It was the eve before her coming out and her presentation to the queen. They were a merry band at dinner and even the duke seemed in high spirits. In the parlor, Marianne pretended to be the queen so that Lucinda could practice her entry and departure.
On the tenth time, the dowager declared she was ready. Lucinda’s thoughts wandered to all theShould have beens in her life. She should be doing this with her mother. Her father should have been there to see it. Her parents should have thrown her a coming-out ball.
Instead, this family, that was not hers, had done all in their power to make sure she was ready for this next step in her life. Would she be the oldest debutante there? Would the other girls there mock her?
They practiced dancing next with her dancing with Lord Ashton, and Marianne dancing with the duke.
“You dance very well, Miss Sterling, when you are not trying to lead,” Lord Ashton teased.
She blushed. “I am sorry. As we were only women at the school, we had to play both parts when practicing. I admit it did come with challenges… and a lot of sore toes.”
“This school sounds fascinating.”
“It was the opposite, I assure you. We did look forward to dancing lessons though, as it was a rare opportunity to have a bit of fun.”
“I shall put it on my never-to-go-to list.” Lord Ashton linked arms with her as they did a round of a country dance. “Marianne said her governess made her walk with books on her head. Did you have to do this too and if so, did you ever have to balance them while dancing?”
She laughed at the ridiculous question. “Yes, we did and no, not while dancing. None of us were that talented.”
“Shame. I would have liked to see you and Marianne demonstrate such maneuvers.”
“Do you think you could do it?” Marianne asked as they turned about the room.
“Why not; it does not seem too hard.”
“Oh, my dear brother, then we must see this feat for ourselves,” Marianne said, stopping her own dancing to run over to a table to grab two books. She placed them on her brother’s head, and he took up his stance, ready to dance again. Lucinda shook her head but accepted her position and the dowager began to play. His first few steps had the books hovering and wobbling atop his head, and Lucinda tried not to laugh. He managed to steady himself and take a few more steps, but when it came to do a turn, the books toppled. Not put off, he tried again, despite his siblings’ laughter. Lord Anthony was grinning. Enjoying himself. She liked this side of him. Soon even the dowager was laughing,and Lord Ashton finished the dance with a wobbly bow and a little jig for good measure.
“There!” he declared. “It can be done. Not well, granted, but it can be achieved.”
“You should wear books atop your head all the time, my lord. It is a good look on you,” Lucinda said.
“Oh, yes, it could become the next big thing in fashion,” the duke declared.
“But they can only be poetry books,” Marianne said.
“Byron, Barton, or Keats?” Lord Ashton asked, taking the books off his head. He looked at the title of the books. “Byron and Barton, it is.”
They all laughed and then the dowager declared that the girls must go to bed, for tomorrow was to be an especially important day.
The next morning,the sun peeked through Lucinda’s curtains and woke her. She had tossed and turned all night, and her stomach was tied in knots. May came in with tea and a crumpet.
“Something to settle your nerves, miss.”
She smiled at the maid. “How do you always know exactly what I need, May?”
“You flatter me, miss, but it is my job to know. I am glad I am doing well at it.”
“You are, and I thank you.”
“You are more than welcome. Now let us get you ready for your big day.” May began to undo her braids. “Fancy meeting the queen though. I have heard she can be cold like, but she is just being majestic, if you know what I mean. I guess when you are the queen, you can behave however you want.”
Lucinda nodded. “I imagine you are right about that.”
“In any case, you only have to walk down, curtsey, and back out. Cannot be that hard.”
“Fingers crossed you are right. I admit I did not sleep well last night. I hope I do not trip, or the dowager will kick me out onto the street.”
“I can tell you have not slept. Look at the state of your hair. You will not trip, miss. You can balance books on your head and so can Lord Ashton, apparently.”
