I parted my lips but closed them when I saw how his eyes shone. It would break his heart if he knew I cared less about this family than he did.
“When is the ball?” I asked at last. Misty said Father would do anything for me, but I was not so selfish as to let him.
He smiled. “Five days. There isn’t time to get you fitted for a new gown, but I am sure Vanessa has something suitable for you to wear,” he said. “After all these dreary months you can finally mingle and have fun. It will be a nice change, yes?”
Every fiber of my being protested. “Quite.”
Father sighed. “I was worried you wouldn’t want to go,” he said, giving me a sidelong glance. “It’s worse enough with Maddox. I need at least one of my children to make a good impression.”
If he knew the truth, he would be sorely disappointed. But Father didn’t need a hermit daughteranda sluggard son. The least I could do was appease him and endure a three-hour ball.
I returned to my room afterward, numb as the tips of my ears. Misty looked up inquiringly and I let my thoughts—a jumble of words and images—flow into her mind.
Do you think you made the right decision then?Misty asked. I couldn’t discern whether she was impassive or disapproving.
“Perhaps,” I said, sinking onto the floor, “this is one of my only decent ones.”
3
Afew days later Ifound myself on a low platform in Lady Vanessa’s chambers. Father had informed her of my need for a ball gown, so I had no choice but to accept her invitation and try some of hers. I had disposed of my extravagant dresses before I came to Greenwood Abbey. They were all in Mother’s favorite styles—none of them were truly to my taste.
I surveyed the heavy velvet covering my arms. It seemed that Lady Vanessa’s gowns weren’t faring any better.
“It’s a little old-fashioned,” Lady Vanessa said, “but quite flattering nonetheless.”
“Oh yes, I believe so too, milady,” Tizzy piped up from behind me.
The two of them were clearly lying through their teeth.
The dress was forest green with a low waistline embroidered with pale gold thread. Mother never allowed me to wear green. She claimed it made me look like a carrot with my coloring. It didn’t help that the fit was all wrong. If Tizzy hadn’t pinned back the excess fabric, I reckoned it would’ve slouched right off.
“It’ll do,” I said.
It was the fifth dress I tried, the past four being too bright, too dark, too drab, and too outrageous respectively. I was tired of standing and listening to Lady Vanessa and Tizzy make conversation.
“Are you sure, dear?” Lady Vanessa asked, joining Tizzy in the back. Her fair brows raised as she took in the mess of pins in the back. “I can find something that fits better. There was a time I slimmed down quite a bit—”
