Page 19 of An Unlikely Debutante

Suitablehad been the word of the week. Alex had lectured her over and over again about ‘suitable’ clothes to wear, ‘suitable’ topics of conversation, ‘suitable’ people to converse with.

‘I’m not sure what the society matrons would think of a debutante in that dress,’ he concluded after looking Lina up and down.

‘Pish-posh—’ Georgina breezed into the conversation ‘—Lina looks ravishing and she would have all the young gentlemen clamouring to escort her in to dinner.’

‘Maybe the unsuitable young gentlemen...’

Lina looked up and caught the humour in Alex’s eyes and felt the smile spreading across her face. He’d been a little distant the last couple of days. Whilst Lina had been reciting titles and practising enquiring about his health, she’d caught Alex staring off as if his mind were elsewhere.

‘Is it the colour you object to,’ Lina asked innocently, ‘or the cut?’

She felt all eyes on her, but was only really interested in Alex’s reaction.

‘Both,’ he said quickly. ‘A demure debutante is only ever really seen in white or pastel shades. And she tries to leave a little more to the imagination with the cut of her dress.’

‘So this doesn’t allow the gentlemen to imagine what might be underneath quite so well as a shapeless dress?’ Lina was enjoying herself now. The nerves she’d felt as she’d entered the room were lifting.

‘You know that is not what I mean,’ Alex said, his voice tight.

‘I think, my dear brother, that if more debutantes dressed like Lina has, then you would be a lot more interested in making their acquaintance.’

‘You judge me to be that shallow?’

‘All men are,’ Georgina said lightly. ‘What do you think, darling?’ she asked, turning to her husband.

‘I think you look beautiful in that dress, Miss Lock, but I’m sure you would look lovely in a shapeless sack, too,’ Mr Pentworthy said softly, putting an end to the argument between brother and sister in such a practised way that Lina wondered how many of these disputes he settled with a well-considered sentence.

‘Quite,’ Alex murmured. ‘Shall we go through to dinner?’

* * *

Alex placed his spoon in the bowl and sat back, watching Lina as she ate. It had been a most enjoyable evening, much to Alex’s surprise. When Georgina had suggested the dinner party he had been tempted to reject the idea, but seeing as Pentworthy was returning that evening anyway, putting a more formal name to them dining together hadn’t taken too much more organisation. Although no part of the wager required Lina to attend any dinner parties, he had to admit it was a good test of what she had picked up so far, in a safe and controlled environment.

‘The key to reading a fortune is observing people,’ Lina explained.

‘I thought you interpreted the lines on people’s hands or something?’ Mr Pentworthy said with a frown.

‘I’m letting you into treasured family secrets here—’ Lina dropped her voice as she spoke ‘—but no one, ever, has been able to tell anything about another person by the wrinkles on their hands.’

‘How fascinating. So what do you do?’

‘Would you like a demonstration?’

‘I’m not sure...’ Alex began.

‘Oh, yes, please,’ Georgina countered. ‘How fun.’

‘This isn’t really an appropriate topic for the dinner table,’ Alex grumbled, feeling like a decidedly old killjoy in the process.

‘You’ve already told Alex’s fortune, why don’t you do my husband’s?’

‘She knows everything about him already,’ Alex said. ‘You two chatter incessantly. Lina probably knows more about your husband’s life than I do.’

‘Well, maybe you should pay more attention, then,’ Lina murmured.

He watched as she turned to Pentworthy, adjusting her position in her chair and flashing the man a sweet smile. She’d never smiled at him like that before.

‘Would you like to know your future, sir?’ she asked, her voice dropping so it sounded almost seductive to Alex’s ears.