“What did you say?” Reginald’s eyes instantly darkened as he leaned forward in his seat, highlighting the already dark circles beneath his eyes.
“I just meant that I don’t think any of them meant to be ill; the weather has been awfully hot during the day and cool in the evenings.” Charlotte flinched slightly, leaning away from him as his sour breath came closer to her face. The anger and rage she saw in his eyes brought a chill to her body despite the warmth in the air.
“Don’t forget who took you in after your parents died. You would have been left out on the street or sent to some secluded corner of the country if it hadn’t been for me.” His voice was dark and steeped in warning as he sat back in his seat and sniffed, fixing his cuffs before the carriage came to a stop in front of the Thornton mansion.
Charlotte swallowed hard and tried her best to calm her nerves. Reginald had always harboured a darker side to his personality that he seldom showed anyone else. She wasn’t sure if he resented having to look after her or if he was simply a sinister person at heart.
“Charlotte!” Isabella called to her enthusiastically through the carriage window, bouncing on the bottom step beside her mother.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Charlotte lifted the skirts of the sapphire gown she had chosen for the evening and readied herself to leave the carriage.
Reginald’s arm came out of nowhere, blocking her path with his hands firmly placed on the handle. “Don’t forget what I expect of you.” He narrowed his eyes at her while looking down his nose.”
“Yes,” she answered with a slight tremble in her voice that hinted at the nervousness she felt down to her core. She was never afraid of anyone, but her already heightened nerves were not helping her current predicament.
“Yes, who?” Reginald lifted a brow and glared at her, waiting expectantly for her response.
“Yes, My Lord.” Charlotte gave him the formal acknowledgement of this title that he had been waiting for, something that her uncle had insisted upon almost as soon as her father had died.
Nodding his head towards the carriage door, he withdrew his hand and let her go.
Charlotte exited the carriage almost as soon as the doors were opened by the waiting footmen, who looked at her with a small amount of confusion. The men had undoubtedly found it strange that the door had not opened upon their first attempts.
“Charlotte,” Isabella continued to beckon her forward, excitedly waiting on the bottom step in her light pink dress. Her hair had pinned into a tight bun at the back of her head, decorated with dozens of pink pearls.
“You look lovely this evening.” Grace greeted her with a kiss on each cheek as soon as Charlotte approached them.
“Thank you,” Charlotte let out her breath, feeling as if she had done a good job despite the absence of her maid.
“I have some exciting news.” Isabella waited for her mother to greet somebody else before whispering in Charlotte’s ear.
Her heart began to pound as soon as her friend had spoken. Was her performance cancelled at the last minute? Charlotte wasn’t sure how she would feel if her hours of practice and preparation had gone to waste. On the one hand, she would have felt relieved, but on the other hand, she would have felt as if she had lost a chance to redeem herself after years of absence. Performing on the pianoforte had been something she’d do for her parents on regular occasions.
“Mother has invited Michael and his sister this evening,” Isabella beamed from ear to ear with the exciting news.
“That is wonderful news.” Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t been expecting. Her emotions were all over the place ever since the fateful ball where she had bumped into Jameson; she never knew if she was excited or nervous.
Jameson.
Her heart suddenly jolted as she wondered if he, too, would be in attendance at the soiree. Would he appreciate hearing her play, or would he turn his attention to the myriad of other women who wanted his affection? Perhaps it would be better if he didn’t attend, making the situation a little less stressful for her.
“That’s not all. Mother also invited the Sinclairs; apparently, she noticed your dance with Jameson and thought you might like to see him again. Speak of the devil,” her smile broadened as she looked over Charlotte’s shoulder.
Feeling her breath catch in her throat, Charlotte turned to see a lavish carriage come to a stop in front of the mansion. The elegant gold trimmings and fine craftmanship spoke of his family’s wealth and influence amongst the ton.
The door soon opened to reveal Jameson in his neatly pressed navy tails, followed by his sister and mother in matching cream gowns. Even from a distance, Charlotte could see that the colour of his coat complemented the blue in his eyes.
Smiling, Jameson looked in her direction and made his way towards her and Isabella without a moment’s hesitation.
“He’s coming straight for us!” Isabella hissed behind her back as if his presence alone wasn’t enough to make her nervous.
“Lady Charlotte.” Jameson held her gaze before greeting the other ladies and thanking Lady Thornton for her kind invitation.
“The pleasure is all mine, My Lord. I hope we will be seeing you on the dance floor again this evening.” Lady Grace winked at Charlotte in a very indiscreet manner that made her blush and want to disappear.
“That will all depend on whether or not Lady Charlotte has space on her dance card.” Jameson gave her a reassuring smile that instantly took her breath away.
“From what I hear, Lady Charlotte will be delighting us this evening with her playing. So, I am afraid that you will have to ask someone else to dance this evening.” Elizabeth smiled at Charlotte with a stiffness in her eyes as she came up behind her brother.
