by Alice Kirks
“Arabella!” she said. “You…look…beautiful.” She could barely speak; she was so surprised by how absolutely lovely her charge looked.
“Alexandra!” Arabella beamed. “You look lovely too. Though I wish you could wear an ordinary dress. It would be so much more fun! Anyhow. Please, come in. I was thinking that Brenna could arrange my hair in curls?”
“Oh, yes,” Brenna nodded. “Most stylish, my Lady. I have the irons here, and I’ll set about arranging your hair right now.”
Alexandra hesitated, but Arabella beckoned to her and she waited while Brenna curled Arabella’s hair and set it in place with some pearl-decorated hairpins.
“There, my Lady. You look a picture.”
“Thank you, Brenna,” Arabella said shyly. “Alexandra? Do I look as I ought to?”
Alexandra smiled, realizing suddenly how nervous Arabella must be. “You look much better than that,” she grinned.
“Really!” Arabella sounded delighted. “Good! Let’s go and find my brother, then, and set off. I can’t wait!”
Alexandra nodded and, stomach twisting with anticipation, she followed her down the long staircase and into the hallway.
The Duke bowed when he saw them. He grinned at Arabella and took her hands as she ran down the last steps towards him. He nodded to Alexandra.
“You look beautiful. Both of you,” he added, looking directly at her. “Now. Let’s go to the coach. I can’t wait to introduce my sister to society today.”
“Oh! It’s so exciting! I can barely wait.”
Alexandra, still smiling, followed Arabella and her brother into the coach.
The reception was to be held at the Duke’s townhouse. Alexandra leaned forward, knowing she looked nervous but unable to conceal it, as they rolled through the crowded, bustling streets and towards the theater. She had been in the quietness of the estate for so long that the loudness of London was too much for her.
And soon she might be face-to-face with familiar and frightening people.
They arrived at the townhouse and alighted. There were lamps burning in brackets on the walls, and the street was busy with coaches, so that Alexandra and Arabella had to hold hands, stepping carefully around people and horses as they went up towards the house on the other side of the street.
“Careful,” the Duke said.
They walked up the steps and into the house. Alexandra looked up at the ceiling, remembering at the last moment to curtsey to the Duke of Lonsea as they went past him. She was too busy trying not to look directly at anyone.
No. No, no no.
She stared. There was somebody she recognized. Thomson, Lord Arnott. He was standing across the room, but she would recognize that profile and those green eyes anywhere.
“Lord Butley, may I introduce Lady Arabella, my sister? And Lord Arnott. My sister, Lady Arabella.”
“Charmed, Matthew,” one of the men greeted him. The other – Lord Arnott – was standing opposite Arabella and herself.
“I am delighted to meet you,” Lord Arnott said, to Arabella. He bowed low and straightened up, looking directly at her. He looked surprised, and Alexandra wanted to smile. Arabella, for all that she was extremely down-to-earth, was a beautiful young woman and she was going to draw eyes this season.
And that will mean I’m going to have to actually work for my money.
She smiled.
So far, Lord Arnott hadn’t looked at her. She looked hastily down, hoping to avoid his eye as it swept from Arabella and towards the Duke.
“Lord Arnott,” Arabella said, her voice sounding firm. “This is Miss Alexandra, my chaperone. She will be in attendance on me this evening.”
Alexandra felt her heart soften to Arabella, who was so clearly nervous, even as she closed her eyes in consternation briefly.
Did she have to use her name? Alexandra was her real name, and Lord Arnott was not a fool.
“Miss Alexandra,” he said. He looked up at her, and his green eyes sparkled. Alexandra felt sick.
“Yes,” she stammered.
“Ah,” he nodded. “My apologies. You looked like somebody I knew. Frightful memory, I have. For faces and names. Ah, well. May I have the honor of fetching you a drink?”
“Um, yes,” Arabella said, glancing at Alexandra for guidance. “A glass of cordial. If you please.”
Alexandra nodded fractionally, and Arabella relaxed. As the Earl turned and walked towards the table in the corner, Alexandra felt her legs wobble.
“Was that all right?” Arabella hissed.
“Yes. You did grandly,” Alexandra said. Her voice was a whisper and she thought that if she didn’t sit down soon, she would collapse. She looked around for the Duke, but he was somewhere between everybody.
