Page 17 of Mirrors of the Past

‘Nobody said you had to be happy about it,’ she said easily. ‘Not one person.’

Laurie just shook his head.

Yes. His sister was utterly, utterly vile.

But once again, she had the upper hand and he wasn’t very happy about it at all.

* * *

Viola hadn’t intended on being in England any longer than she had to be. No siree. The intention had been that she would be heading back to America with Sam — sometime in September, they’d said, sitting in their rented house in Bloomsbury, planning what they’d do.

Elsie had found them the property, when they’d decided to extend their stay a little. Sam had, of course, travelled to London first just after that crazy midsummer ball, and fallen in love with the place. Viola was sure the truth was that he’d fallen in love with a girl he’d met at the theatre, then another girl he’d met at a museum, and another girl he’d met in Hyde Park . . . the list went on.

But a few days after the awful re-introduction to Laurie Teague, she and Sam got an invitation to a ball. It was the end of the Season, as they so charmingly called it over here, and there was some celebratory ball going on in Mayfair.

At first, Viola was reluctant to go. As far as she was concerned, the Season was nothing more than a meat market. That was, she knew, how Pearl had ended up meeting and marrying Ernie on such a brief courtship. She, Viola, had been much younger, of course, when Pearl had come over here to fulfil her parents’ dreams. Viola, was twenty now and felt grateful that she hadn’t been herded down the same track as her elder sister.

The truth was, that once Pearl had gained her status in England by becoming a “Lady”, her parents were quite happy that their wealth had put their family on the map in Cornwall’s High Society — so they currently weren’t pressuring Sam to marry, and Viola was in no imminent danger of becoming a Dollar Princess herself. She’d grown up in Washington Square North and everyone at home knew how well their neighbour, Flora Davis, had done, marrying Terence John Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood. ‘Second Marquess of Dufferin and Ava,’ Mrs Arthur always said breathlessly.

To Viola’s mind, Pearl had done her bit to raise the profile of the Arthur family by marrying Sir Ernest Elton, so there was no need for Viola to try to compete with the beautiful Flora — or even Pearl — right now.

It would happen, it definitely would — there would be an expectation somewhere along the line — but, for now, the two youngest Arthur siblings were footloose and fancy free, as the saying went. It helped that they had no financial concerns, and maybe, Viola thought, perhaps it was a good thing to be over here with Sam, away from the machinations of her mother . . .

Whatever. Right now, there was a ball to attend and she did like a good party. Pearl’s fabulous midsummer costume ball had been delightful, despite all the craziness and the drama, and Viola hoped that this one would be the same.

And here they were this evening — at the Mayfair Ball!

‘I doubt they’ll appreciate us dancing the way we did at Pearl’s,’ her brother said as they pulled up in a carriage in front of the vast townhouse the ball was taking place at. The house was owned by some distant member of the nobility — Viola wasn’t even sure they would know her if they fell over her, but they obviously knew of Pearl and Ernie, and as the Society grapevine went, they’d also know she and Sam were here for a little while.

‘Mmm. It was fun, though, at Pearl’s.’ Viola smiled as she recalled ragtime dancing the bunny hug and the turkey trot and the grizzly bear . . .

‘It was. Well, here we go. See who I can fall in love with tonight.’ Sam knew exactly what he himself was like, and it was a laughing Viola who alighted the carriage before him and went up the steps to the house.

Almost the first person she saw when she went into the ballroom — a ballroom! A proper-sized ballroom in a townhouse, though! — was Elsie.

Tonight, Elsie was dressed in black again, but in a far more fashionable ball gown. The frock had a dove-grey underskirt, which was covered in intricately patterned black lace, and half the bodice was covered in rich black velvet, which then wrapped around her waist and trailed into a sash that hung prettily down the front.

Although Viola’s frock was mint green with a pink sash, she felt dowdy next to her friend, and even more so when Elsie swooped down on her, with arms wide and welcoming, and a huge smile lighting up her face. Elsie’s hair was tonight piled up on the top of her head with strings of pearls wound through it. She looked utterly breathtaking. Viola patted her own fair hair, set off with a pink ribbon to match her sash, and didn’t feel much more confident.

That was entirely unusual for Viola — she usually felt composed and self-assured in any company — but Elsie outshone every woman in that room.

‘Viola! And Sam! How delightful!’ said Elsie. ‘Come. Louis is over here.’ She linked one arm through Viola’s and one through Sam’s, and marched them through the crowds. Viola felt all eyes turn to look at them and raised her chin a little higher. They would not intimidate her, not at all, even though she keenly felt how short she was tonight! That was the only thing she wished she could change about herself, really. But beyond that . . . Elsie wasn’t exactly tall, but she was still taller than Viola and she felt, for a moment, like a tot being dragged in from the yard for supper.

‘Here we are. Louis, look who I found.’ Elsie smiled and released the pair of them, and then Louis took her hand and kissed it politely.

‘Jolly good to see you here. Glad you could make it.’

‘Oh, we had nothing else planned,’ replied Sam, shaking his hand, his eyes already searching out a belle of the ball he could approach just as soon as. ‘And it is dreadfully good to see you. Now — you must excuse me. I think I have already spotted someone I know.’ He bowed politely, smiled again and headed off in the direction of a pert little brunette who was making big eyes at him.

Ugh.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Elsie, holding Viola’s hand. ‘You shan’t be left alone. Stay with us. I’m just looking for the third member of our party, but he’s escaped my notice at the moment. Oh, look. Yes. There he is. Jolly good.’ She squeezed Viola’s hand and Viola suddenly realised quite how vice-like Elsie’s grip was on her.

She couldn’t have moved away even if she had tried — well, without a big, showy struggle — but dear God did she wish she had struggled when the realisation struck as to who the third person was, and clearly why Elsie had secured her in such a fashion.

Good Lord, no.

Laurie Teague was weaving his way through the crowds, smiling and waving as he spotted Louis and Elsie, but his face dropped into a dreadful scowl as soon as he saw Viola!