned toward Marie. “I hear that Miss Brooke McCord will be at the dinner party. I almost pity the gentleman who’ll escort her to dinner. She’s lacking in attractiveness, and most of what she says puts others to sleep.”
Marie blinked in surprise. “Are you saying she’s a wallflower?”
“Yes, I suppose one could consider her to be one.” She gave her aunt a pointed look. “Marie is the one who came out and said it, Auntie.”
Lady Sharon offered a smile, though Marie sensed some tension beneath it that had nothing to do with physical discomfort. “Be mindful of your tongue this evening, Diane.”
“I will be the perfect guest.” With a glance at Marie, she whispered, “I wouldn’t want to ruin things with Lord Monheim.” Diane settled back into the seat and adjusted her necklace.
Marie noted Lady Sharon taking a deep breath. Eyebrows furrowed, she said, “If you’re too uncomfortable for the evening, I’m sure we can find another chaperone.”
Lady Sharon looked her way, and her expression softened. “That’s very kind of you, but I will be all right soon. The discomfort won’t last much longer.”
“I told you,” Diane pointed out to Marie.
“She’s fine. It’s just something ladies go through.
” She gave a slight eyeroll. “All part of the curse from the Garden of Eden. I’d take the Lord to task on the issue if it would do any good.
” The carriage came to a stop, and Diane forgot all about their conversation. “How do I look?”
Marie chuckled. “You look just as beautiful as you did when we left my townhouse.”
Diane took a deep breath then released it. “Let’s hope the gentlemen agree.”
Upon entering Mr. Richard Anderson’s townhouse, Marie was shocked to see that Edward was there.
In fact, her attention kept going to Edward as Richard was introducing her and Diane to everyone in the room.
The gentlemen consisted of himself, Edward, Lord Monheim, and Lord Noel.
Edward stood a little more stiffly than the other gentlemen, an indication he was just as nervous in social situations as her real father claimed.
As Diane said, Miss Brooke McCord was among the four ladies in attendance.
Marie studied her but didn’t recall ever seeing her before.
Diane had said she was plain, but Marie thought she was pretty.
That prettiness had just been subdued. She bet with some work, Brooke could be attractive to quite a few gentlemen.
“I hope no one minds that I took the liberty of pairing up the couples this evening,” Richard continued. “I will be with Miss McCord, Mr. Glover will be with Lady Diane, Lord Monheim will be with Lady Marie, and Lord Noel will be with Lady Sharon.”
Except for Lord Noel and Sharon, Marie hid her surprise at the pairings. For some reason, she figured she would be paired up with Edward.
“We still have a few minutes before dinner is ready,” Richard said as he gestured for everyone to sit.
Marie settled into a chair next to Diane and noted the disappointed expression on her friend’s face.
Diane had wished to be paired with Lord Monheim this evening.
Marie glanced Lord Monheim’s way and saw that he was smiling her way.
A blush crept over Marie’s face as she returned his smile.
How strange—but also wonderful—it was to know that the gentleman she was paired with was happy with the match.
“Christmas isn’t far away,” Richard began. “I was thinking of having a ball on the eve of the festive day.”
“That would be a splendid idea,” Lord Monheim spoke up. With a glance in Marie’s direction, he added, “You can even hang up some boughs made of mistletoe throughout the room. It might be fun to be required to kiss someone.”
Marie’s face grew even hotter. He couldn’t mean that he wanted to kiss her! Could he?
She blinked. Why couldn’t he mean her? She wasn’t a wallflower anymore.
Despite the awkward time she’d had of keeping up a conversation with Lord Gilbert, he had seemed to enjoy spending the afternoon with her.
She might still be boring, but whatever Tove had done, it seemed that gentlemen found her interesting anyway.
What a remarkable thing. Imagine the ability to impress people without even having to try.
“We plan to have a wreath put on our door this year,” Diane told the group after a moment of silence. “And, I finally got Father to promise to decorate the drawing room this year. I’m hoping it’ll make the place look better.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the way your father decorates the townhouse,” Sharon replied.
“You can’t be serious,” Diane argued. “It’s so drab!
Nothing ever changes. The drawing room has looked the same way for years.
We have the money to buy new furnishings, but he refuses.
At least, we’ll have a festive look to the room this year.
And really, it won’t be just this year. Christmas comes every year.
” With a glance at Marie, she added, “I had to use that logic to get him to part with his money, if you can believe it.”
“While we do have Christmas every year, some are more special than others,” Lord Monheim inserted. “For instance, if you can secure a marriage by December 25th, that will make this particular Christmas of greater importance than the rest.”
Marie felt the heat of his gaze go back to her.
And not only was he glancing her way, but Lord Noel was, too.
She had to stop herself from fidgeting in her chair.
Fidgeting would only give away the sudden rise of nervousness that swelled up within her, and the last thing she wanted to do was give away the fact that she didn’t know how to handle all of this attention.
Yes, she was flattered by it, but it suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t know what to do about two gentlemen taking an active interest in her while in the same room.
“I, for one, am looking forward to setting out Christmas decorations,” Richard chimed in. “You don’t need a marriage to make Christmas special. A properly decorated ballroom can create something memorable.”
Diane gave a thoughtful glance at Richard. “Why wait for December 24th to do something festive? You can host a masquerade ball on All Hallows’ Eve.”
“Why not just have the masquerade ball in November instead of October 31st?” Lord Monheim asked. “November is closer to Christmas.”
“My father reserves each day in November to celebrate a different saint,” Diane began. “We’ll be in our family chapel out at the country estate on a daily basis. We won’t be going to any balls.”
Sharon gave a nod. “My brother has always been steadfast about honoring the saints. It’s a family tradition.”
“I’m in awe of the saints as much as anyone,” Lord Monheim began, “but even I think that’s a little too much.”
“Lord Edon will have a masquerade ball on All Hallows’ Eve,” Edward spoke up. “There’s no need for any of us to arrange one.”
“Ah, then. That solves your dilemma,” Lord Monheim told Diane.
The butler came into the room and announced that dinner was ready.
Marie hurried to her feet and pretended not to notice that even though Lord Noel took Sharon by the arm, his gaze lingered on her instead.
Lord Monheim gave Marie a smile that let her know he was excited to be her escort.
And though Diane accepted Edward’s arm, her attention was on Lord Monheim.
Richard, seeming content with his match, took Brooke’s arm.
Marie took a moment to study Edward. He still gave no indication that he remembered her from her other life. Marie wondered if he was happy to be paired up with Diane. It was strange to know that she would have been married to him by now if she were still in her other life.
How ironic. She had never encountered him in her old life until the evening they met at the ball, and now, in this new life, this was the second time she crossed paths with him. She wondered if Tove had arranged for this to happen. And if so, why?