“Now what?” Arabella asked.
“Now,” Alexandra said, looking around and trying to think quickly. “We accept his drink and we can go and stand there.” She pointed towards a corner where there were some velvet-upholstered chairs lined up.
There were some dark-dressed people over with the chairs, and Alexandra hoped that, in a group of chaperones, she would blend in. She followed Arabella crisscrossing the hall towards the chairs. The Earl spotted them and came over, still holding cordial.
“Ah! Lady Arabella. I will talk with you a while if I may.”
Go away, Alexandra willed him.
But it seemed as if he was going to spend much of the night talking to Arabella.
Alexandra sat on one of the chairs, trying to keep as close to Arabella as possible without being constantly in sight of Lord Arnott. She kept her face turned from him, though she had to stay close and she couldn’t help overhearing the conversation.
“You have just arrived from the countryside?”
“Yes. This is my first Season.”
“Charming!”
Alexandra winced. It was better if the young men didn’t all know Arabella was so vulnerable. She trusted some of them, but definitely not others. She was not about to let anyone take advantage of Arabella.
“Should we go out onto the terrace?”
“No,” Arabella said. “I said to my brother I would stay inside.”
Alexandra bit back a grin. Arabella sounded certain and she knew that she would not let herself be persuaded. Innocence, she thought, was a wonderful armor.
Arabella was childlike, but likewise she had a child’s self-assured nature. She was not going to be persuaded to do anything she didn’t want.
And, it seemed, Lord Arnott didn’t interest her.
Alexandra wanted to laugh.
She watched Arabella and felt renewed delight in her self-assurance. She was innocent, for certain, but also aware of her own likes and dislikes, and ready to act on them without hesitating. If she didn’t like someone – and she didn’t seem to like Arnott – she was not going to be coerced by the need for politeness.
“If you will excuse me, Lord Arnott,” she said, curtseying briefly as he tried to take her hand. “I will go and find my brother.”
Alexandra could have applauded her confidence as Arabella stepped around the Earl and walked across the room in search of her brother.
Slowly, not wanting to draw the Earl’s ire towards herself, Alexandra stood and followed her. They stayed close to Arabella’s brother for the rest of the evening.
“Oh, brother,” Arabella said in the coach on the way back to their residence. It was dark, and the light from the coach lanterns shone on her face, which was pale and delighted. “I enjoyed that!”
“I’m very pleased to hear it,” the Duke said. He sounded sleepy and contented. Alexandra looked across at him.
“I had such fun! Can we go out again tomorrow?”
“Maybe,” the Duke agreed. He sounded unconvinced. Alexandra wanted to smile. He had clearly had a long day and she wished she could ask him about it.
“Good!” Arabella said happily. “I can’t wait until I can make a real appearance at the Assembly soon!”
“Yes,” th
e Duke nodded sleepily. “You can do that very soon. I have the passes. We’ll go whenever you feel ready.”
Arabella jumped in her seat, making a small noise of triumphant joy. Alexandra, feeling weary, couldn’t help but smile. She looked across at the Duke, who was practically sleeping.
The coach rolled away, taking them all towards the townhouse.
That night, as she undressed, Alexandra couldn’t help thinking about the events of the party. She shut her eyes a moment, feeling weary. How had it happened that she’d actually been face-to-face with Lord Arnott? She shivered.
He could so easily have spotted her.
She looked in the mirror. How was it possible that he’d failed to notice it was her? With her dark hair arranged in a bun, the collar of the dress up to her chin, she looked severe and elegant. It was strange that he hadn’t recognized her at all.
“People see what they expect to see,” she told herself.
They had not expected to see Lady Alexandra there. She slipped into bed feeling more confident about the next two weeks than she had in a long time.
Once they had finished at Almack’s, the rest of the stay would be quite easy, in comparison – she had to think so, anyway.
Chapter 26
The day had been cold, despite the sunshine that had soaked into the town square. Matthew looked at the window, where night was black beyond the pane, his reflection showing waveringly in the candle’s light, once in each panel.
“Knightsbridge? If you could tie my cravat? A half-Cambridge, I think?”
His manservant nodded, and reached to tie his cravat, using the simpler knot he’d requested. It might be Almack’s, but he wasn’t going to make a fuss about his appearance.
