Their first kiss as a married couple.
It was more wonderful than anything he’d ever experienced before. He had never felt such pure joy and delicious pleasure. He felt warmth from the top of his head all the way down to his toes—which curled inside of his boots.
“My dress is much prettier than yours,” Deb said loudly.
Christopher and Sarah abruptly broke apart.
His wife opened the painted ivory fan at her wrist and waved it at herself. There was a deep blush in her cheeks, and her lips looked swollen. Sarah appeared more enticing than ever, but he should have been intelligent enough to embrace her in a more private setting. One where they would not have been interrupted.
“It’s very pretty,” Margaret said. “Both of our gowns are.”
Seeing his sisters, Christopher thought that Margaret’s deceptively simple silver gown was fit for a princess. The new way Sarah had taught the maids to do Margaret’s hair flattered the shape of her face. And he could see that her pale complexion had color skillfully applied to it. If he hadn’t known her better,he would not have recognized the bit of blush in Margaret’s cheeks, nor the black kohl on her eyelashes, nor the bit of carmine on her lips. Sarah or her maid had achieved a most natural look. He’d never seen his sister prettier.
Perhaps that was why Deb was making a point of showing off her own dress, and there was nothing simple about it. The dark-blue gown had several flounces on the skirt and even a flounce on both sleeves. She looked charming, but so young. And the pout on her lips made her appear younger. More vulnerable, like a child wearing her elder sister’s gown.
Christopher grinned at his sisters. “You both look enchanting.”
Sarah’s expression evinced no surprise. She must have assisted his sisters in preparing for their first dinner party. He recognized her special touch in every aspect of their appearance, down to the diamond bracelet on Margaret’s wrist. Christopher had not seen it before, and he assumed that the priceless jewels his sisters wore belonged to his wife. He felt a surge of gratitude in his chest for Sarah. She was more than holding up her side of the bargain. She wasn’t simply chaperoning his sisters; she was making them feel like family.
“Those who compare themselves to others will always come up second best,” Sarah said. “No matter what they say.”
Deb’s lower lip stuck out even farther as she toyed with the five silver bracelets on her right wrist. “You’re only saying that because you like Margaret better than me. You lent your diamond bracelet to her and not to me.”
Christopher opened his mouth but closed it again when Sarah waved her hand at him.
She came closer to Deborah, and he expected her to discipline his surly sister. Instead, she unclasped the pearl necklace with three strands from around her own throat and put it on Deborah. “Sometimes I do like Margaret better than you—typically, when you are being petulant or mean to her. However,Iloveyou both the exact same amount and consider you to be my sisters. Next time, if you feel slighted in any way, you simply have to tell me, not be unkind or throw a fit. I am more than happy to share my jewelry with you. Remember, there is always room at our table for another person.”
He watched his youngest sister touch the stunning pearl necklace. Christopher thought it must be an heirloom of Sarah’s family. The necklace appeared to be old and priceless.
Deb’s defiant chin angled downward. “I am sorry, Sarah.”
His wife placed a gentle hand on Deb shoulder. “It isn’t me you should apologize to.”
Deb harumphed and did not look Margaret in the eyes as she mumbled, “Megs, I’m sorry that I said my dress was prettier than yours.”
He watched Margaret hug herself and shake her head. “I don’t mind.”
But Christopherwantedher to care. He needed Margaret to stand up for herself.
Sighing, Sarah took Margaret’s hand. “That school of yours seemed to drum into you the importance of good manners above all else. But in your own home you are allowed to have feelings. You should be able to be angry, frustrated, sad, and annoyed. You are wise to forgive quickly and not to hold grudges, but you don’t need to always suppress your negative emotions.”
Frowning, Margaret tugged up on her glove. “A proper lady is always pleasant.”
Sarah gave a short laugh as she shook her head. “Then, I am afraid I am not proper at all.”
Christopher was not the only one whose jaw fell open at this statement from his wife.
Margaret shook her head in disbelief, and Deb said, “Of course you are. You’re a real lady, Sarah.”
His wife took a deep breath. “Then, proper ladies are allowed to cry and be disappointed and scared. When my mother did not come home that night, I was devastated. You do not have to bottle every feeling inside so that the world cannot see it. If you do that, eventually all your feelings will spill out when you least expect it, like uncorking champagne.”
Still fiddling with the top of her glove, Margaret said, “I’d never thought of it that way.”
Sarah took Margaret’s hand from her glove, letting it fall to her side. “There is a difference between expressing emotion and making a scene. I trust you are wise enough to know when it is appropriate to show your feelings in public and when it is best to wait until you are in private. Now, let us go dazzle the members of our dinner party. I see three gorgeous young women whose gowns are second to none.”
Deb laughed and grabbed Margaret’s hand. “You are divine in silver, Margaret.”
“And you look beautiful in blue,” her sister replied, and they strolled out the front door together.
