Page 69 of Waiting for Love

Thus, during her first ten days in London, she attended small breakfasts and teas held by very correct Society matrons, and she rode once in Hyde Park in the early morning, sedately, accompanied by Jasper. That was all.

Since she was not yet “out,” evening activities were not allowed. Except for one. The night after Hazard’s speech in the House of Lords—which happened to fall on April the tenth, the day before her presentation to the queen and debutant ball—he held a dinner party for his intimates. There were only eleven guests, of which the Taverston contingent comprised the majority. Reg was still at Oxford, so to even the numbers, Benjamin and Mr. Boring were invited. Lord Chesterfield, Hazard’s mother, and Mr. Hollywell, an elderly friend of hers, completed the list.

Visiting in the receiving room beforehand, Olivia made sure to congratulate Hazard. His bill had passed on the first vote.

“Thank you, my dear.” Dressed to the teeth in a black jacket, yellow trousers, and a striped waistcoat, he looked relaxed and pleased with himself. The scent of oranges and mint wafted from him. “Now let us talk about you. Are you nervous for tomorrow?”

“A little,” she confessed. “Not about making my curtsy to the queen. That is just performance. But I do have nightmares no one will ask me to dance.” She hurriedly added, “Not because of Vanessa.”

Hazard shook his head. “There will be a veritable stampede of men wishing to put their names on your card.” He studied her a moment. “I will not press my advantage tonight by asking you to commit to dancing the opening set with me. But if it will spare you a nightmare, I will rush into the breach should there be one. And you must save a dance for me at any rate.”

“The supper dance.”

“Olivia!” He laughed. “No. That is for an ardent suitor to claim.”

“I don’t want to be stuck with some ninny at supper. Please, Hazard? It will give me something to look forward to if I am bored out of my wits. And I should not have ardent suitors the first time I step onto a ballroom floor. I would not trust a one of them.”

“Hmm. Very wise. Put my name down for the supper dance. But if you should have a better offer, feel free to scratch it out.”

Hazard moved away to speak with Alice.

When it was time to go into dinner, Hazard took Alice in on his arm and settled her on his right. Of course, Hazard could do as he wished at his own celebration. Yet clearly, he was unaware of her partiality for him, or he would not be encouraging her hopes.

Mama had a different complaint. As they went to take their places, Olivia heard her whisper with annoyance to Jasper, “Hazard should have given his arm to Vanessa. He knows the countess takes precedence.”

Jasper merely laughed. “Alice deserves it. She wrote the bloody speech.”

That dumbfounded Olivia. Maybe she was blind. She spent the evening rethinking everything she thought she knew.

At least she didn’t have to worry about what to say to Benjamin. He was at the opposite end of the table. She conversed mostly with Lord Chesterfield, a very soft-spoken man. He was sweet. She learned he rarely left his estate in Wales. And yes, he had two sheepdogs. She couldn’t wait to tell Reg.

All in all, the quiet evening among family and close friends was just what Olivia needed. She hadn’t told Hazard the whole truth. Which was that despite her Taverstonian bravado, she was more than a little worried how the ton would respond. Which would weigh more? The family clout or Vanessa’s past?

It might hurt to find herself shunned. But it would kill Jasper.

*

Olivia had imagined her presentation to the queen would be the lesser of the two evils, but the day started off so poorly she prayed she was getting the worst over first.

If only Crispin could have seen her in her very special gown. Nothing but his howling laughter could have made it all right.

The monstrosity was made of blinding-white silk. Its hoops—required by Queen Charlotte for debutantes presenting at court, even though no one had worn hoops for half a century—were enormous. She could have hidden a horse underneath her skirt. The waistline was so high it swallowed her up, leaving her head perched atop a large white dome. An ostrich plume rose from her tightly coiled hair, all held in place with Mama’s diamond tiara. Ridiculously, everyone said she looked beautiful. She looked stupid and felt it.

Nevertheless, with a hundred or so gleaming eyes upon her, she managed the long walk down the carpet of the queen’s drawing room. Performed the perfect curtsy. Backed out without tripping over her train. There were eight other trembling debutantes with her. The interminable ceremony must have bored poor Queen Charlotte, who gave each the requisite tiny nod. Back in the coach, Jasper handed Olivia a glass of champagne, which she promptly spilled all down her front.

She arrived home to find Reg had made it back from Oxford as promised. He snickered when she walked in the door.

“Nice dress. I especially like the liquid embellishment.”

She grinned. “Thank you!” At least someone in her family was thoughtful enough to mock her so she didn’t feel so pitied.

Now there was only the ball.

She went upstairs to her dressing room where Tansy and Mama’s lady’s maid fed her tidbits, stripped off one gown, helped her bathe, and began dressing her in another. Of course her hair had to be completely restyled and redecorated, this time with pearls to match her ballgown. She thought of Reg’s complaint about the tedious hours wasted having one’s neckcloth tied. He wouldn’t last one day as a debutante.

*

The Taverston ballroom had been transformed. Elaborate floral arrangements lined the walls and a complementing floral pattern had been chalked on the dance floor. But that was not all. To Olivia’s delight, half-hidden statues of horses poked out from the flowers, and horses were also stenciled in on the floor.