“There is your greatest competition,” Aunt Maude said to me under her breath once they were gone. “Louise Garfield was the talk of society last year when she debuted in New York, but her mother is shrewd and would not allow her to choose an American husband. She’s saving her for something much bigger, I’m sure of it. And with the Garfield money, they will be able to pay top dollar to an English aristocrat when the time comes.”
I watched Louise walk just behind her parents, every movement precise and elegant.
Was Louise eager to visit England and attract the attention of English nobility—or was she simply a pawn in this high-stakes games, like me?
8
Aunt Maude’s simple dinner party was anything but simple. The staff had spent days transforming the mansion into a Christmas wonderland, until it looked and smelled like something out of a fairytale. Pine garland, red velvet ribbons, and silver bells adorned the stairs, the railings around the gallery above the foyer, and on every available surface. Dozens of Christmas trees, each bedecked with silver and gold ornaments, filled each room on the main floor, with the largest standing in the foyer at twenty feet tall. But the most impressive was the candlelight. Hundreds of candles twinkled from the trees, offering a soft light as I stood in the receiving line next to Aunt Maude and Alec. Footmen and maids stood at the ready with water buckets and mops, should the candles catch something on fire.
At least two dozen guests had arrived. The women were festooned in breathtaking gowns and lavish jewelry. One woman had a long golden chain, which she wore around her waist like a belt, with another chain dangling down the front of her skirt. At the bottom was an emerald the size of an egg. It looked heavyand uncomfortable, but it was meant to attract attention and it did.
“Why am I here?” I asked Alec, quietly, after Aunt Maude had turned to a guest.
He frowned at me, puzzled. “What do you mean? You’re Maude’s daughter now. She’ll expect you at all sorts of social events.”
“I thought I was needed to find a husband so Aunt Maude could enter polite society. It looks as if she’s already there.”
What more could she want?
Alec turned his back to the room, offering us a little more privacy. “These are the swells,” he explained. “They’re all new money. Some in banking, some in railroads, shipping, or real estate. None of them have ascended to Mrs. Astor’s rank among the nobs.”
“How do you know if you’ve arrived?” And why did it matter? They were all so wealthy, I couldn’t begin to comprehend why it wasn’t enough.
“A list was printed last year by Mrs. Astor’s cohort, Ward McCallister,” Alec explained. “He claims there are only four hundred people in all of New York City who are proper enough to be in fashionable society—and most of them are old money. The swells don’t mean anything to Aunt Maude. She will not rest until she’s on Mrs. Astor’s list—and then she’ll spend the rest of her life trying to stay on it.”
“Do all of them want to be on the list?” I asked as I indicated the group.
Alec looked over the room and nodded. “Every last one of them. The men work hard to make the money, and the women work harder trying to show it off. Every woman in this room is trying to elevate her family’s social status to support her husband’s efforts.”
Was that the kind of life I would lead once I married? Was it different in England?
Not for the first time, I wondered what I had agreed to. I didn’t even know how to show off wealth. But it was the least of my worries about marrying a duke. There were so many other duties that would be required of me—I didn’t even know how to ask about those. All Aunt Maude was concerned about was preparing me to capture a duke—she didn’t seem to care what I would do once I had him.
A gentleman started to walk toward me from across the room, his gaze intent upon mine, and I stiffened. What if I said or did something to give up the ruse?
Alec also stiffened, but said quietly, “That’s George Vanderbilt, the youngest of the Vanderbilt family. One of the most eligible bachelors in the city. You met his sister-in-law, Mrs. William Kissam Vanderbilt, earlier today at church.”
Even before I had moved into Aunt Maude’s home, I knew the Vanderbilt name. Everyone did. They were one of the wealthiest families in America.
I fidgeted, feeling the weight of my heavy gown and the lies I was wearing.
“Don’t worry,” Alec said softly, “I’m here if you need me.”
“You mustn’t feel obligated to take care of me.”
“I don’t.”
After proper introductions were made, Mr. Vanderbilt gave me a small bow. “I hope you’ll allow me to escort you into supper—unless Alec has claimed the honor.”
I swallowed my butterflies and looked at Alec. Aunt Maude had made it clear I must not fall in love with an American, but she wanted me to flirt and become confident with men. Yet—the only man I wanted to sit with at supper was Alec. I had grown comfortable with him, even if he teased me and made my cheeks blush.
“I have no such honor,” Alec said, his voice serious.
“Then may I have the honor?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked me. “I wanted to be the first to ask, since I’m certain I won’t be the last.”
I glanced around the room, filled with both married and single men. Some were looking in my direction and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s words returned to me. “I do believe all the eligible bachelors in the church are already wondering when they might call, and all the mamas of single young ladies are drawing up their battle plans.”
Mr. Vanderbilt stared at me, waiting for an answer.
