Her fingers were trembling, and she had to keep them busy to hide her nerves.
She did not feel ready to walk back into society so soon. Charlotte had chosen to miss her debut—and everything thatcame after it—in order to care for her mother. If given the choice again, she would do exactly the same. Still, it did not help her feel any less worried for the night ahead.
Images stormed her mind of saying something utterly foolish to the wrong person or tripping over her feet during a dance and sending the entire ballroom into disarray. The worries ebbed and flowed through her mind, and no matter how she tried to dispel them, new scenarios kept coming.
She walked to her dressing table to retrieve her fan, only to hear hushed voices near the door. Charlotte recognized two of the maids speaking together just outside.
“But it’s so late in the season!”
“I know. She’s never been to a ball before. Lord knows what she must be feeling. I thought her father would never let her out in society. Not after all this time.”
“And with only her mother for company, too, she has become quite peculiar. She rarely speaks, spending all her time in the gardens these days—when she does address all of us, she always seems so pale and sad. His Lordship is terribly private, too. Nothing can have prepared her for that world. Nothing. I wouldn’t wish to be in her shoes; I’ll tell you that for nothing.”
Charlotte felt her ears grow hot at the rude commentary on her life and she was about to storm outside and confront them. With an effort, she stayed put, angry that such gossip was even present in her own home. She knew each maid by name, having run the household for much of her mother’s confinement, and didn’t appreciate them criticizing a decision they knew had been taken out of her hands.
Charlotte straightened as she turned to Sarah with a brave smile.
I am going to prove them wrong and show the world just how capable Charlotte Wentworth can be.
***
Colin kept a firm grip on his mother’s hand as they entered the ballroom. Lady Constance had an impressive home and a beautiful space for her dances.
The room was long and wide, with viewing balconies along the left-hand wall. On the right, large windows looked out on the torch-lit grounds with huge grey curtains sweeping to the floor. Two enormous chandeliers hung from the ceilings, adorned with candles and glittering beautifully.
The air was thick with perfume and chatter as the guests mingled and wandered about in sparse groups. Colin kept his face in a suitable mask of polite indifference as he escorted the dowager duchess through the crowds. He kept his head held high and exuded the authority that came with his station and title, but in his heart, he counted the minutes until he could leave.
Ahead of them, Colin recognized the twin blonde heads of his aunt and cousin. Lady Constance turned to them, smiling broadly, in a glittering white dress of sparkling satin. Elizabeth, Colin’s favorite cousin, and longtime friend, also looked very pleased to see them both.
“Oh, my dear, I am so glad you are here,” Lady Constance said hurriedly as the two ladies leaned in close. “I have been anticipating your arrival,” Constance whispered. “You know that Lady Templeton has come fresh from her sojourn at Loch Lomond, and I simply must find out the details.”
Colin caught Elizabeth’s meaningful look as their mothers exulted in the excitement of anyone going as far as Scotland for a portion of the season.
He edged his way around to Elizabeth’s side and found his nerves settled a little at her presence. Elizabeth was small, like her mother, petite with very pale blonde hair and bright blueeyes. She had a wicked sense of humor, and Colin had told her more than once that she was too clever for her own good.
“You look quite the thing this evening,” Elizabeth said, surprising him. “I have never seen you look so handsome, in fact. Are you trying to impress a mysterious lady?”
“Yes,” he answered sardonically. “However, there is no mystery to it. She is called ‘Mama’and has been hounding me to look my best, so I do not sendyourmother into a fit of the vapors.”
Elizabeth snorted rather inelegantly and raised her fan to hide it. “Well, whatever she had convinced you of, you have excelled yourself.”
“Your earrings are very pretty,” Colin managed, never certain how to compliment a woman, and rolled his eyes when Elizabeth gave a gentle laugh at his expense. She seemed pleased, however.
“Thank you. They were my grandmother’s. She always told me they would bring me good fortune.”
“And have they?” he asked, interested despite himself.
“Do you know, I found a shilling on the ground on the way back from the modiste this morning.”
“Were you wearing them at the time?”
“No, but then, I imagine their influence spreads across half of London.”
Colin found himself smiling at that. Elizabeth had a dry wit that always improved his mood, but just as he was enjoying their discussion, she was called away to see to something her mother required, and Colin was left alone.
Mindful of his mother’s rather unpleasant comments earlier that day, he chose not to walk about the very edge of the room and began to make his way slowly through the crowds, mingling about the company and nodding to several acquaintances who he passed.
He noticed Edward on the other side of the room, engaged in an animated discussion with a group of gentlemen, but as soon as Edward noticed him, he bid farewell to the group and made his way over.
