Valerie held a pale blue gown against herself and turned towards the mirror.
“Well?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Amelia blinked several times before realizing a question had been asked. “You could be wearing curtains for all I know,” she admitted, pressing a hand to her forehead, “because I appear to have misplaced my ability to think.”
Valerie lowered the gown and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “That is unlike you,” she observed as she studied Amelia’s face. “You normally have opinions about everything.”
Amelia folded a length of fabric and avoided meeting her gaze.
That is rich coming from the young lady who misses absolutely nothing.
“I assure you I remain perfectly capable of having opinions,” Amelia replied lightly as she busied herself with another dress. “I simply seem to be conserving them today.”
Valerie made a thoughtful noise before selecting a cream gown from the collection. The ball was only days away now, and preparations had consumed the entire household.
Servants hurried through corridors carrying flowers, ribbons, and endless lists while Mrs. Jacobs looked permanently distressed by the chaos. David had become obsessed with practicing bows he did not need and introducing Shadow to every visitor who crossed the threshold. Meanwhile, Amelia spent every waking moment trying not to remember that Gabriel had kissed her beside a fire in her room, where they should not have been alone in the first place.
I hardly recognize myself these days with so much scandalous behavior.
The memory was entirely unhelpful. Every time she thought she had banished it, some tiny detail returned to torment her. The warmth of his hand against her cheek. The roughness of his voice when he spoke her name. The look in his eyes before he kissed her was as though he had been fighting the urge for weeks. It was impossible to reconcile that man with theDuke who spent half his time lecturing her about rules. Amelia privately suspected that Gabriel spent most of his life arguing with himself.
Valerie disappeared behind a screen to change gowns while Amelia sat near the window and watched the gardens below. The fourth week was slipping away far too quickly. Soon, the ball would arrive, and with it the end of her one-month arrangement. Her stomach tightened unpleasantly as she considered the reality of leaving.
A month ago, I had arrived frightened, exhausted, and entirely uncertain of myself. Now the thought of saying goodbye to David, Valerie, Grover, Shadow, and even their infuriating uncle feels almost unbearable.
The door of the dressing screen opened, and Valerie emerged wearing a soft green gown.
“What do you think of this one?” she asked as she smoothed the skirt nervously.
Amelia straightened and focused her attention where it belonged.
“I think it is lovely,” she said with a smile.
Valerie frowned at her reflection. “Lovely is not helpful.”
Amelia rose and adjusted one of the sleeves. “Then my professional assessment is that half the gentlemen in attendance will forget their own names.”
Valerie laughed despite herself and shook her head. “You exaggerate.”
Amelia stepped back and examined her work. “Not at all,” she replied as she folded her arms. “You are beautiful, intelligent, and capable of terrifying people with a single look. Those qualities are surprisingly effective together.”
Valerie rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her mouth. “I am serious, Amelia.”
“So am I,” Amelia said gently as she reached out and squeezed her hand.
Valerie’s expression softened, and for a moment, she looked younger than her years. The debut had clearly weighed heavily upon her despite her attempts to hide it. Amelia understood that feeling better than most people ever would. Too many young women spent years preparing for a future everyone else chose for them. Too few were ever asked what they wanted.
“I do not know how to be myself in a ballroom,” Valerie admitted quietly as she glanced towards the mirror.
Amelia’s heart tightened at the confession. “That is because everyone spends far too much time trying to become someone else,” she replied as she moved beside her.
Valerie looked unconvinced. “And what if they do not like who I really am?”
Amelia smiled faintly. “Then they are making room for the people who will.”
Valerie studied her reflection for several moments before speaking again. “You truly believe that?” she asked.
Amelia hesitated only briefly. A month ago, she might not have known the answer. Now, she did. “Yes,” she said firmly as she met Valerie’s eyes in the mirror. “Because I spent years trying to become whatever everyone else wanted me to be, and it never made me happy.”