After all, he wasn’t there to search for anything. Arabella was making her debut, and he himself simply wanted to be there to keep an eye on her.
He found himself wondering what Alexandra would think of it all. Part of him wished that the scandal wouldn’t have been appalling if he’d danced with her. He was not going to dance, he decided. There was one person he would have liked to have a dance with, and she was forbidden.
He would spend the evening talking business.
Glancing at himself as he went out, he went down to wait. He was sure Arabella would take plenty of time getting ready, and that was how it should be. He smiled indulgently.
“Alexandra!” he heard Arabella’s voice somewhere upstairs. “Where are you? Can you help me with my choice of hat?”
Matthew grinned. He wondered how Alexandra felt about the fuss so many young ladies made. He could not imagine Alexandra making a fuss about her appearance. Though, he recalled, he had seen her in a fine gown.
She looked beautiful in her chaperone clothes as well.
He pushed the thought aside, knowing he was being foolish. At the same time, he also knew he wasn’t going to put aside his longings for her. He was also in town to learn all he could about her background.
He would start asking Mr. Leighford tomorrow.
“Brother? I’m ready. Is the coach here?” Arabella called down the stairs. “And is my cloak hanging down there? The cream-colored one?”
Matthew looked at the coatrack by the front door. He nodded. “Yes, sister. There’s a cream cloak right here.”
“Thank you. Oh! Alexandra, can we go down? I’m so excited!”
Matthew felt a grin lift his lips as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He looked up to see his sister coming down. She was dressed in white muslin, the skirt fluttering as she moved. The fabric was decorated with silvery threads and it glittered as she walked, the shining fabric not quite to be outdone by the brightness of her grin.
She ran the last steps down the stairs and grinned at him, and he gently put his hands on her shoulders as she looked up at him, radiant with joy.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she said. “Oh, thank you, brother! It’s just what I wanted. I’m so excited! I can’t wait!”
Matthew felt his heart twist. His sister was looking up at him with a face hopeful and radiant and he felt a huge need, suddenly, to protect her. He had always been watchful of her, but seeing her eyes shining like that, he wanted to make sure she had a truly wonderful time and that nobody harmed her.
“You look beautiful, sweetling,” he said. His voice was tight in his throat. “Do you need a cloak?”
“Yes, brother,” she nodded, and he reached up and passed her the cream-colored cloak. It was soft and hung to her knees, covering her dress almost completely. He looked up as Alexandra came down the steps, her long black dress hanging straight to her toes.
Even in the plainest dress, she is radiant.
He looked up at her, watching as she walked. Her dress was stiff and formal, the collar extending halfway up her neck. Her hair was drawn back in a tight bun, but her soft eyes and gentle face were easily the most beautiful things he’d ever seen.
“Miss Alexandra,” he said. He bowed. He couldn’t help it. Arabella grinned.
“Come on! Brother, Alexandra…let’s go! Now, please.”
They both laughed and looked at Arabella, who giggled and held out her hands so that they each took one. With her walking between them, they carefully stepped down the front stairs to the coach.
“After you,” Matthew said, helping Alexandra up. The touch of her hand was like fire.
She stepped up and he swung in.
The coach door slammed, the coachman yelled, and they went forward, rolling down the street.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Arabella opined.
Matthew smiled warmly. What could he say? It was a very important evening for her.
They reached Almack’s after what felt like an age but couldn’t really have been that long. Matthew had to admit that he was excited, too. Nervous, mainly. But also excited.
This was one of the most important evenings in Arabella’s life, and he was part of it.
He felt his heart twist as they stopped. He would be escorting Arabella to this, which marked the transition between childhood and womanhood. She was now able to be courted and find a duke or earl or whoever took her fancy, to court. She was no longer his baby sister.
He looked away, surprised to feel tears in his eyes.
“Almack’s Assembly Halls.”
Matthew saw Arabella tense, and he stood, trying to be calm and anchoring. He opened the door and helped her down, then helped Alexandra down. They both fell into step and he glanced across at her.
She will take care of my sister and help her face everything.
He felt a glow in his chest. He wasn’t the only person who was meant to look after her now. He had Alexandra.
“His Grace, the Duke of Blakeley, and Lady Arabella. His sister.”
Matthew felt Arabella stop breathing.
