Sensing her advantage, Annabelle pressed home. “And anyway, I have more reason to want to go than you. You don’t even like women. This might sustain my dreams for weeks.”
Far be it from me to force conformity on anyone.
“Fine, fine.” Della cast her hands up in defeat. “But help me get ready, at least. Your disguise looks quite well on you. Do you think I should try that?”
Annabelle beamed at the praise. Once they’d pilfered some clothes from Peter’s closet, it became apparent that Della couldn’t transform herself with quite the same ease. Her breasts and hips were simply too full to be hidden by an evening coat.
“It would help balance you out if you padded your middle,” Annabelle observed.
“Absolutely not.”
“Which is more important, your vanity or passing undetected?”
“My vanity,” Della replied without hesitation.
Annabelle heaved a great sigh and rolled her eyes. “It’s back to disguising you as a light-skirt then.”
“Won’t it be obvious my clothes are too fine? I can’t find anything suitable.”
“Maybe you’re a wealthy gentleman’s mistress,” Annabelle replied, obviously enjoying this. “Lord Ashton’s, perhaps. Just pick whichever gown has the lowest neckline.”
Della would have liked to issue a cutting retort, but the fact of the matter was that she would do exactly as her sister suggested. Shepicked a scarlet gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline that dipped in the front of the bodice to close in a wide vee with a trail of silk roses at the center. It was designed to draw the eye down.
She hadn’t worn it in years, and it was a bit too snug on her now. Once Della had squeezed herself into it, she looked downright indecent.
“Do you have a gaudy wig, as your viscount suggested?”
In fact, Delladidhave a wig, but she’d been reluctant to try it on, remembering his scorn. With some assistance, she managed to pin her real hair beneath the false, and she was a blond.
Annabelle clucked her tongue. “Your eyebrows don’t matchat all.”
“It’s dark out!”
They found a large fan to complete her disguise, so that Della might shield her face if she needed to.
Another ten minutes, and they slipped outside to meet Lord Ashton without the servants seeing.
“Both of you?” He raised his eyebrows at Annabelle’s clothes, but didn’t comment on them. “Does Miss Annabelle fear to leave us alone together even though this whole scheme is your idea?”
“Yes,” Annabelle said firmly, before Della could answer. Only her fidgeting hands betrayed her excitement at the sights that awaited them.
“I was hoping you might have changed your mind,” Ashton continued. He was dressed in sleek black evening wear, as if he were on his way to the opera. It made their outing seem more significant. “Don’t either of you care about what will happen if you’re recognized?”
“No one will even look at us. They’ll all be watching the show,” Della said. The brim of Lord Ashton’s top hat cast a large shadow beneath the gas streetlight, hiding his face from view, but Della couldfeel his eyes roaming over her. She drew in a breath. “We’ll be sitting in the dark the whole time and we won’t say a word to anyone. In and out.”
“And if you’re mistaken, what then?” He shook his head. “I’ll be the one accused of corrupting you, while you behave as though nothing bad could happen in your charmed life.”
“I’m not ignorant of the dangers of anything I do, my lord. But I won’t live in fear, pretending I don’t want to experience anything London has to offer because of what someone else would think of me. None of us know how long we are for this world. I’d rather enjoy my life while I can, even if I should pay for it one day.”
His voice softened, though only slightly. “Very well, but see that you stick to your word. Stay in the shadows and don’t talk to anyone. You stay by my side the whole night, and you follow my instructions.”
A shiver crept over Della’s spine. He couldn’t possibly know how attractive she found this speech, particularly the last part.
“Thank you,” she murmured, hoping he could hear the feeling in her voice. “We appreciate this.”
“Thank me when the evening is over, if we all escape unnoticed. Not before.”
They set out to find a hansom cab and were soon on their way.
