Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“You look much too beautiful this evening,” Diane said as soon as she noticed Marie at the ball.
“I’m starting to regret becoming friends with you.
When gentlemen see us together, I might as well be invisible.
” Her gaze went to Maxine. “Lord Monheim took one look at her at the dinner party last evening and forgot all about me.”
Maxine let out a sigh that was the perfect blend of amusement and envy. “You and I will be lucky if we can secure a single suitor after this evening’s over. If only we had your fair complexion, shiny hair, and perfect figure.”
“Marie could wear a sack and make it appealing,” Diane told Marie. “Her beauty is truly exceptional.”
Marie was beginning to feel awkward with all of this talk about her physical beauty. She had been flattered at first. Extremely so, in fact. But now she wondered if that was all Diane and Maxine were paying attention to when she was around.
“You two are very beautiful,” Marie assured them, hoping it might ease the sudden tension knotting in her gut. “I’ve been in awe of your beauty for years.”
Diane gave her arm a playful tap. “There’s no sense in trying to make us feel better. We know where our place is when we’re standing next to you.”
Marie’s smile strained. Her words hadn’t made things better. Diane and Maxine were only annoyed by them. But what else could she do? After a moment, an idea came to her. “I don’t have any desire to be with Lord Monheim. I’ll tell him I’m not interested in a courtship with him.”
Diane recoiled at the suggestion. “I don’t want him that much. Marie, you are in an ideal position. You should claim the best bachelor you can find. If we must be shackled to a gentleman for the rest of our lives, we owe it to ourselves to get the most out of the union.”
Maxine offered an emphatic nod. “God knows ladies aren’t afforded the same benefits that gentlemen have. If you want Lord Monheim, you should take him. He is highly desirable. You’d be envied by a lot of ladies if you secured his hand in marriage.”
“If I were in your position, I’d take him,” Diane urged. “I wouldn’t let something as silly as friendship stop me. You shouldn’t let it stop you, either.”
“I would take him if he would have me, too,” Maxine agreed. “It wouldn’t matter if Diane wanted him or not. It’s ultimately his choice. Whoever he chooses is the winner.”
“And he’s chosen you.” Diane gestured to Marie.
Marie was sure that she was supposed to feel better. They were giving her permission to be with Lord Monheim, and they weren’t going to make her feel guilty about it. However, there was something about the whole exchange that made her feel worse.
“Ladies, I hope you don’t mind if I intrude,” the Duke of Carlisle began as he came up to them, “but my daughter’s dance card is full, and she owes Lord Gilbert the next dance.”
Marie’s face warmed when she caught the look Diane and Maxine exchanged between themselves. She had no idea what that look meant, but it wasn’t in her favor.
“We should be off to find our own dance partners,” Diane said. “Enjoy your dance, Marie.”
As the two ladies walked away, His Grace tucked his hand under Marie’s elbow and escorted her over to Lord Gilbert.
Lord Gilbert seemed very pleased to see her, and she wondered how this could be when she was boring at their trip to the museum.
Maybe it was her connection to the Cadwaladers.
Or maybe it was the Duke of Carlisle’s influence.
His Grace could be charismatic when he wanted to be.
She noticed that a lot of gentlemen enjoyed their conversations with him.
For a gentleman, marriage was more than securing a wife; it was also about securing the wife’s family and their connections.
After Lord Gilbert, she ended up dancing with five gentlemen before she decided she needed to rest. His Grace had urged her to take the next dance immediately, but her head was spinning, and it wasn’t because she had to manage a conversation.
The truth was, she hadn’t even needed to come up with something to say.
The gentlemen were more than happy to talk about their interests.
All she had to do was smile and offer an occasional word.
This had to be the result of Tove’s work.
Maybe this was why Lord Gilbert was still interested in her despite her lackluster performance at the museum.
She scanned the ballroom. There were a lot of gentlemen here this evening, and a good number of them were single. The thought that she could have any of the bachelors in London was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. How could she choose the right one?
Marie tried not to dwell too much on this newfound dilemma, but it was just now occurring to her that appealing to all of the bachelors was just as troubling as not appealing to any of them.
