“I am Master Bow, your master of ceremonies for the weekend. I’m on hand greeting all you lovely young ladies this afternoon, but if you follow these good gentlemen inside, you’ll be assisted to your room. If there is anything at all you should require, my dear, don’t hesitate to make the request find its way to my ear. You have plenty of time to dress for dinner and prepare for this evening’s entertainment. With a flourish, he produced a silver domino mask, his eyes shining out from behind it. “If you’ve not brought your own, fret not, dearest one. We have plenty of options on hand for every fair maiden in attendance.”
A bal masqué!She had not attended one of the masked celebrations since her conservatory days, and the thought made her giddy. “Thank you so much for the kind welcome, my lord. I am so looking forward to all that is planned. Will we be introduced to our hostess this evening?”
“Ah, you’ll be greeted as soon as you go inside, lovely girl! Countess Stalbridge is looking forward to assessing the potential of every suitor in attendance, as well as our fair diamonds. The bête monde and the ton are not as different as you might think, my dear. The same customs are observed, and the same itinerary as you would find at one of your human balls will likely be quite similar to what you will experience in your time here. Your bags will be brought to your room as you proceed to the grand foyer to be greeted by the countess. I do look forward to seeing how brightly you shine, Miss Eastwick.”
It had been such a warm welcome that she couldn’t help the giddy excitement she felt. She had work to do, Eleanor reminded herself. She was not here to have fun, after all . . . but it was already a far cry from the disaster at Lady Harthington’s ball.
The interior of Broadstone was just as impressive as the outside. All around them on the walls were huge murals and tapestries of men and monsters, riding together, hunting together, fighting together amidst the dark paneled wood and sumptuous draperies. And there, in the middle, was the countess. Eleanor swallowed hard. She was no stranger to dowagers, but the Countess of Stalbridge had a heavy, penetrating gaze as if she could see through to Eleanor’s very soul the second the woman’s eyes met hers.
She was announced again, and the countess raised an eyebrow. “Miss Eastwick. We are so pleased to have you joining us. I trust your journey south was without incident?”
Eleanor curtsied, giving the countess her very best, most charming smile. “Thank you, my lady. You have such a beautiful home. I am most grateful that you have opened your heart and your doors to all of us for this ball. And yes, thank you, my travel was quite enjoyable, actually. I was just thinking that it’s hard to believe I was on the other side of England just this morning. Gryphon gondola is an amazingly fast way to travel.”
“Gryphon?” she mused with a raised eyebrow. The countess was a handsome woman, regal and refined, with arched eyebrows and a cat-like glare. Her copper skin glowed like a shined-up farthing, and her cheekbones were high and as formidable as the gaze she swept over the room. “I see the Marquis of Basingstone spared no expense on you, my dear. And who is the sponsor of your season, Miss Eastwick?”
Her cheeks heated at the mention ofhim, but she mentally pushed it away.We’re done with him. We’re never going to think on his name again after this moment.Eleanor knew that it was not a question the countess would likely be asking the other attendees. Normally the season was paid for by a parent or sibling, occasionally a grandparent or an aunt. Seeing as she had none of the above, it was reasonable of the countess to ask. “The Earl of Chwyllenghd, my lady, Lord Efraim Ellingboe.”
The countess’s arched eyebrows shot up in obvious surprise. “Efraim Ellingboe, who would have thought. It’s an amazingly small world we all live in together, is it not, Miss Eastwick?”
She dipped her head respectfully. “I take it you know the earl, my lady?”
“Oh yes, I know the earlquitewell.”
Eleanor was shocked at the coy smile that curved the countess’s wide mouth, her eyes sparkling. That was not the look of someone who’d met the earl once at some stuffy party.Uncle Efraim!
“Well, any friend to the house of Chwyllenghd is a friend of ours. I have every confidence that you will achieve what you are seeking this weekend, Miss Eastwick. I daresay you’re in a better position than some of the other young ladies in attendance, but such is fortune. What you may have found lacking in the ton, I assure you, the bête monde will adequately fill in the gaps. Here is your itinerary. Please sign our registry at the end of the table there, and your ladies’ maid will take you to your quarters.”
