“There will be no lack of opportunities. We have invitations from half the county. Our family is well-known here, and she should come to no harm.” Alex hesitated, then said carefully, “I know a lady and her woman often share many secrets. I don’t want you to spy on her but . . . I am sure that you and I both have her welfare at heart.” His tone held a slight question.
Christa nodded, aware of what he was asking. “You need have no fears on that head, my lord. I have seen my share of the world’s wolves and will do my best to keep them from your lamb.” She rose, effortlessly keeping her balance on the moving deck. “The sun is well past its zenith. With your permission, I will serve the luncheon Monsieur Sabine sent with us.”
“Excellent. Sea air is always a good excuse for appetite.” Alex watched Christa go forward, admiring her deft movements. Not only was she attractive, intelligent, and exuberantly alive but she was at home on a ship. He had the dismal feeling that it would be hard to find a woman her equal among the pampered ladies of the beau monde.
* * *
Annabelle was supposed to be resting before her first evening party at the Harringtons’, but instead she tossed fretfully, envisioning scenarios of social disaster. It was one thing to confront her brothers, quite another to face a roomful of strangers.
“But they are not strangers,” Christa said patiently as she sat by her mistress’s bed repairing a flounce with tiny stitches. “Most have known you since you were in leading strings.”
“That makes it worse!” Annabelle wailed. “They will be remembering Lady Serena and wondering how she came to have such an ugly-duckling daughter.” She pressed one hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. “Christa, how will I be able to face them?”
Christa tied a knot in her thread and clipped it with her scissors. “Don’t you think you are succumbing to vanity? It is one of the seven deadly sins, you know.”
“Vanity!” Annabelle’s eyes flew open in indignation. “When my fear is that the whole neighborhood will think I am dreadful?”
“What is it but vanity to assume that everyone there will be so interested in you? Most people are concerned first of all with themselves, second with those they care about. Since they hardly know you, most will not be very interested in you.”
She laid the repaired dress aside and picked up a stocking that needed darning. “More than that, many of them will be worried aboutyouropinion. After all, you are the only daughter of the most important family in the district. You are coming from London, you will be wearing a gown that cost more than some of the girls’ annual dress allowances, and you will be escorted by a distinguished and indulgent brother. You will be much envied. It will be easy to become popular.”
Annabelle turned her head to look at her maid, fascinated by this novel view of the world. “How will I accomplish that?”
Christa looked up at her, the mending temporarily forgotten in her lap. “Simply be good-natured and not proud. Those who are disposed to like you will be pleased at your friendliness, and the toadeaters will be enthralled by your condescension. Those who arenotdisposed to like you will find a reason to condemn you no matter what you do, so they are of no account.”
Annabelle giggled. “You make it sound so easy. Where did you learn to be so wise?”
“I had good teachers.” Christa thought for a moment, then said, “This evening is really your introduction to society, more so than the ball you will have in London. Because that is so, I will tell you a very great secret.”
“What is that?” Annabelle asked eagerly.
“The secret of being beautiful. It was known by Cleopatra, by Helen of Troy, by Aphrodite herself.”
“What can you possibly mean?” Annabelle asked, intrigued.
“Beauty begins in the mind. It helps to have hair and a face and a figure like yours, but it is thebeliefthat one is beautiful that carries all before you. Everyone is beautiful sometimes, when the heart and soul are in harmony. When you have a very special need to be lovely, like tonight, just close your eyes and think of that.”
Annabelle obediently shut her eyes while Christa continued to speak, her voice soothing. “Think ‘I am beautiful, in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. It is a gift to those around me, and no one can take it from me. Tonight I will know that I am at my loveliest, and that will free me to make others feel beautiful too.’ Think of yourself as you wish to be, loving yourself, helping others love themselves and be beautiful too.”
Christa softly repeated such sentences until the lines of anxiety had smoothed from Annabelle’s face and she fell asleep. After straightening a blanket over the girl, Christa went into her own room to complete the mending. It was beastly how thoroughly Lady Serena had blighted her daughter’s confidence. Some might think Annabelle’s fears ludicrous, but her fear was nonetheless real for having no basis in fact. When Annabelle looked in the mirror, she saw not her own lovely face, but her belief that she was unlovable. That would not be eradicated overnight, but in time . . . in time.
Christa took special care with Annabelle’s toilette and had the satisfaction of seeing her mistress go off in her best looks and with her nerves under reasonable control. Alex had come to his sister’s chamber to escort her down to the carriage, and he praised his sister’s apple-green dress and fashionable coiffure effusively. Just before leaving the room after Annabelle, he glanced at Christa and gave her a broad wink that clearly linked them in a conspiracy to ensure his sister’s success. She chuckled as his elegantly tailored back disappeared; he seemed to know exactly what Annabelle needed.
Christa spent most of her evening teaching reading and writing to those of the staff who desired to learn. She had started with four students the week before, and her class had now grown to seven. The butler, Mr. Morrison, had found funds to pay for primers and slates, and now every quiet evening after supper Christa and her students would take over one end of the servants’ dining table. Many of them were motivated by a desire to improve their positions, since most upper servants had to know how to read and write. However, a few were like the head groom, there for the pure pleasure of learning, and Christa took special pride in their progress.
The evening passed quickly, and Christa retired to lie down and doze until Annabelle returned. It was past midnight when the Kingsleys returned, and Annabelle was bubbling with excited chatter. Christa had anticipated this and had a kettle of hot water ready to make her mistress a cup of relaxing herb tea.
“Oh, Christa, you were right, everyone was so kind!” Annabelle sat in front of her dressing table, her eyes bright with happiness. “They seemed happy to see me, and when I went out of my way to talk to some of the shyer girls, they acted so pleased, as if I was doing them a favor! It was remarkable. And when we danced after the dinner, I stood up for every set. Why, Alex said every unattached man there was fluttering around me.” She giggled in pure delight.
Christa smiled at her mistress’s reflection as she removed the pins that held twists of golden hair at the back of Annabelle’s head. “So your evening was a success?”
Annabelle nodded vigorously. “It was more fun than I ever imagined. And you were right. When I stopped worrying about what people thought aboutme, and started thinking aboutthem, they responded so well! It was remarkable.”
Christa chuckled and started brushing Annabelle’s long tresses down over her shoulders. “Congratulations. Besides having learned the secret of beauty today, you have also learned the secret of charm.”
“Which is . . . ?” Annabelle’s eyes were dancing as she met Christa’s gaze in the mirror.
“To let the other person think that he is the most interesting person in the world. With those two secrets, London will be at your feet.” Christa flourished the brush grandly before returning to her task.
