Yet the very thought filled me with such sadness, I wanted to weep.
“Mrs. Hill has saved the very best dress for tonight,” Gallagher said as she walked out of my dressing room with a beautiful white gown that had sparkling rhinestones sewn into the design. It was a stunning dress, and I was certain Aunt Maude had spent a fortune on it.
I was once again reminded that if this scheme didn’t work, Alec’s business would suffer. I couldn’t live with myself if all his hard work and sacrifice were for nothing.
Gallagher had styled my hair high on my head and placed a narrow diamond tiara of flowers and ivy around it.
After the gown was on, Gallagher stood back and admired me. “You look like a duchess, miss.”
I took a deep breath at the thought.
After putting on my long white gloves, I left my room. The dinner would start soon, and our guests were set to arrive. Lady Mandeville would be the first, and she’d warned us the prince would probably be the last.
As I walked down the final set of stairs, I found Alec, Aunt Maude, and Lady Mandeville standing in the foyer.
All three looked up at me at the same moment, but it was only Alec I watched.
Placing my hand on the railing, I walked gracefully down the stairs, my feelings all mixed up inside me. I wanted to throw myself into Alec’s arms and feel his love. At the same time, I wanted to run back to my room and weep.
The longing in his eyes was so keen and palpable, I wondered how I had ever convinced myself it wasn’t there. Tears threatened and I had to blink them back.
Alec stepped forward, as if he wasn’t aware of Aunt Maude or Lady Mandeville, and offered me his arm. He didn’t need to speak. Neither of us did. His eyes conveyed everything.
“You look stunning, my dear,” Lady Mandeville said as Alec escorted me to her side. “The prince will be so taken with you.”
“I’ve heard he has quite the reputation,” Aunt Maude warned, “so don’t let him take too much.”
“Aunt Maude,” Alec protested.
Embarrassment made my skin crawl. I’d heard the prince was a philanderer and had several mistresses. His wife knew of his indiscretions and turned a blind eye. Would he really proposition me?
The house smelled of fresh-cut flowers, and a small orchestra ensemble had been brought in from Paris to play dinner music. Aunt Maude and Lady Mandeville had thought of everything. There were two menus, one in French for the prince and his retinue, and the other in English for everyone else. A French chef had been hired, and he’d prepared all the prince’s favorite foods, includingtartelettes aux fraises, a delicious strawberry dessert.
Lady Mandeville handed me a bouquet of lilies of the valley and whispered, “The prince loves how they smell.”
I hadn’t had time to be nervous before now, but I was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety. Of all the events I’d attended thus far, this was the pinnacle moment, even more important than meeting the queen. I needed to impress the prince and entertain him for several hours.
“And remember,” Lady Mandeville said to Aunt Maude. “If you see the prince drumming his fingers on the table, that means he’s bored, and that is every hostesses nightmare.”
Aunt Maude nodded gravely.
The doorbell chimed and Rodgers went to answer it.
Aunt Maude and Lady Mandeville stepped into place, and Alec and I followed suit.
Over the next hour, we greeted our guests, including the Duke of Severton. There would be thirty people in all, including four who would come with the prince. Princess Alexandra had sent her regrets, but Lady Mandeville said that it was common and nothing to worry about. It was the prince we needed to win over.
Finally, after the rest of the dinner party was assembled, Rodgers opened the front door and the prince stood on the stoop, his retinue behind him.
He wasn’t a handsome man, but he exuded confidence and importance.
Everyone in the large foyer bowed or curtseyed as he stepped over the threshold.
I held my breath as I offered a deep curtsey, wondering if he remembered me from the drawing room presentation.
“Thank you for inviting me to your home, Mrs. Hill,” the prince said as he stopped in front of her. “I’m always keen to meet Lady Mandeville’s American friends.”
“It is our honor, Your Royal Highness,” Aunt Maude said as she rose. “I don’t believe you’ve met my nephew, Mr. Alexander Paxton-Hill.”