There was a small queue forming behind her, she realized, as other attendees arrived. Curtseying deeply, she quickly moved down the long, formal table, finding the registration book opened and quill already set out. There was no maid immediately waiting, and she did not want to appear to be eavesdropping on the newcomers being greeted by the countess, so she took a few steps through the arched doorway, finding a beautifully and equally severely appointed parlour. Her heart was heavy, but he needed to put that behind her and focus on the future.Everything is going to work out. And look, everyone here is so nice already.That was, at least, until she was approached by another young woman.
“You there. Girl. I want tea delivered to my room. Something with lavender, not too stimulating, with cream and sugar. I didn’t think I would need to be wondering about searching for servants this way.”
Eleanor was so stunned that she glanced over her shoulder, assuming she would find the aforementioned servant hovering behind her, likely cowering from the imperious tone of the woman’s voice. There was no one. There was none but the two of them in the grand parlour, which meant . . .
“How many different servants do I need to ask? I don’t want to be kept waiting all day.”
”Excuse me?!“ Eleanor cut in, cheeks heating. “But you’re very much mistaken. I’m not one of the servants. I’m a guest, like you, presumably?”
She wasn’t certain what she was expecting, not after such a rude beginning to the conversation, but if it had been an apology, Eleanor would have been terribly disappointed. The other woman’s lips puckered as she held a slice of lemon between her teeth. She felt the slide of snakelike eyes move over her slowly, deciding she was being wickedly unfair to snakes with the comparison, the other woman’s gaze at last settling on Eleanor’s face. She gave a dubious little snort, her eyes moving in a quick up and down once again.
“Are you quite certain?”
Fire bloomed in her veins, and she wondered if she could possibly break the record for ruining her own chances of success with this ball.
The other woman sniffed, turning away as if Eleanor were no longer worthy of her undivided attention. “Well, you can hardly blame me. If you go traipsing about dressed like the help, you can’t be surprised when someone assumes you are, in fact, the help. I think my gardener has that same dress.”
Her mouth dropped open, but she couldn’t even bring herself to gasp in offense. She was too shocked at the woman’s brazenness. Before she could react, a lanky young man with foppish brown curls appeared. “Darling, the maid brought your tea.” He gave Eleanor the same swift up and down with a similarly sour expression.
“Finally! It’s been ages since I asked . . .” The duo gave Eleanor one last wrinkled-nose look before disappearing down the corridor.Unbelievable. If that’s what the rest of the ball was going to be like, she would need to identify her best match, seal the deal as quickly as possible, and encourage him to leave early.
“Miss?” She jumped in surprise at the unexpected voice, the diminutive fox-eared appearing at her elbow. “Miss Eastwick,” she gave a bobbing curtsy that sent her fluffy tail bouncing, “I’m Trilby. I’ll be your ladies’ maid for the ball. Let me show you to your room, miss.”
The girl was debutante-aged herself, Eleanor realized that she followed the young woman. Eyeing the various seams in the fox girl’s dress, allowing her tail to come through, she thought, quite unwillingly, up Silas. Unbuttoning his tailcoat had been oddly intimate, especially considering the reason why she was unbuttoning it and what they were doing together, but for some reason, that specific act seemed even more emotionally charged to her. The actions of a wife, she thought, cheeks heating.
“Do you know who that was?” Eleanor asked once the door had clicked shut behind them. “Those two people I was talking to, the man and the woman?”
Trilby’s smile was tight as she nodded her head, all the answer Eleanor needed. “The Skevingtons. Lady Stephana is here to attend the ball, and her brother Archie is here as her chaperone.”Perfect. Names to avoid.“I’ll begin unpacking all of your trunks, miss. Do you have a preference on which dress you would like to have for dinner?”
She had packed her best dresses. The nicest was from her own days as a dewy-faced debutante, although it had been altered several times to accommodate the curves she hadn’t had when the dress was first commissioned. None of her dresses or gowns were particularly well-tailored, not anymore. They had been taken apart and turned so many times, never to her exact measurements, and she already knew that she would be the most shabbily dressed attendee the ball would likely see.Which is why the marquis’s lessons are going to be so important.
