by Matilda Hart
Sophie and I practiced long into the night, until her fingers were struggling on the keys. We were interrupted a few times by footmen bearing wine, but we were left alone the rest of the time. I held no illusions about the fact that the visitors we did have were reporting back to the Duke, but I didn’t care. When we sleepily left the drawing room, we were immediately passed by servants who snuffed the candles and closed up the room. Sophie hugged the sheet music to her chest, and I knew at once how precious that gift had been to her. I smiled as we walked down the hallway to our rooms. We would practice again tomorrow, and the Duke’s pianoforte would arrive soon after. In three days’ time it would be time to celebrate our benefactor’s birthday, and the house would be alive with activity until then.
Chapter 10
Over the next few days, Sophie and I practiced diligently, and once the pianoforte arrived, we barely left the east drawing room except for mealtimes. Sophie was determined to learn all of the music off by heart, and I didn’t want to have to look at lyric sheets either. We had been the toast of good society before the war had begun, and Sophie was determined to show us off to our best advantage.
At Mrs. Campbell’s insistence, we had even decided to coordinate our outfits. Since my dress was a deep purple accented with white, Sophie would be wearing the opposite. Her accessories would be purple and black while mine would be white, and her dress would be of the purest white silk with a long train and a purple sash. The other ladies had come together to lend us accessories and other pieces of jewelry to help us look our best, and I was overwhelmed by their generosity.
Sophie and I assisted Mrs. Campbell with some of the minor details of the party, we hung flowered garlands, and help direct the servants who were dressing the dining room. The party would begin with afternoon tea in the garden and then as night fell, we would move inside to the dining room for dinner. There were musicians booked for the garden party, and Mrs. Campbell had planned a croquet tournament and some of the other women had been secretly practicing a dance in the Duke’s honor. I was interested to see what they had planned.
On the day of the Duke’s birthday I rose early – and it was a good thing too because Sophie burst into my room full of excited energy. She helped me choose a garden dress, one of my better white muslin dresses that I had been painstakingly embroidering over a course of several months. I had finished it just before George left for France, and I had just recently sewn some new silk ribbons to the hem to match my navy blue cropped velvet jacket. I plucked a matching bonnet from the wardrobe and Sophie helped to fasten the ribbon at my ear.
We sat at the window and looked out over the garden. A gentle breezed tossed bright pennants and streamers on their flagpoles and we could see the ladies in their finery already beginning to gather on the lawns. I was ready to leave but Sophie wanted to wait until the musicians had arrived. “Mrs. Newson told me that Mrs. Campbell has hired Indian musicians… I’m so looking forward to hearing what they have to play for us.” She nudged me, “and seeing what they look like. I hear they are savages down there in that heat. With food that burns your mouth and dark eyes that burn your soul.” She giggled conspiratorially and then sighed. “I do wish William had taken that position in Bombay. The colonies are just so exciting!”
I made a face, it would take a lot more than that to get me on a ship headed for the unknown world. George had brought that position home one day as well, a posting in Bombay would mean more money, and escape from George’s terrible mother, but the awful woman had put her foot down, threatening to cut off George’s inheritance if he even thought about Bombay again. Of course, George had refused the position without complaint, and I often wondered what would have become of us if we had left.
As if on cue, the sounds of strange instruments began to waft through the garden and into my open window. Sophie clapped her hands and raced for the door. I followed her, shaking my head with mirth. The noise from the garden beckoned us closer, and I found myself eagerly looking forward to the events of the day. The croquet tournament unfolded with more organization that I expected, which was entirely credit to Mrs. Campbell and her iron fist of instruction. The Duke was of course the winner, but he shared his prize graciously with the ladies who had played against him. I clapped and laughed along with the crowd, but found my eyed locked with His Grace’s as Mrs. Campbell pinned the winner’s medal upon his broad chest. I looked down quickly, but not before he had given me one of the warmest smiles I had ever received.
The musicians played on and on without a break until Mrs. Campbell clapped for them to cease. The Duke had settled himself on the closest thing to a throne he would ever sit upon, and it was time for the ladies to present the dance they had prepared. Three of the ladies brought out small instruments and settled themselves on low stools set in the grass. To the accompaniment of a flute, a small drum and a fiddle, the ladies proceeded to go through the steps of several complex country dances and reels, much to the delight of His Grace who clapped along to the tune. Emboldened by his appreciation, two of the ladies pulled the laughing Duke from his chair and brought him into the center of their number and included him in the dance. The audience clapped along with the time of the dancing, and the tempo of the music began to pick up speed. Before long the dancers were screeching with laughter and the entire company had collapsed in a heap, His Grace included. The valets and footmen rushed over to extricate the Duke, and he emerged wiping his streaming eyes while his deep laughter echoed through the garden.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. The Indian musicians struck up their strange music once more, and the wine began to flow while the women picked at cheese plates and small sandwiches were served. The Duke lounged in his great chair as the guests flowed around him, pressing small handmade gifts upon him and plying him with wine and sweets. But the whole time, I could feel his eyes upon me. Even Sophie had noticed.
“You’d better watch yourself, Charlotte, someone’s watching you.”
