I hadn’t yet answered her. My gaze landed on the red gown farthest to the right.
Peter had insisted on buying me something new after my disaster at Lakeshire Park. It was lovely and expensive and carefully tailored. I supposed he wanted to lift my spirits. Ihadfelt better—fleetingly—but then I hadn’t any invitations worth wearing it to. After scandal had ruined my last favorite dress, I had learned to wear them each carefully. I’d burned the one I’d worn that fateful night not long after returning home. I could not bear to look at it.
What a waste. The fabric alone would have made a generous gift, and the dress itself could have been retailored to fit someone new. Clearly, I’d only been thinking of myself.
The thought now rankled.
“The red, I think. Thank you,” I told Jane. “And perhaps a little rouge on my cheeks.”
She nodded, and before I knew it, a new reflection was staring back at me in the mirror. A beautiful girl. She was bright and pink. She looked as hopeful as a fresh start. As radiant as a debutante with no real notion of the world’s cruelties.
I could almost pretend—for a moment, at least—that nothing bad had ever happened. That I’d never chosen wrong. I’d never had to bargain with the duke, and we’d become friends on our own. I hadn’t needed Mrs. Johns to persuade a suitor; he’d come simply because he’d wanted to.
“He’s here, Miss Wood,” Jane said, reentering the room. She was all nerves, from the purse of her lips to the fumbling of her hands. And I remembered—I wasn’t the beautiful woman in the mirror. I was the woman they’d all be gaping at. The one they either shied away from or spoke to so they’d have something to discuss later.
I followed Jane to the stairs, to the voices carrying from below. Lord Reynolds was dressed in a sharply tailored black jacket and a doubly knotted, diamond-studded cravat. He was the very picture of a clean-shaven and polished gentleman. Elegant Maggie stood by her husband, the quietest man I’d ever met, and Gabriel, who looked just as handsome and refined.
“Beautiful!” She clapped, and the men turned as I descended.
Lord Reynolds collected me at the bottom of the stairs. “Worth the wait by far.”
I shook my head and grinned at his compliment, but it felt more playful than anything. Gabriel watched us like a dutiful guardian while Maggie kissed Thomas goodbye.
“Enjoy yourself.” Thomas smiled into their kiss. “But miss me.”
“I always miss you,” she whispered back, threading her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Good heavens. My stomach flipped with envy just watching them.
Gabriel coughed, shaking his head like there was a foul taste in his mouth. “Shall we?”
The ride went smoothly. Lord Reynolds was polite, and Maggie was attentive and quiet in contemplation.
I wanted to ask her how she’d known Thomas was the right match. How she’d felt when they met. Was it instant, their connection? Or did it take time to develop into the love I’d just witnessed?
Before long, we arrived at the front of Drury Lane.
Large domed gaslights illuminated the front side, which was swarming with guests. Their eyes darting to mine, and around.
All wondering the same thing I found myself wondering—
Was the Duke of Marlow among the crowd?
ChapterTwenty-One
Marlow
Lady Diana.
Lady Diana, Lady Diana, Lady Diana.
Focus, Lucas, you idiot. The woman deserved my attention, regardless of whether or not I meant to pursue her. But I could not focus. All I could think about was the sound of Georgiana’s laugh, the look she’d given me last night. How she cared about everything and everyone, even Gabriel’s happiness. How she fit so seamlessly among us.
I checked my fob watch. Lord Reynolds should have collected her by now.
Dash that man.
The carriage pulled to a stop at its first destination, and Lady Diana’s mother ushered me inside their drawing room. I wondered aboutGeorgiana’smother as I followed her. Did they look alike? What had kept her from London, and did her absence bother Georgiana?
As I complimented Lady Diana’s golden evening gown, and her mother’s faint blue, I wondered what color Georgiana had chosen for the evening. Something bright? Perhaps an apple red?
