“And after that, what next?”
Magnolia hesitated. She had not thought about what she would do after getting the clues. “I shall contact the authorities, of course,” she replied.
Caroline took in a deep breath. “I do hope this does not hinder our attendance at the ball tomorrow.”
Magnolia smiled. “Of course not. I made a promise to Aunt Dorothy and for her sake, I shall be there. She thinks the ball will offer me the perfect opportunity to meet potential suitors.”
“Well, she is right, of course!” Then Caroline studied her friend. “But you seem not to be interested in that.”
Magnolia sighed. “I am not, Caroline. But what choice do I have? She is so very excited that I am returning to society. And she has taken very good care of me ever since I lost my family. The least I can do in return is try to make her happy.”
Caroline smiled. “That is a noble thing to do. So, can we go for our fitting now?”
“Of course. I shall go get dressed and be back shortly.”
“And one more thing. My mother is back, and she wants you to come to dinner. I hope that is all right.”
“Of course! I would really love to. Now, let us go to our new gowns!”
* * *
They spent little time at the seamstress workshop before going to Caroline’s house.
“It is really good to see you, dear,” said Mrs. Johnson, upon seeing her daughter’s friend. “Once again, I am terribly sorry for your loss. If I had known you were coming back, I would have left Spain sooner.”
Magnolia smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Johnson, but I have learned to accept things the way they are now. You do not have to worry about me at all.”
The woman embraced her before they both left for Caroline’s room.
“Can you believe that the ball is tomorrow night?” Caroline asked, looking at the standing mirror in the room. Her face was lit with excitement.
Magnolia frowned, surprised at her friend’s outburst. “Did you not realize that all this while?”
Caroline giggled. “I did, but I wasn’t quite as excited as this during the day. Knowing we have less than twenty-four hours to be beautifully dressed and dance with handsome lords just became so thrilling!”
Magnolia merely shrugged with languid interest.
“Oh, please, please promise me you will at least enjoy yourself when we get there,” Caroline said, turning to her.
This surprised Magnolia. “I am only going to make my aunt happy, Caroline. I cannot pretend that there is any other reason.”
“Oh, for goodness sake, Magnolia! Of course, I know that. I am just hoping that you will, at least, dance with eligible men and try to enjoy yourself. I know you have your head wrapped around these clues you are obsessed with; but can you just use the ball as a means of escaping your world and enjoy the reality for some time?”
Magnolia laughed at her friend’s reference. “What if my world is the reality, and all those other things are just a façade?”
Caroline stared at her. Magnolia could see the confusion in her eyes. “Do not fret. I shall try as much as possible to enjoy myself at the ball. I promise you.”
Chapter 8
Miss Magnolia Richmond
“Hurry up and come out!”
Magnolia could hear her Aunt’s voice from downstairs. Mrs. Clarke was still busy helping with her dressing, tugging here and there at her gown while Darcy, another of the maids, arranged her hair.
The more Mrs. Clarke tugged at her gown, the more Magnolia found it difficult to breathe. “Oh, dear Lord! It will be a surprise if I do not run out of air before I get to the ball,” she complained, amidst grunting and groaning. “Why is this so difficult? And why ever did I agree to it?”
“I am so sorry, miss. We are almost through,” Darcy quickly said.
“Are you nearly ready, dear?” Aunt Dorothy called, at the top of her voice. “Would you like me to help?”
“Absolutely not!” Magnolia managed to say. She didn’t want her aunt to come in just yet; she only wanted to be seen once she was completely dressed.
“Are you sure that everything is going well in there?”
“Yes, Aunt Dorothy. Now can you please stop asking me questions? I’d rather save the little amount of air I have managed to breathe in!”
“Very well, dear. I shall be waiting downstairs for you. Do hurry!” Aunt Dorothy finally gave up. The sound of her shoes could be heard as she made her way down the stairs.
“We are done,” said Mrs. Clarke shortly after that. Magnolia made an attempt to inhale in relief but that was quite a bit more difficult than usual.
“Oh, dear,” Magnolia gasped, as she walked to the standing mirror. “This is going to be a dreadful evening. I cannot take so much as a simple breath!”
But she forgot about her statement when she saw her reflection. Her dark hair was pulled into a shining pile at the top of her head with ropes of rosy pearls running through her locks.
The sapphire gown was made of the finest and the softest silk she had ever seen. It descended from her waist in a silvery pattern, flowing outwardly in soft waves to the floor. The neckline was low enough to let the diamond around her neck sit nestled in the curve of her bosom, where the jewel glinted in the light with her every movement.
Magnolia could not help but smile at the mirror. “I suppose I am ready for the ball now,” she said, and turned to leave the room.
