The price her parents were prepared to pay to successfully land Victoria a noble husband and restore their standing in London society bordered on the obscene.
Standing on the dais while the modiste fussed with the hem of her gown, the future bride-to-be studied herself in the mirror. Dark green did suit her complexion, but it also aged her. “Are you sure about this fabric, Mama? I mean I don’t want to be lamb dressed as mutton,” observed Victoria.
From what Victoria had gathered, part of the duchess’s battle plans included making Victoria wear gowns designed for a woman who was a few years older than her actual age. She was not to be seen out in society dressed in the usual virginal whites and pale pastels that an unmarried woman of barely twenty-two would normally wear. Victoria’s success would lay in projecting aready for marriagelook rather than anuntouched innocentone.
Rising from her seat on the plush velvet sofa, the Duchess of Mowbray came to stand alongside her. “I think elegant sophistication is what this gown says. With one of my diamond chokers at your throat and your hair set with a silver tiara you will look nothing short of radiant.”
The modiste finished pinning up the hem of the gown and got to her feet. She met Victoria’s gaze in the mirror and offered her a gentle smile. “The formal season is many months away, and since you are already out in society, Lady Victoria, this gown is the perfect solution. It makes a statement. It says I am a confident young woman who is ready for my destiny as a nobleman’s wife.”
Lady Anne nodded her approval at these words.
How much did my mother pay you to say that?
She’d considered marriage as an inevitability. Few women of her social class escaped its clutches. But unlike her sister, Augusta, Victoria hadn’t set her sights on any one particularmale. Her sister’s husband, the Earl of Bramshaw, was a rarity. A nobleman who could conduct a conversation with a lady that involved more than polite chitchat.
And Augusta has been in love with Flynn forever, whereas I’ve never felt the first stirring of my heart for anyone.
“Victoria dearest, would you please grant us the grace of your attention. This is your future we are trying to create,” said the duchess.
She bit back the sharp retort which sat on the edge of her tongue. Her mother wasn’t completely self-centered, but Victoria was no fool. It would make more of an impact on the matrons of thetonif the Duchess of Mowbray managed to marry off one of her eligible daughters out of season than if she had found a bride for one of her bachelor sons. Richard with his gambling habit, and Matthew with his…
“Ouch!”
A dressmaking pin pricked her skin. Victoria glared at her mother. “Did you just stab me?”
Lady Anne gave her a look of shocked outrage that was pure theatre. “I can’t believe you would accuse me of such a thing. Why would I do that to my own daughter? You must have moved too close to my hand.”
The hand that was holding a dressmaker’s pin pointed directly at her. Victoria gritted her teeth. She understood the message. The modiste had ears and Victoria should pay close attention to what she said. “I do beg your pardon, Mama. Yes, it must have been my fault.”
She was hungry and becoming more irritable by the second. Lady Anne had dragged her out of the house at first light and the morning had been spent going from one shop to another. An endless procession of assistants had eagerly helped the duchess to invest in the future success of her daughter’s happiness.
I need food.
She’d barely gotten a cup of lukewarm coffee down her throat before Lady Anne had appeared in the breakfast room and announced they were going shopping. Her protests to at least be allowed to go visit the nearby German bakery had fallen on deaf ears.
“I am famished. Are we going home soon?” asked Victoria.
The tut of disgust from her mother told her what the duchess thought of her question. “Young ladies who are embarking on the marriage mart do not speak in such an uncouth way.” She pinched Victoria’s waist. “Besides, it might do you some good to adopt a smaller appetite for the next while. Think of yourself as a little bird.”
Stepping down from the dais, she whined, “I am tired and hungry.” Turning to the modiste she pleaded, “Could you please remove this gown?”
The dressmaker and the duchess exchanged a look, then Lady Anne painted a smile to her face and spoke. “Give us a moment.”
As soon as the modiste had scurried away, heading to one of the dressing rooms, her mother rounded on Victoria. “I am doing this for you. Making sure that you are not still on the shelf come Christmas. I would appreciate a little gratitude.”
Victoria sucked in a deep breath. She was not going to apologize to her mother for a second time. After slipping her arms out of the gown, she reached for the clasp at the back.
She had held her tongue since the duchess’s return to England. Been relieved to see her mother alight from the coach the morning that Gideon, Serafina, and Augusta had arrived home. But anger over the scandal which had swept London during the Duchess of Mowbray’s long absence had left deep scars.
“If you are going to dress me as a fully formed woman, then it’s high time that you and I come to an agreement as to how this mother-daughter relationship is to continue.”
Lady Anne’s face was guarded when she answered, “What do you mean?”
Victoria finished unhooking the gown, then let it drop to the floor. The soft green silk let out a hush as it gathered in a pile. Stepping out of the dress, she turned to face her mother.
“You are using me to help smooth your way back into the upper echelons of theton.” She held up a hand up to stop any protest. “As the wife of a duke, and a noblewoman in your own right, that makes perfect sense. But can we at least agree that this husband hunt is more for your benefit than mine. Which means I don’t want to hear the continued fiction about you thinking purely of my happiness.”
The duchess closed her eyes. “I had no idea you thought that way about things.”
