So he stayed right where he was, nursing a drink, and trying not to think of brown eyes and soft skin and a smile that seemed to light up the world when he coaxed it. He tried not to think of Marianne.
Marianne stood before her wardrobe, staring at the row of gowns hanging there as she and her maid tried to decide on which one she would wear to the Brighthollow ball in a few days’ time. They were all beautiful, of course. Finn had always provided her with a generous allowance for her clothing and she had allowed herself the pleasure of pretty fabrics over the years.
But none of them weredaring. Claudia’s list said,Wear Something Daring.
“I’ve always thought the blue was pretty,” her maid, Hannah, suggested hesitantly.
Marianne blinked. She must have been staring forever if Hannah had that tone to her voice. It was a mix between concern and mild annoyance.
She sighed. “What do you think a daring gown would be like?”
Hannah turned toward her slightly. “My lady?”
Heat was beginning to flood Marianne’s cheeks, so she refused to look at her servant and forced herself to continue. “It’s just that all of these are rather…boring, aren’t they? What would a lady wear if she wished to bedaring? Would it merely be a bold color? Is it a cut to the gown? Or is it something in her character? A confidence?”
She hoped it wasn’t the last, for she couldn’t alter herself like she would a gown.
Hannah shifted. “I suppose it’s all of those things. Why do you ask, my lady?”
“I don’t know.” Marianne paced away and stood at her window looking down at the dark garden below. “I’m just wondering if I could use a little moredaringin my life.”
Hannah was quiet a moment and when Marianne dared to look at her, she was back to staring at the gowns. She fingered the frilly puffed sleeve of one of them. It was cut from a bold pink that had then been covered with lace and ribbon.
“This is a pretty color,” Hannah said. “It draws the eye, which I suppose is part of being considered daring.”
Marianne took a step closer. “I see.”
“I suppose it might be daring to—” Hannah hesitated again and looked at her. “Well, we could remove this lace overlay here.”
She motioned to the bodice of the dress and Marianne’s eyes widened. “That would…that would reveal a great deal more bosom.”
“Not a wrong amount, though. Just enough. I’d also remove some of these frills, let more shoulder peek out at the edge here, you see?”
Marianne came closer as Hannah folded in some of the details. She tried to picture herself in a gown that exposed so much. It was terrifying. But then, wasn’t that what Claudia’s list was all about? Living life, despite the fear?
“What else?” Marianne croaked.
Hannah seemed much more invested now that her suggestions hadn’t been roundly rejected. “When I fix your hair for gatherings, I often do it somewhat plainly. I could fix it differently. Perhaps we could even put some jewels or other decoration woven into the locks.”
“Oh,” Marianne said, her mind going to her disastrous coming out. “But they’ll look at me.”
Hannah’s gaze shifted to her and gentled. “I believe that is what daring requires, my lady.”
“I suppose so.”
“Are you well?” Hannah asked.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Marianne murmured, then smiled at her servant to reassure her. “Let’s make the adjustments to the pink gown if it can be managed before the Brighthollow ball. I would like to try daring at least once in my life.”
There was a surprising burst of excitement in Hannah’s eyes at that statement. “Yes! Yes, my lady. I’ll be sure the gown is ready by the ball. Is there anything else?”
“No, I’ll ring when I’m ready to retire,” Marianne said, and watched as Hannah took the pink gown and left the room.
Once she was gone, Marianne returned to the window and the garden below. It seemed she would have her daring gown, a technical check off Claudia’s list. But could she manage the rest of the costume? Could she find the confidence within herself to bear the potential stares that might follow such a change?
And with Sebastian there, could she bear it if he didn’t notice the change at all? Both seemed equally awful results.
“I suppose we’ll see,” she mused before she took a place before her fire, swept up the book she’d been trying to read for days, and tried to concentrate. But her mind kept shifting to all the possibilities of what could happen when she walked into the ball and showed the world a face she’d never even thought she possessed.
