Chapter 1
Sometimes new chapters are thrust upon you, sometimes you must seize them yourself. Tonight was the night of a new chapter. A chapter of firsts. Lady Elowyn Price had never been more ready. This very night, this very moment, she was embracing all she had denied herself.
She surveyed the ballroom and inhaled a deep breath.
Ah.
The smell of possibility.
“You’re really doing this, then?” Isadora asked with a slight furrow of her brow.
Persephone nodded her agreement to the question. “Yes, are you sure?”
Isadora also nodded. “You know you don’t have to feel forced to do anything?”
Elowyn tipped her head, touched by her two friends’ ongoing concern. They’d been bosom confidants ever since she could remember—all through childhood—but had diverged onto slightly different paths after their debut season. Isadora had married shortly after her coming out and then lost her husband to illness in her third year of marriage. Persephone had turned into a butterfly of flirtation but refused to accept any suitors. And Elowyn, well, she had joined the ranks of the wallflowers after a slew of unfortunate events.
No longer.
“I refuse to be a shrinking violet any longer,” Elowyn said firmly.
“Of course, I support you wholeheartedly, however . . .” Isadora trailed off, unsure how to phrase her next words.
Elowyn chuckled. “Please, do not leave me in suspense. However, what?”
“I think,” Persephone stepped in to finish for Isadora, “she means you’ve been saying that every year for the past five years.”
Elowyn grimaced. She had, yes. And her friends had been supportive of both her determination and her retreat. “I know,” she murmured. “But those years have all been in preparation forthisyear. Nothing will hold me back now.” And she truly did meannothing. Not a brutal rejection. Not the diamonds of thetonmaking fun at her. Not a sprained ankle. Not a terrible cold. And certainly not her own doubts. No, this year, her determination outmatched any obstacle.
Nothing could stop her.
Persephone chuckled. “Very well, seeing as you’re this determined, I salute you. I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Just point me in the direction of the Earl of Stagbourne.”
“The Earl of Stagbourne?” Isadora asked, eyes flying wide. “Whyhim? Wait, just for the sake of clarity, whatisyour first order of business?”
Oh, right, her friend hadn’t attended yesterday’s soiree where she and Persephone had discussed the perfect gentlemen for these tasks. Elowyn grinned. “A dance.”
“I see,” Isadora murmured. “Are you sure the Earl of Stagbourne is the perfect match for your first dance?”
Persephone nodded. “Of course. The man is praised for being the best dance partner in England.”
Which was rather frightening in itself. Elowyn could count on one hand how many times she’d danced over the years.
Three.
Three dances.
And they’d all been with her brother. So could they even count? In any event, dancing was the best place to start. First dance. First kiss. First tryst in a garden. First ride through Hyde Park. First husband—and God willing—the last.
“Yes, but will he be good to our Elowyn?” Isadora pursed her lips. “That is the better question.”
“Of course.” Persephone’s eyes narrowed. “Unless you know something we don’t?”
Isadora cleared her throat and scoffed at the question. “What else could I know that you don’t?”
Elowyn arched a brow.
