Lucinda smiled at the memory. “Oh, you heard about that, did you?”
“To be honest, Lady Marianne told me about it last night as we were getting her ready for bed. She was giddy with laughter over it. Wish I had seen it for myself as I cannot imagine Lord Ashton doing such a thing.” May set about styling her hair.
“Well, he did, and it was funny. I have not laughed so hard in a long time.” It was true. If she survived today, maybe she could do this and do it well enough to survive the season and find a husband.
“That is grand, miss. About time you had something to laugh about.”
Had she really been such a sad sack since arriving here? It was not so much that she had been sad, but that she was trying to come to terms with the vastly different life she was now living. The expectations everyone had of her, not to mention the ones she had for herself. She had held it all in, and she was determined to keep herself in check. There was no room for crying.
They laid out her dress, and both Marianne and the dowager came in to supervise. Everything had to be perfect. She believed she had her nerves under control, but when they placed the feather in her hair and informed her that the carriage was ready, she suddenly felt ill.
Lord Anthony arrived looking splendid in his suit of dark-navy superfine with a silver-and-red waistcoat and formalbreeches. The duke arrived a moment later, looking dashing as well.
“I feel like an overripe peach,” she said.
“Nonsense,” the duke replied. “You are as pretty as a picture, Miss Sterling. Do you not agree, brother?”
Lord Anthony had been staring with a stunned expression on his face as she descended the stairs. Was it because she actually looked ridiculous?
“I do.” Tony took her hand and kissed it. “You look very beautiful, Miss Sterling.”
“I remember feeling the same, Lucinda. Court dresses really are the most bizarre with the empire bust but the wide skirt and the train. It is most awkward, but we managed to get you the new hoop for your skirt so that you can at least sit down in the carriage,” Marianne said. “I had to lean awkwardly at a slant as the hoop did not allow one to sit at all.”
“I think the feather becomes you, Miss Sterling,” Tony said with a wink as he put her hand on his arm and escorted her out to the carriage.
“It is awful, and you know it. What if it makes me sneeze? The queen will banish me from court forever.”
“You will not sneeze. In fact, you will likely forget about the thing all together. You will be too busy giggling with the other girls and concentrating on your steps to be worried about a feather. Trust me, it will be over before you know it. We will all be there supporting you.”
He made it sound like it might actually be fun, but having never seen a presentation before, she really had no idea what it would be like. She had to trust that Marianne and the dowager had prepared her well.
They alighted from the carriage at St James’s Palace and were ushered into a waiting area before the drawing room where the queen would receive them. It felt like an age and a seconduntil it was time. In truth she had been standing for hours, and her feet were aching. What use was this new hoop if there were no chairs for sitting? The dowager explained that one did not sit when around the queen unless directed. She straightened Lucinda’s feather and gave her the once over.
“You are ready.”
“Then why do I not feel ready?”
“It is just nerves, my dear. Look straight ahead and remember one foot in front of the other, curtsey, and wait for her to nod. Then back out and it is all done.”
Lucinda clenched her fists and held them at her sides. “I can do it.”
“Of course you can, dear.” With one last pat of her hand, they began to line up.
The doors opened, and a few went before them. Then they were announced by the Lord Chamberlain, “The Dowager Duchess Warrington and Miss Lucinda Sterling.”
They walked down the aisle without incident, and she made her curtsey. When she lifted her head, the queen was leaning forward in her chair, looking at her curiously.
“Who is your family, Miss Sterling?” she asked.
“My father was Viscount Foxton, Your Majesty.”
“I remember the name. Is he not here?”
“He is dead. The dowager duchess has kindly taken me on.”
The dowager simply smiled, and the queen nodded and sat back in her seat.
They backed out of the room and as she passed the Ashtons, she heard Lord Ashton say, “Well done, Lucinda.” It was all she needed to hear and when the doors finally closed behind them, the dowager hugged her tight. A hug! A rush of warmth spread through her, and she felt tears well in her eyes. Physical affection was not something she was used to. How long had it been since she had been hugged?
