‘Quite right,’ said Oliver, ‘and you can make that plain at the party. Go there and enjoy yourself. Surprise my brother in every way, laugh and flirt mildly with other men even, and show him you are not to be underestimated.’
‘Do you know,’ said Kate, ‘I think that’s the best advice I’ve ever had from anyone?’
Oliver grinned. ‘Glad to be of service.’
He was so very nice. But then a sudden awful thought struck her. ‘You won’t breathe a word of this to your brother, will you?’
‘To Dan?’ He put his hand on his heart. ‘Not a word. But believe me, on the big night I shall be silently urging you on from afar, Miss Summerby!’
He bowed and was soon out of sight, but she stayed where she was and her heart was beating fast.You’ve made an impression on Dan, or he wouldn’t have invited you.
Taking a deep breath, Kate headed resolutely back towards the Steine, and the shop of Madame Francine.
The day of the party came at last but instead of looking forward to it, Kate felt horribly nervous.
She hadn’t told Harriet about the dress she’d bought at Madame Francine’s because she wasn’t at all sure it was a good idea. Neither was she sure about going to this party with the Earl, and if she thought about it any longer, she might feel like running off and hiding somewhere for the night. Harriet was terribly excited about it all, which didn’t help in the least. But by six o’clock, when Kate asked Harriet to help her get ready, Harriet had become subdued.
‘I suppose,’ she said a little sadly, ‘you’re going to wear one of those awful dresses left over from your Season?’
Kate forced herself to smile at that. ‘You’re in for a surprise,’ she said. ‘Come and see.’
From the top of her wardrobe, she pulled down the large cardboard box in which a gown was carefully wrapped in tissue paper. As Kate unwrapped it and held it up, Harriet clasped her hands together in delight. ‘My goodness. It’s justbeautiful!Wherever did you get it? You surely didn’t have time to get it made?’
‘I found it in a dress shop in the town. It was already made, for a lady who decided she didn’t like the colour. It only needed some slight alterations.’
‘How could anyone not have liked it? That green is gorgeous. I would never have thought of it for you, Kate, but it will suit you marvellously.’
Kate had to admit she had fallen in love with the dress the moment Madame Francine had shown it to her. It was made of emerald-coloured satin with short puffed sleeves, a high waist and a low neckline and when she tried it on in the shop, she had realised she not only looked different, but felt different.
What, though, would the Earl think? Once more her heart sank, but then she remembered what his brother had advised.Dress to impress. Dress to be different. That’s what my brother does.
‘Put the gown on, do!’ Harriet was begging. ‘I really want you to look beautiful!’
‘That’s ridiculous,’ said Kate. ‘I just want to look acceptable, that’s all.’
But as Harriet fastened all the tiny buttons that ran up the back of her new gown and she felt the caress of the smooth satin against her skin, she felt a tremor of excitement—especiallywhen Harriet stepped back and said, ‘Oh my. You look so very pretty!’
Kate went to look in her mirror. She saw that the emerald green gave her fair hair and pale skin a kind of glow, and as for her figure…goodness, the neckline was lower than she remembered! A lace fichu would preserve her modesty, but she banished the thought immediately. Tonight, she would be with the Earl of Rivington. Tonight, everyone would be staring at her—so why not give them something to stare at?
On Harriet’s instruction she sat at her dressing table while Harriet, with surprising skill, pinned up her hair up into a simple but stylish chignon and secured it with two silver combs.
‘Now,’ said Harriet, ‘jewellery. You have a pearl necklace, don’t you? That and your pearl eardrops will lookperfect. Then you must put on your long cream gloves and pink satin slippers. First, though—you do have some powder and rouge, don’t you?’
‘Yes, but I don’t use them! And—’
‘Please don’t protest. Just sit there and keep still while I deal with it all.’
There was no arguing with this new version of Harriet, so Kate found her barely used pots of powder and rouge then sat with her eyes closed until Harriet let out a sigh of pleasure. ‘There. You can look at yourself now. What do you think?’
Kate looked and blinked. ‘What have youdone?’ she whispered at last.
Harriet grinned. ‘I’ve simply put a little rouge on your lips and cheeks, then dabbed some powder over your face. You like it, don’t you? His Lordship certainly will. Now, what time did you say he is arriving?’
‘At eight,’ said Kate, still stunned by her appearance.
‘Then you’d better get downstairs, because there’s only a quarter of an hour to go. How exciting this is! The Earl is really attractive, you know. And don’t you sometimes wonder…’
‘No,’ said Kate, laughing in spite of her nerves. ‘He is my neighbour, that’s all.’