Aunt Dorothy was waiting at the foot of the stairs. “Beautiful,” she whispered. “Oh, my heart! Look at you. So much like your mother. Oh, darling, she would be so proud of you.”
Aunt Dorothy rushed to embrace her, and Magnolia found herself trying hard to hold back the tears which were forming. “Come, child! We shall be late,” her aunt finally said, and Magnolia took her aunt’s arm in one hand while gathering the small train of her gown with the other.
The only thing in her mind was how she would breathe while descending the stairs.
They met Caroline who was waiting in the parlor. She looked stunning in her own gown, which was almost as fine as Magnolia’s. It was a deep burgundy damask set off to advantage by a small fortune in rubies and diamonds glittering at her ears and neck.
“Oh, goodness!” Caroline gushed. “You look absolutely perfect.”
Magnolia smiled. “And so do you. Except that I am finding it difficult to breathe!”
Just then Aunt Dorothy’s voice sounded behind them. “The carriage is waiting, ladies. Let us be on our way, shall we?”
* * *
They paused at the balcony, where Magnolia looked down into the entrance hall below. The chandeliers threw dancing rainbows along the entrance walls, illuminating the glittering guests as the steady flow of impeccably dressed men and women made their arrivals.
Servants wove their way between them, while maids and butlers scurried away with shawls, clutches, and canes to stow in the retiring rooms.
Magnolia could feel nervousness rising within her. Quickly she shut her eyes and took a quick breath.
“You are going to do wonderfully well,” she heard Aunt Dorothy say over her shoulder. “Go, now! Just follow me.”
With another deep breath, Magnolia and Caroline started down the hall. Magnolia took her place beside a woman whom she recognized as Lady Mayton. They both clasped their gloved hands with an excited titter as a footman opened the upper ballroom door and ushered them inside.
The sounds of both male and female laughter floated through the hall as Magnolia and Caroline followed Aunt Dorothy into the ballroom. She had never been this nervous.
The three ladies glided through the open doors and down the staircase which curved around the right wall. Magnolia tried not to scream as she saw the sea of people below.
The staircase curved around the left wall; its plush red carpeting ending in stark contrast to the ballroom below. Huge columns lined the wall in support of the vaulted ceiling lit by hundreds of sparkling chandeliers.
The small orche
stra played soft melodious background music in a corner.
“Introducing The Honorable Dorothy Richmond, The Honorable Magnolia Richmond, and Lady Caroline Johnson!” the footman announced. There was a smattering of applause as the three ladies curtsied and descended the stairs.
“Whew!” gushed Aunt Dorothy as they finally took their positions on the outskirts of the dance floor. “That was quite something, wasn’t it? It feels like years since I last went to a ball!”
“Miss Richmond?”
The male voice was behind them. The three women turned around. The man seemed to be in his late forties and was handsomely dressed. He bowed slightly to Aunt Dorothy while she swept a curtsey.
“You must allow me to introduce my niece and her friend,” said Aunt Dorothy, and went on to introduced them to Lord Grisham. He bowed again and they all curtsied politely.
“I heard you were back. I was expecting to see you here,” Grisham said to her aunt. “May I fill in your card?”
“Certainly,” Aunt Dorothy replied, extending her card to him.
Caroline watched in amazement while Magnolia frowned, for she had not been aware that Lord Grisham and her Aunt Dorothy were acquainted.
“The first dance has just begun,” said Lord Grisham. He filled in the card, returned it to Aunt Dorothy, and then led her to the dance floor.
“Champagne?” offered a servant.
“Oh, yes, please,” replied Magnolia. Her hand was halfway around the glass before Caroline stopped her
“No. Not until after you have had at least five men fill in your card.”
Magnolia scowled at her but let go of the glass. No sooner had Caroline spoken than a handsomely dressed man came forward to where they stood and bowed to Caroline.
He was followed by a footman, who introduced him as Lord Andrew Dantes. He filled her card for the first dance, which was still going on, and led her away.
Magnolia stood at the outskirts of the dance floor, looking around for something more interesting than a gaggle of waltzing nobles. She did admire the lavish spreads of food and drink, and the slow, deliberate movements of the aristocrats as they moved around the room. No one ever hurried. Those that were not dancing seemed to be engaged in one conversation or the other, at least superficially.
“Miss Richmond,” said a voice beside her.
She turned to see a tall man smiling at her. His hair was almost completely white, and Magnolia recognized him as one of her father’s business associates. “Lord Eddington,” she said, and swept a clean curtsey.
“How do you fare, my dear?” he asked.
“Very well, thank you,” she responded.
“I am so sorry for your loss. You are welcome back home.”
“Thank you.”
While they were talking, a young man came forward. Magnolia recognized him instantly as Bob Eddington, Lord Eddington’s only son whom she had met at a ball a few years back.
