Page 33 of The Governess’s Carnal Temptation

“He remembered how much I love the stars,” she muttered under her breath as her eyes filled with tears of joy.

Mrs. Funny stepped beside her and placed her hand on her back. “It is glorious.”

She smiled up at Lydia. “Let me help you put it on. We’ll fix up your hair and apply a bit of pomade as well. You’ll look like a proper star. Every lord at the ball will want to dance with you.”

Lydia smiled, her legs weak beneath her, for she had to admit, as she looked at the gown, there was only one man she could see herself dancing with. Nicholas. It had always been Nicolas, and now she understood it always would be.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Nicholas tugged on his cravat, which felt so thick he thought it might choke him at any moment. He always hated formal attire and wished one could simply be comfortable at these sorts of events. How was one to dance if one could not breathe?

“It is a rather nice home, isn’t it, for a merchant daughter’s offspring,” an unfamiliar voice said from somewhere nearby, and Nicholas glanced back. However, it was impossible to tell who had commented, for half a dozen people stood all around him. Ladies with large multicolored feathered fans wafted air into their faces, while gentlemen, who held flutes and goblets in their hands, mingled between them.

He turned around and was about to walk away, but another voice piped up.

“Well, it’s not like he accomplished anything out of his own merit. This was all his grandfather’s doing. No wonder he’s so hapless and useless. He is half commoner, after all.”

Heat raced down Nicholas’ back at this insult. While it was true that he had not built this manor house or purchased the land initially, he had worked hard to restore everything. When he first arrived, he found that his grandfather had to let go of many of his servants, the gardens were in disarray, and more than a few tenants had been miserable. His grandfather turned out to be as poor a landowner and estate manager as he had been a parent and grandparent.

Determined to do right by his father’s beloved home, Nicholas had set his sights on correcting his elder’s mistakes. He’d restored the beautiful manor, had the gardens replanted, and the fields plowed. As he had prospered, so did his tenants, and he knew himself to be very popular with everyone who lived and worked on his lands. Not that the nobility cared what a few farmers believed, Nicholas thought bitterly and walked away from the whispers.

He walked the length of the ballroom and peeked into the dining room, where the round table had been pushed to one side to free up the floor for his daughter and the children he hoped would be her friends.

Currently, Charlotte was in the corner, surrounded by a court of four other young girls, and she animatedly waved her arms while the girls giggled at whatever story she was telling. His heart swelled with delight as he had never seen his daughter quite so carefree.

Ever since she and Lydia had made peace, he had noted a change in his daughter. It was gradual, but it was there. She smiled more than before, and he didn’t hear her voice raised as often. According to Lydia, Charlotte was making strides in her learning. Even subjects she had previously objected to as boring.

Lydia… Nicholas let out a deep sigh and turned back to the ballroom. Where was she? He took in the entirety of the space. Certainly, his servants had done a wonderful work of it. As he requested, the floors were painted in chalk; beeswax candles flickered in the two large crystal chandeliers hanging from the painted ceiling while silver sconces lit up along the walls. The table with refreshments had been set up at one corner, and the parlor had been transformed into a banqueting area for those hungry from dancing.

He glanced into the room and saw several people already making use of the heavily laden table. One section was filled with sweetmeats, and everything from licorice to candied orange peels to chocolates was on display. In addition, cheese from his dairy, freshly baked bread, butter-soaked vegetables, and meats were there for anyone who felt even the slightest bit hungry.

He looked around and studied the faces of those partaking in the feast but found none of them were Lydia. His shoulders dropped, and he walked out into the hall. What if she wasn’t coming? What if she hadn’t liked the dress?

Lydia always adored the stars, and that was where he’d drawn his inspiration. He had ensured the modiste could create a dreamy night sky that he knew she would love. She still adored the stars, that much he knew, but the dress? And she had never been comfortable attending balls anyhow. Had he made a mistake in inviting her?

“Faith, who is this?” An older woman spoke a few steps ahead, and he raised his head. The woman’s eyes were turned up, and at the top of the stairs, he saw a sight so marvelous and beautiful that it robbed him of his breath.

Lydia stood there in the dress he had created for her. The beautiful, deep blue popped against her pale skin, and the arrangement of stars looked truly spectacular in the candlelight. She wore her hair up, and Mrs. Funny had helped her attach the matching headpiece. She was striking, so he noted that her eyes were larger than usual; she was afraid. And no wonder, she had probably never been to a ball.

You should’ve thought of this, Nicholas chided himself. You should’ve met her upstairs and led her down as is gentlemanly. He snapped his fingers as Lydia watched the stairs as if she, too, wanted him to escort her down. He was about to hurry up when a voice called his name.

He knew it at once, and when he turned, he saw Lady Evelyn standing there. Nicholas was overcome by a sensation of being out of place. Having Lydia on the stairs and Lady Evelyn beside him made him feel as though he were brought to a point of importance. He wanted to go up and greet Lydia but now Lady Evelyn was here in his way.

She, too, was dazzling, no, beautiful, as were most ladies in attendance.

Lady Evelyn’s blonde hair was arranged in half up, half down do, complementing her heart-shaped face. Her blue eyes sparkled behind heavy eyelashes weighed down by burnt cork. She curtsied, and when she rose again, she pulled her shoulders back so that her chest popped towards him.

“Lady Evelyn, I received your message. I am so pleased you are here, though I was not expecting you.” He kissed her hand with a forced smile.

She beamed a little half smile and dipped her head to the side in a coy fashion.

“It was meant to be a surprise. Besides, I was getting concerned when I did not hear from you in reply to my last letter.”

Nicholas colored red. She had indeed written, as had been their habit. She hadn't written him directly since it was inappropriate for an unmarried lady to write letters to any gentleman. To maintain propriety, she had them forwarded to him through her father. Then, he'd written to her father, who had forwarded the messages to her. They'd kept in touch in this manner during the weeks she'd been gone.

Nonetheless, he had never responded to her last message from a fortnight ago because he had been busy with Lydia, Charlotte, and the rapid changes in his life.

“I apologize. Planning the ball has taken all my attention,” he lied without looking away.