I dipped my head and whispered back, “I’m trying not to look at him. I haven’t done anything to encourage his attentions.” Sophie scoffed and bit into an apricot, talking with her mouth full.
“I don’t think it would matter to His Grace. He seems to like it better when he’s the one doing the pursuing.” She popped the rest of the apricot in her mouth and wiped her lips on the sleeve of her jacket. I giggled at her improper behavior. It was a good thing Sophie was already married and her husband wasn’t here to see her behaving in such a way. Sophie pulled me up from the blanket. “Come on, it’s almost sundown, we should go and change for dinner. We have a long night ahead of us.”
I looked over to the Duke’s chair, but he had already left the party. Mrs. Campbell was walking swiftly amongst the guests clapping her hands and breaking up groups while directing servants to begin breaking down the outdoor furnishings. The Indian musicians were all but refusing to leave, but Mrs. Campbell’s shrill voice carried above their instruments and they eventually had to stop playing and obey her commands. I followed Sophie back to the house and she promised me that she would see me shortly to help with my hair. I rang the bell in my room and before I could pull my bonnet from my hair, the knock of a ladies’ maid came at my door.
I opened the door to a girl I didn’t recognize, and without a word she swiftly helped me out of my dress and into the fine underthings I had arranged on my bed earlier that morning. She helped me roll my most expensive and delicate pair of silk stockings up my legs and fastened them to the buttons on my chemise. My stomach was full of butterflies as I stepped into the heavy silk dress the Duke had sent me. It was exquisite, and the white feathers on the tall collar caressed the back of my neck softly. Sophie came into the room just as the maid was doing up the crystal buttons at the back of the dress.
Sophie was a vision in her white dress, her pale skin glowed and her fantastically styled blond hair was festooned with dark purple feathers and crystal accent pins. She had attached a large diamond brooch to her
purple silk sash, and pear shaped diamonds dripped from her ears accentuating the length of her long delicate neck. Sophie’s hands were full of silk flowers and feathers, and another maid bearing Sophie’s hear styling tools followed close behind. Sophie gestured at the dressing table with her elbow, and the maid put the combs and curling tongs down on the table while Sophie dropped her handfuls of precious things onto my bed.
“You would not believe the noise in these hallways, silks and stockings and flowers are flying around everywhere! There’s a rumor flying around that one of the Duke’s unmarried cousins is coming to visit – one closer to the crown than he is, and there will be a whole host of other titled guests coming as well. We’ll be performing for real royalty tonight, Charlotte!” Sophie clapped her elegantly gloved hands and I felt my stomach drop down to my knees.
“Real royalty? Titled guests? Oh, Sophie, I don’t know if I’m ready for that!” Sophie dismissed my panicked ravings with a wave of her hand.
“I shouldn’t have told you. Just… try not to think about it. Now, sit down and let me deal with your mop of hair. We have to look exquisite tonight.” She looked at me appraisingly, “Thankfully, the dress has done most of the work for me, so let’s just make your hair match.” I sat obediently at the dressing table and watched at Sophie worked her magic. My hair rose above my head in an elaborate style that I was sure had never been seen in our village. She threaded clear crystal strands through loops and braids, and tucked and pinned large white feathers in such a way that complimented the collar of my gown and also managed to give the illusion that I was a little taller at the same time. I smiled at Sophie in the mirror, she really was talented with those curling tongs. She smiled back, pleased with her handiwork. Suddenly, she made a face, “I only wish you had some kind of jewelry to wear. That George of yours doesn’t spoil you enough.”
In response, I opened the drawer of the dressing table and removed the black velvet bag containing the Duke’s necklace. I pulled it free from its soft bed and laid it on the top of the dressing table. In the mirror, Sophie’s eyes were wide with surprise and I heard the maid gasp as she caught sight of the jewel.
“Where… where did you get that?” I looked up at her questioningly, before fastening the necklace around my throat. It rested chastely on the curve of my bosom, the diamonds winking in the candlelight. “Charlotte! That’s the Devonshire Star. How did you get it? What have you done?” I stood up from the dressing table and faced Sophie, she was my friend – my best friend in the world – but I had heard the jealousy and the accusation in her voice.
“I did nothing. It was sent to me. The Duke asked me to wear it tonight, and so I am. I’m not the only woman he has bestowed favors on, surely.” Sophie didn’t say anything for a moment, her eyes fixed on the necklace resting upon my cleavage. But then, she smiled, finally meeting my eyes.
“It suits you perfectly.” All accusation was gone from her voice, but I wondered what she had replaced it with. “Come, let’s go to dinner now and meet the new guests. I’m dying to see who has arrived already.” I pulled my white gloves up over my elbows and slid my feet into the embroidered silk slippers His Grace had sent me. I felt glamorous, as though I should be going to a performance in London instead of a society ball at a lesser Duke’s country seat.
