“But it is not. It will cover you almost to the point that modesty demands.Almost.”
“But, Hermione, Georgie’s bosoms will be…” Amelia began.
“Covered. Half anyway. It is daring but not immoral. Scandalous was the word we used on the list. Wear a scandalous dress. Here it is.”
Georgia imagined herself wearing it, but there was no scenario other than Keaton and herself alone in which she could see herself wearing it. All eyes would be on her if she did!
Would I tell Keaton? He may not realize unless I or someone else tells him. Would he be angry if I did not tell him? He has never asked me what I am wearing on any other social occasion after all.
“This marriage was entered into precisely toavoidscandal, though,” Georgia protested.
“To avoid the scandal of the two of you being lovers,” her friend corrected, “if the world thinks that you dress scandalously to please your husband… well, the men will envy him and the women will either disapprove or wish to do the same for their husbands. It will be agoodscandal.”
Georgia laughed, taking the dress from Hermione and feeling the sheer fabric.
It is so thin that I would feel like a member of a sultan’s harem while I was wearing it. Decently covered but also exposed.
That thought sent salacious images dancing through her mind. Keaton’s glowering visage as the face of a cruel, exotic eastern prince. Dark, demanding, and charismatic. Mysterious, and…
“You are thinking of what it will look like. I can tell from the blush,” Hermione grinned salaciously, “come, try the dress on so I can take measurements for my modiste. You see, I do not invite any strangers to see you in the dress. I can be discreet.”
Georgia looked at Amelia, who stared back with wide eyes and a smile that she was trying to hide.
“Whatever is it for then?” her cousin said finally, “if it is only we three who will see it?”
Georgia traced a hand over the lines of her body, relishing the soft fabric of the dress. It felt like the gown itself was caressing her. She stared at herself in the mirror. Adjustments were needed to reduce some of the dress's dimensions, which would render it even tighter and more clingy. As it was, her bosoms felt like they might spill out at any moment. Whirling, she caught sight of her rump, perfectly outlined by the shockingly sheer material.
I could not wear this in public. It is positively indecent!
“Are you ready? I have my measuring tape, paper, and pencil,” Hermione called from outside.
“Let us see it, Georgie!” Amelia giggled, “Perhaps I will be able to persuade Papa to have one made for me.”
Georgia inhaled a deep breath, then regretted it immediately after as her bosoms almost burst the seams of the dress. She walked back into the drawing room. Then yelped in surprise at the sudden knock at the door. She retreated hurriedly into the dressing room as Hermione answered the knock.
After a moment, Georgia heard her friend say, “Of course, Your Grace. Amelia, why don’t we sample the gardens and enjoy this sunshine while it is with us?”
Georgia heard them leave the room and the door close. Her heart thundered, and she thought about stripping the dress off, but the sound of Keaton’s footsteps were already outside the dressing room door. He knocked again.
“Come in,” Georgia called.
How can I deny him entry by claiming to be undressed when I have been in his company naked!
“You will note that I knocked this time,” Keaton pointed out, “in deference to your shyness.”
“Shy? I have never thought myself so,” Georgia replied, flustered.
She busied herself by gathering up her clothes and folding them. Her cheeks burned. It was not the state of undress that made her feel so, but the fact that this was a state of being that she was contemplating being out in public.
I could not wear this to the ball at Lambeth Palace! We would be ejected from the building and from polite society!
“Perhaps that is not the correct word, given how you presented yourself to me.”
“As you yourself have pointed out, what is nudity to a blind man?” she countered.
“Touché,” he replied. “I hope I did not interrupt your meeting with your friends. One in particular seemed rather… enthusiastic. I was aware of her presence from some distance away.”
“That would be Lady Hermione Archer of Stratford,” Amelia laughed.