Why couldn’t there be some middle ground where she could appeal to some but not all?
At least that would narrow down her options.
Having too many options was making everything so overwhelming.
She caught sight of Brooke. She hesitated for a moment but decided to go over to her.
Except for her real father, no one had ever come by to talk to her when she sat alone at a ball.
She recalled how awkward and alone she’d felt.
If she was right, Brooke was experiencing that same feeling right now.
Marie approached Brooke and offered her a smile before she sat next to her. “How is your evening going so far?”
“It’s fine,” Brooke replied. “I notice you have a lot of gentlemen wanting to dance with you.”
“You do?” Marie hadn’t realized someone had been watching her the same way she used to watch Diane.
Brooke nodded then gave her an apologetic smile. “I couldn’t help but notice. A lot of bachelors keep looking in your direction. I assure you that they’re all doing so in a flattering way. They want to be with you.” She cleared her throat. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”
“No, I don’t mind.” Why would Marie mind? Brooke was being kind in telling her this. It was meant to be a compliment. She would have issued the same compliment if Diane had ever approached her in her other life. Marie waited for a moment then asked, “Have you danced with anyone yet?”
“I’ve had one dance. My father arranged it.”
Noting the hint of affection in Brooke’s voice, Marie asked, “Do you and your father get along?”
“We do. We both love to read, and we often discuss those stories with each other. He took me to Ireland once just to explore some of the folklore that we read about. That’s why I came up with Shifty Jack at the dinner party.
As soon as Mr. Anderson started the story game, my mind immediately went to Ireland. ”
Marie and her real father hadn’t discussed anything involving Shifty Jack, but they had gone to Ireland together when she was a child. Her gaze went around the room. She didn’t see her real father anywhere, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t here. It was a crowded space.
Her gut tightened in dread. Even though Brooke’s last name was McCord, it was still possible that Brooke had been created specifically for this life, and Tove could have arranged it so that Marie’s real father was Brooke’s father in this life.
“Who is your father?” Marie slowly asked.
“Mr. Newman McCord.” Brooke gestured to a gentleman who was speaking with two bachelors.
Marie was relieved to see that the gentleman in question was not her real father.
She didn’t want anyone else to be his daughter.
In fact, she didn’t want to be the Duke of Carlisle’s daughter.
She didn’t care if he was a duke. She didn’t care if he had connections to people like the Cadwaladers.
She didn’t care if he could win people over with ease.
She didn’t care if he was wealthy and lavished her with more things than she could ever consume in a lifetime.
She missed the gentleman who had raised her.
She missed the games they had played and the books they had read.
She missed how he’d always had a moment to listen to her if something was worrying her, even if it was late at night and he was exhausted.
She didn’t understand why Tove couldn’t have given her the same father she’d had in her other life. Why did her father have to be the Duke of Carlisle in this one?
“My father is trying to get another gentleman to agree to dance with me,” Brooke spoke up, bringing Marie’s attention back to her. “It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing,” Marie hurried to assure her. “Why, the Duke of Carlisle—that is, my father—is doing the same.”
“Yes, but gentlemen want to dance with you. Gentlemen don’t want to dance with me. They’re only doing so to be polite.”
“That can’t be true. You’re a lovely lady.”
Brooke glanced over at her father then said, “You’ll see what I mean in a moment.”
Brooke’s father led one of the bachelors their way, and both Brooke and Marie hurried to stand.
Mr. McCord smiled at the two ladies. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”
“No, I was just talking with Lady Marie about the ball,” Brooke replied. “I met Lady Marie last evening at Mr. Anderson’s dinner party.”
“Oh, that’s right. I recall hearing that the Duke of Carlisle’s daughter was going to be there.” Mr. McCord nodded in Marie’s direction. “It sounds like everyone had a good time at the dinner party.”
“We did,” Marie said. “Brooke and I enjoyed the storytelling part the most.”
“Part of the story involved Shifty Jack,” Brooke added with a hint of excitement in her voice.
“Are you familiar with the story of Shifty Jack?” Mr. McCord asked the gentleman next to him. “Some call him Stingy Jack.”
The gentleman shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of him.”