I followed Sophie into the dining room and we took our place in line to greet the guests as they arrived. We entered the room at just the right time, only moments later, the great doors opened and the Duke himself entered the room to the applause of all assembled. He escorted a small group of men and women dressed in their London finery down the line of deeply curtsying ladies introducing each one to the strangers trailing behind him. When they approached us, Sophie and I curtsied low and looked at their feet. I admired the rich color of the gowns of the women, wondering suddenly if they only wore these dresses once and then threw them away as was rumored. His Grace raised us up and introduced us as the entertainment for the evening, and both Sophie and I blushed crimson. I found my gaze locked once more with the Duke and he smiled down at me, his smile growing wider as he saw the necklace resting on my heaving chest.
They moved down the line, but Sophie nudged me and whispered in my ear, “Did you see them looking at your necklace? You’d better tell me what’s going on, but it can wait until tomorrow. Have you seen the food?!” I looked hurriedly over my shoulder. The long tables groaned under the weight of the opulent dishes that had been prepared for the Duke’s birthday and my mouth began to water. The other women were twittering nervously and I could hear their whispered exclamations about the guests of honor. One was a Baronet, the other a Count and his Countess great lords and ladies of the realm that I would likely never see again, but who would undoubtedly be talking about my performance tonight.
Once the Duke and his guests had completed their greetings, we were dismissed by Mrs. Campbell to find out places at the table. A string quartet took up a position near the head of the table and began to play. Servants appeared and filled glasses with wine and water, and I heard the popping of champagne corks. I ate sparingly, but my mouth was dry. I tried not to drink too much wine, and was pleased to see that Sophie was also limiting her indulgence in that arena. She ate with her usual gusto, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat a full meal. I tasted a morsel of as many dishes as I could, but my stomach was too full of nervousness to allow me to eat properly.
I couldn’t help but cast my gaze towards the Duke as he entertained his guests. Every so often, he would look in my direction and I could see the sparkle of his blue eyes in the candlelight. I wanted to speak to him, to thank him for the beautiful dress and ask him about the necklace I now wore. The necklace everyone was staring at.
Dinner flew by, but I was distracted by my own nervousness. Soon enough, the plates were whisked away and replaced by bowls of tart lemon ice that cooled my mouth and slid gently down my throat. More wine flowed, and the Duke’s birthday cake arrived. Miniature versions of the massive and elaborate cake presented to His Grace were distributed to the guests not sitting at his table. The decadent chocolate confection sat in front of me, and while I tasted it delicately, I would not be able to eat the whole thing myself. Sophie was not plagued with such nervousness, and she devoured the cake and began to pick at mine.
I poked her in the side with a finger, “At this rate you’ll be as big as a house by the time William returns home from war.” Sophie giggled and put another forkful of cake into her mouth. “We’ll be performing soon, you’re lucky you’re not the one singing!” Sophie patted my back reassuringly.
“Don’t fret, once you start singing, you’ll forget about all of the people, and then as soon as we’re done, you can drink everything you should have been drinking all along!” I know that I should have laughed, but I was too nervous. The pianoforte had been brought into the dining room, and it was beautiful. It had gracefully curving legs and was covered in carvings of flowing acanthus leaves with gilded grapes scattered throughout. Sophie had told me that it had come all the way from Vienna; a gift for the Duke’s youngest sister from some suitor or another.
I felt a gentle hand touch my shoulder and turned to see Mrs. Campbell behind us. “Ladies, His Grace has requested your performance. Let’s not keep him waiting.” She smiled at me encouragingly, “Don’t worry my dear Mrs. Rutledge, you look beautiful. That dress rivals that of the visiting Countess. But don’t tell her I said that.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink and squeezed my shoulder. Sophie jumped up from her chair and fairly ran to the pianoforte. I followed as quickly as I could while still trying to maintain an air of calm. As I took my place at the edge of the pianoforte, Mrs. Campbell introduced us and soft applause echoed in the room. More wine was served and Sophie began to play the opening bars of one of my favorite songs, a poem of Byron’s set to a beautiful melody that complimented my voice perfectly.
She walks in beauty, like the night…
I scanned the room as I sang, noticing the women relaxing into
their chairs. His Grace was sitting forward in his chair, his back ramrod straight as he stared at me. He was mesmerized by my voice; I could see it in his eyes. The end of the song came and applause filled the room. Sophie smiled at me and launched into another piece, this one more upbeat, and the ladies began to clap in time with the music. Smiles filled the room and the applause echoed off of the high ceilings as Sophie led straight into another piece, this one longer, but another crowd favorite. The titled women sitting with the His Grace swayed together with their arms around each other’s shoulders. I smiled as I sang, this was just the crowd I loved performing for.
Sophie paused as the applause washed over us before she started on her solo. I took a sip of wine and began to sway to the music as Sophie played. This was her time to shine, and I took a moment to look at the crowd. Several women, and even some of the men were swaying in time with the music just as I was, but His Grace was staring unwaveringly at me. His eyes burned into mine and, feeling bold, I smiled broadly at him, enjoying the music and being the center of attention. Sophie played the final notes of her song and the dining room exploded once more with wild applause.
I took another sip of wine and squeezed Sophie’s shoulder. She winked at me; without a doubt we were the highlight of the day. Sophie’ fingers flew over the keyboard once more and the opening notes of Tennyson’s Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal filled the room. I heard a few of the women sigh audibly before my voice rose up to join the notes of the piano.
