“You must expect to go into battle,” Lady Roswell declared. “And I have the perfect idea.”
“I’m afraid to ask what it is,” Lord Chatsworth said.
Lady Roswell’s eyes lit up. “I will help you plan a ball where you can show thetonthat you do belong here.”
“I know nothing about planning a ball,” Emilia said. “In fact, I have never been to one before. I did attend a country dance once.”
“A ball is just like a country dance but bigger and better in all aspects,” Lady Roswell declared. “And fortunately for you, I have been preparing for this moment my entire life.”
Emilia shifted her gaze to Lord Chatsworth. “What do you think?”
“I think it is a grand idea,” he admitted. “People are going to be curious about you. Why not just get the gawking out of the way?”
“But who will come? No one knows me,” Emilia said.
Lady Roswell grinned. “I will help you come up with a guest list. I promise that thetonwill flock to your ball.”
Emilia grappled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, she wanted to be brave and plan a ball, but on the other, she was terrified to do so. She hated that fear was ruling her life, yet the prospect of making a misstep was a paralyzing concern.
“What would a teacher know about planning a ball?” Emilia asked.
Lady Roswell moved to sit on the edge of her seat. “You are most fortunate that you weren’t born into this life…”
“I doubt that,” Emilia interjected.
“… it is true. I have spent my entire life wondering why I didn’t fit in high Society. Do you want the answer that I finally came up with?”
Emilia nodded.
“I don’t fit in, and that is all right,” Lady Roswell shared. “I paint terribly. I am an awful dancer. I oftentimes speak of mating rituals of animals. But no one has the right to tell me that I don’t belong. Only I do.”
“Surely it is not that easy?” Emilia inquired.
“Do not get me wrong,” Lady Roswell said. “You will have to work hard, possibly harder than you have ever worked before, but we will get you ready for that ball.”
Emilia had never been one to shy away from hard work. In fact, she welcomed it. If a task required diligence and effort, she would readily embrace the challenge.
She squared her shoulders and summoned every ounce of confidence she could muster. “Let’s plan a ball.”
Lady Roswell clasped her hands together. “We shall have such fun,” she declared. “If it is all right with you, I think we should ask my mother to help.”
“The more help, the better,” Emilia remarked.
“Since we are going to be working closely together, I insist that you call me Anette,” she said. “I do not want to stand on formalities with you.”
Emilia felt a sense of relief at her words. “I feel the same way, and you must call me Emilia.”
As Anette started speaking in a rushed manner on details about the ball, Emilia stole a glance at Lord Chatsworth. His face bore an amused expression as he listened to his sister-in-law, but she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.
Dare she hope that he would ask her to dance at her ball? No, that was utterly ridiculous to even think such a thing. He was an earl and she was just a country bumpkin that happened to inherit a vast fortune.
Fredrick was pleased that Miss Sutherland had agreed to the ball. Anette had been right. It was the only way for her to enter high Society. He had no doubt that the gossips were already parading about, desperate to obtain any information on the mysterious Miss Sutherland. Why not control the narrative and give them what they wanted?
Miss Sutherland was beautiful, and she was an heiress. Two things that were in her favor. However, he couldn’t help but concern himself with the air of innocence that surrounded her.She appeared untouched by the world’s harsh realities, and he feared that she might lose some of her goodness as she took her place in Society.
As he listened to Anette’s ceaseless chatter about all the preparations that needed to be made, he couldn’t help but watch Miss Sutherland. Her lips were tightly pursed in deep concentration, but her eyes told him a different story- fear. He didn’t hold it against her. A certain level of trepidation was entirely reasonable, especially since he would rather fight in the war than attend balls with scheming matchmaking mothers.
Anette took a breath and asked, “Do you have any questions?”
