I can’t say no. Our family has been through such a torrid time this past year. And poor Augusta, her husband has only just been cleared of a murder charge. And she’s pregnant.
She had a duty to uphold. Resigned to her fate, Victoria glanced at the golden gown in her mother’s hands. “What is that for? It’s not one of mine.”
The duchess offered a gentle but knowing smile. “Your other pretty new pieces are fine for walks in Hyde Park and tea parties, but if we are to attract the attention of London’s bachelors it will take something more. Something like this gown.”
Victoria took the evening gown from the duchess’s hands, letting the soft, luxurious fabric run through her fingers. It was silk. The delicate embroidery on the bodice, a work of utter perfection. It was not the sort of thing a young unmarried woman normally wore in public. This dress had not been made with any timid miss in mind. It had a sensual feel to it.
“It’s one of Serafina’s—I think it will suit you. I would love for you to try it on.”
She wondered if the Marchioness of Holwell had fully understood why she’d been co-opted into this scheme. Knowing Serafina, she wouldn’t have seen anything wrong in her lending a gown to her sister-in-law. Gideon’s bride was generous to a fault.
I would bet a bag of silver coins Mama didn’t tell her why she wanted the gown.
After removing her new blue gown, Victoria stepped into the silken dress, standing quietly while Lady Anne helped to lace her into it. She moved back to the mirror and took in her reflection.
The gown did wonderful things to her appearance. It hugged her waist and hips perfectly. If she’d gone to the modiste and had the gown made, it couldn’t have fitted her any better.
Her hand went to her décolletage as she attempted to cover the generous amount of her bust which the low-cut gown afforded. “I’m not sure this is the sort of thing an unwed miss should be wearing. It feels a little risqué. Perhaps I should wear a shawl over it.”
Lady Anne brushed a kiss on her cheek. “No, it’s perfect as it is. It speaks of a young, sophisticated woman, whose thoughts have moved beyond girlish things. Any nobleman in search of a wife will immediately come to view you as a potential bride.”
Why not just hang a sign around my neck?
“And I know of a number of titled gentlemen who are indeed in need of a wife.”
Victoria fought back rising panic. “Please tell me you haven’t already chosen someone for me. That would be too bold, even for you, Mama.”
If the duchess had already been in discussions with a potential husband for her, Victoria had to know. If her courtship was going to be some sort of charade for the benefit of the matrons of theton, she would die.
What if her father was already in the throes of conducting dowry discussions with some stranger? Her future husband. A man she didn’t know.
“Well?” The question was poised with more force than she would have ever considered using with her mother before the Rome scandal. Many things had changed.
Lady Anne’s fingers stilled on the ribbons of the golden gown, and Victoria’s heart began to race.Please no.The humiliation would be the end of her.
“I did suggest to your father that I could go ahead and speak to some friends of ours, but he said no, absolutely not. He was most adamant that you should have a say in the matter.”
Thank you, Papa.
The gown she was wearing had to have been selected for a purpose. For an event. The duchess rarely did anything without a well-thought-out plan.
“And he is right. I have made too many missteps this past year, we can’t afford another,” added Lady Anne.
The mix of pain and shame in the duchess’s voice tugged at Victoria’s heart. Her absence from London society had cost her mother dearly. Lady Anne was no longer at the top of the social pile. Victoria had borne witness to a number of her mother’s former fair-weather friends crossing the street in order to avoid having to speak to her.
But if there was one woman in London who could come back from both private and public failure, it was the Duchess of Mowbray.
Victoria took a hold of her mother’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Tell me about your plans, Mama. This is my future, and if I am to make a successful entry onto the marriage mart, then let’s agree to make those plans together.”
She was a duke’s daughter, and as such, it was her duty to make a suitable marriage. If in doing so, she helped repair her family’s name in London society, then that was for the greater good.
I owe it to Papa. And yes, even Mama. I owe it to my entire family to help put this scandal behind us.
Straightening her back, she let her hand drop from the bodice of the gown. Victoria met her own gaze once more in the mirror and made a fateful decision.
It was time for her to set aside her anger and resentment. Time that she got serious about finding a husband.