“Allow me to introduce my son…”
“Oh, we have met, Father,” replied Bob, and filled in her card for the second dance. While they were doing this, several other men came forward to take her card until it was almost completely filled for the evening.
But by the time Magnolia was on her third dance, she was feeling bored. Those she had danced with kept saying they were “sorry” for her loss and she was long past tired of hearing it.
She was beginning to feel as if they wanted to dance with her just so they could pay their condolences.
“My lord,” she said, to her current partner, Lord Ethan Dorman, as he led her to the floor. “I hope you will not be offended if I decide to step out for a moment.”
The man stopped and looked a bit displeased. “It saddens me that you must leave when this dance has just started,” he stated. “But I understand you would like to have some minutes for yourself. Perhaps I will have your permission to dance with you some other time.”
He bowed and she curtsied gratefully, and then watched him disappear in search of another partner.
Magnolia was glad to have some time to herself after what seemed to have been a long stretch of dancing. She fanned herself non-stop, gathering her train with one hand while time walking towards the outskirts of the room. Without looking where she was going, she bumped hard into someone.
“I beg your pardon,” she began – and then looked at the person she had collided with.
It was Lady Gena Stewart, one of the oldest people in the society. Rumor had it that she was close to eighty, but no one really knew her age – and no one would ever dare to ask.
“Lady Stewart!” she quickly said, sweeping a clean curtsey.
“Oh, my goodness! Miss Richmond, is that you?” The old woman fairly squeaked with excitement. “How beautiful you have become. And how you do look like your mother! I trust you will enjoy the rest of your evening?”
Magnolia only smiled and nodded, kissing the woman’s hand.
* * *
Richard Waterston, the Earl of Midhurst
Richard entered the ballroom and wondered how long it would take his friend Adam to get to the ball – assuming, of course, that Adam wouldn’t change his mind and decide not to come at all, which was certainly a possibility.
He pushed his way through the crowd and soon spotted Lady Gena Stewart near the outskirts of the ballroom. She was speaking to a much younger woman who seemed familiar and yet unfamiliar, and though Richard tried, he could not recall her.
The young woman kissed Lady Stewart’s hand before the older one went on her way. Then the other turned so that Richard could see her face completely.
“No. It cannot be!” he whispered, taken aback by Magnolia’s beauty. He had seen her a couple of times before the accident, but they had never spoken.
He and Adam were not as close then as they were now. At that time, they had been mere acquaintances. Richard recalled Magnolia as a girl who would never dress to enhance her beauty and seemed content to be seen as plain.
However, the lady he was seeing at that moment was not just beautiful. She was spellbinding. No wonder she had such an effect on Adam! Her red lips and beautiful hair would tempt the most virtuous man.
Richard knew he must speak to her, and he had best do it before Adam arrived. He walked close to her and bowed. “Miss Richmond?” he said. “May I fill your card?”
She frowned, though she did manage a curtsey even though she had a glass of champagne in her hand. “Forgive my forgetfulness. I know we are acquainted, but I find it difficult to remember how or where I might have known you. Would you be so kind as to jog my memory?”
Richard smiled. “With pleasure. But only if you allow me to fill your card first.”
She smiled and presented the card to him. Seconds later, she handed her empty glass to a footman and walked with Lord Midhurst towards the dance floor.
The two of them joined the quadrille and managed to keep their conversation going all the while. “I am a close friend of the Earl of Strickland. I knew your brother. I am so sorry for your loss,” he offered.
She sighed and no longer looked pleased. He knew it must be due to something he had said. “I seek your forgiveness if somehow I have trespassed by what I said. It was never my intention to displease you.”
Magnolia smiled. “I understand. It’s just that – everyone that I have spoken with today has only repeated what you just said.”
He frowned, unable to grasp her point. “I am unclear. You do not like people paying their condolences?”
“Well, I do,” she replied. “I just wish they would stop because it is only bringing painful memories. I am here to have a moment of joy. But how can I do that when I receive only endless pity and constant reminders of the people I have lost?”
“If that’s the way you feel, then perhaps I shall take back my condolences,” Richard joked, while still looking around for his friend who was running even later than usual.
“It never occurred to me that you and James were close,” she said.
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“Oh, I would not say we were. Only Adam and I were close friends.”
“I see.” She glanced around the room, trying to follow his gaze. “You seem restless. Are you on the lookout for someone?”
“Why, yes. My friend Adam Avery.” he replied. “I’m certain he is a close acquaintance of yours.”
Richard observed that she blushed when he mentioned Adam’s name. Now, that is something you don’t see every day. There was definitely something going on here that even Adam couldn’t see.
The quadrille came to an end and the dancers began to walk off the floor.
A Mysterious Quest of a Seductive Lady: A Regency Historical Romance Novel Page 6
