Chapter Five
Victoria took her brother’s hand as Matthew helped her alight from the Mowbray town carriage and onto the pavement out front of an elegant mansion in Silver Street the following evening. She smiled as she noticed that her slippers perfectly matched the golden trim of the rich blue carpet which ran from the street all the way to the front door. Hopefully it was a good omen.
Tonight’s social gathering was no quiet friends and family dinner party—it was a major ball which would be attended by most of London’s elite. This evening the Kembal family were making their first official foray back into thehaut ton.
On either side of the path stood a virtual legion of footmen, all clad in blue and gold. As Victoria and Matthew made their way along the carpet, each member of the honor guard bowed in turn.
Her grip on her brother’s arm tightened, a sudden bout of nerves threatening to get the better of her. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to launch herself onto the marriage mart with such short notice. Or in such a grand style.
I should have asked Mama for more time; insisted she wait.
But the only thing the Duchess of Mowbray was delaying tonight was her arrival. She and the duke were going to make their entrance a little later in the evening. Victoria was still trying to understand her mother’s reasoning but had decided to put it down to yet another of Lady Anne’s schemes to draw attention to herself. The duchess wanted to send a clear message to the matrons of theton. She was back and ready to reclaim her rightful place at the top of the pecking order.
Speaking of drawing attention. I’m not entirely sure I can carry this gown off.
The bustline revealed far more skin than she had ever shown in public before tonight. As she and Matthew stepped into the main ballroom, and Victoria took in the crowd of guests, all she wanted to do was go home.
Being strong while standing in front of her bedroom mirror wasn’t quite the same as venturing out into society. The added pressure of being an unwed miss on the hunt for a husband only served to make things worse.
Even if she was the daughter of a duke, this felt too much. Too desperate.
“Smile and nod. You are the definition of grace under pressure,” whispered Matthew. “Just don’t squeeze my arm so tight, I’m beginning to lose feeling in it.”
She let her fingers loosen their vice-like hold on her brother’s arm. “Sorry, I’m just so nervous. I’m not used to being seen.”
Or so much of me being seen.
Serafina’s golden gown, and the way it hugged Victoria’s curves, captured many sly glances. The male gaze was mostly one of approval, but from the women at the party the responses to Victoria’s appearance was more mixed. She could sense the different types of looks. There was some admiration, even a spot of jealousy. The occasional whispered, “That’s a beautiful gown,” had her smiling.
But the older matrons of thehaut ton, typical to form, were somewhat less kind. “What on earth is she wearing?” “Her mother has clearly lost her mind.” “A scandalous amount of cleavage.” “Where is the Duchess of Mowbray’s good sense, did she leave it behind in Rome?”
Victoria took all of it in. Before the family’s scandal had broken, she’d never realized how caustic polite society could be, how judgmental. She and Coco had protested when the Duke of Mowbray had decided to send his two younger daughters for an extended stay at the Kembal family country estate in Leicestershire, but now she had a better understanding as to the reasons behind her father’s decision. He’d done it in order to spare both her and her sister from the knives of London’s elite.
She swallowed deep. There were some people who reveled in this sort of attention, of having all eyes on them. Lady Victoria Kembal was not one of them.
If this is what it feels like to be noticed, then I don’t think I want to be seen.
The only thing stopping her from turning around and heading straight out the front door were the comforting words of her brother. “What you are seeing on their faces is not disdain Victoria, it’s fear. They know that through you, Mama is going to reclaim her position. And from the expressions on some of those women’s faces, I suspect they might just have put two and two together and come to the realization that you’ve decided to make a late season move to find yourself a husband.”
She offered him a tight smile. Brothers were a pain in the proverbial, but they were also the best in these situations. Matthew had become her rock during the long months that their mother had been gone. And while she and Richard had done their utmost to keep their father from going mad after the duchess had announced she wasn’t coming home, it had beencheeky Matthew Kembal whom she’d been able to rely upon during the worst of those days.
And now he was helping her to navigate through the dangerous shoals of London society. She’d miss him terribly once she had secured a husband and moved out of the family home.
Victoria sighed. “Why does all of this remind me of a game of chess?” She pointed at the other guests, most of whom were moving slowly around the ballroom, sizing one another up. They looked for all the world like they were contemplating their next strategic move.
Her hopes for eventually marrying hadn’t been built on such an open battle plan, rather she’d imagined that one day she would meet some nice man at a private dinner party, and they would fall in love over a shared passion for recipes, spices, and the very best places to dine in London. Their marriage would be one based on enjoying good food and the unspoken understanding that everything tasted better with lashings of salted butter.
This public statement of intent was nothing like her heart’s desire. Victoria dampened down her sadness. She’d agreed to this endeavor, knowing full well how much it meant to her parents. A spotless match for their second eldest daughter would do wonders for the Kembal family’s reputation and standing. She had to think of her three other siblings who would all eventually look to find their future spouses.
Matthew hummed his agreement. “It feels like chess, because that’s exactly what it is. Consider Mama as the queen. She will be looking for check mate.”
And we are just pawns?
“Though I’m still at a loss as to why you caved when she decided to press you into this hunt for a husband. She should have focused her attention on regaining her rightful place insociety and left your marriage plans until next year. I know that if Gideon were still in town, he would have argued strongly against it.”
The Marquis of Holwell would have been firmly in the ‘no’ camp, but as he was many miles away at the family estate, there wasn’t anything he could do.
Lady Anne was champing at the bit to regain her rightful position. While she’d been away, someone else had taken the Duchess of Mowbray’s place in the rankings. And with rank came power. Their mother wanted her power back. A smart match for her daughter would be the perfect solution.
