“I would be, if I had any intention of changing into something else, but this is what I plan on wearing.” Charlotte gritted her teeth, making her smile into more of a grimace.
“Charlotte, just because you are engaged does not mean you can forsake propriety and etiquette.” Her stepmother frowned disapprovingly.
“I am forsaking neither. This is evening wear.” She gestured to her gown.
The gown in question was a plain silk dress in yellow, elegantly cut though the waistline had gone out of fashion some years ago. Charlotte liked the dress, and it was one of the newer ones she owned. She had also chosen it because she knew it would irritate her mother.
“Barely.” Lady Bellmore narrowed her eyes even further.
“Barely still counts.” Charlotte shrugged.I am right, and you know it. You cannot force me to change.
“It is so unfashionable.” Her stepmother sighed, but Charlotte knew that the woman understood the fight was over.
Charlotte replied sweetly. “Unfashionable does not make it improper.”
“I do wish you would get some new dresses. Though, I suppose I should not complain overly. After all, it gives me more to spend on your sisters, who at least seem to appreciate such finery.” Lady Bellmore beamed at Evelyn and Philippa.
Charlotte said nothing. The truth was, she had chosen not to have new dresses exactly for that reason. The less that was spent on her, the more could be spent on Evelyn and Philippa.And that will help them secure the future they deserve.
“Well, at least I will not have to worry about you being late to dinner.” Lady Bellmore shook her head and made her way towards the door.
“I would not dream of such a thing,” Charlotte called after her.
“Of course, you wouldn’t.” Lady Bellmore paused as she reached the door, glancing over her shoulder as she said, “Which reminds me, His Grace has arrived.”
“Already? But dinner is not for another hour!” Charlotte felt a thrill travel through her.What on Earth is he playing at?
“Your father thought it would be best to take some time to get to know the young man who will be marrying his oldest daughter. They are walking the grounds together and are not to be interrupted.”
Charlotte swallowed. Her father was spending time with her fake fiancé. Alone. If the thought hadn’t been so horrifying, she would have laughed. She wondered how the Duke would fare under the watchful eye of her father.
She caught her sisters’ eyes and could tell they were thinking the same thing. Depending on how the Duke handled their father, this engagement could be over before it the first course was served.This is going to be an interesting night.
Chapter Five
DINNER WITH THE IN-LAWS
“You cannot be serious; truly, you must be jesting!” Lady Bellmore said, her eyes wide.
Dominic was sitting at the dining table in Bellmore House, the Earl’s London home. He had not expected to find his visit to his fake fiancée’s house anything other than mildly pleasant and had been surprised to find that so far, the evening had been a most enjoyable one.
If you had told me several hours ago that I would be laughing and joking with my ‘fiancée’s’ family, I would have said that you were mad.Yet he felt an odd sense of camaraderie as he sat at the table.
He was sitting opposite the Earl at the other end of the table. The Earl’s wife sat by his right and on his left was Charlotte. Beside Charlotte sat one of her sisters, and the other sister sat beside their stepmother. Dominic was grateful that the pair were wearing different coloured dresses, or he would have struggled to tell them apart.
He met Lady Bellmore’s gaze and smiled. “My dear Lady, Ineverjoke about such things. Hand on my heart, Baron Basildon stood at the door, so inebriated he could barely stand, demanding that the club let him in.”
“What time was it?” Lady Evelyn Nettle, one of Charlotte’s sisters, asked.
“At a guess? I would say around nine o’clock in the evening,” Dominic replied after a moment’s thought.
“Why on Earth was he so drunk?” Lady Bellmore frowned.
“Some men are not so well acquainted with the concept of temperance,” Charlotte chimed in, and though she did not look directly at him, Dominic had an odd sense she was referring to him.
“I would say the Baron does not even know the meaning of the word. He believes that life should be lived to the fullest.” Dominic gestured around him. “After all, are we not all only given one chance at it?”
“Does living life to the fullest often involve such excesses?” Lady Philippa Nettle asked.
