Page 23 of Lord of the Lost

Chapter Nine

Early July 1816

Once they had begun, Mona came to realise that organising a Ball, even a relatively small one held at a country estate, was a gargantuan effort. There was so much to do, it made her head spin. But Gabrielle was not dismayed – she simply became more determined as they went – so Mona refused to allow herself to be overwhelmed.

She had been creating lists of all of the things which must be done, from arranging the food supplies, to opening up the ballroom which had not been used for many years, to decorating the house and preparing guest suites for those who might attend from some distance away, and need to stay the night.

The Castle was a challenge – so much of it had not been used for years, and when she had first opened the ballroom door, she had been horrified to see the corners festooned with spider webs. It had felt, in that moment, almost haunted, as if a ghost might appear from amongst the drifts of spider web and dust. But she had shaken off that thought – it was a consideration more aligned with Devlin’s dark moments than with Mona’s normal way of thinking!

Now, she stood in the centre of the ballroom, smiling.

The spider webs and dust were gone, and the chandeliers had been lowered, cleaned, and the crystals polished before they were raised again, so that now the room was filled with glittering reflected light from where the morning sunlight came in through the large windows and the doors which led to the terrace. The room was still very bare – they would need flowers, and swathes of fabric to drape in appropriate places. She frowned then, wondering if such things could be arranged from suppliers in the village, or if they would need to travel to a nearby town to get such things. Perhaps if she asked the housekeeper, she might get an answer to those questions.

Mona turned, and left the room, making her way into the servants corridors, and to the housekeeper’s office, which was not far from the door which went out into the kitchen gardens at the rear of the Castle. She tapped on the door, which was then opened. Mrs Wilkins eyes went wide, and she curtsied.

“Your Grace! What can I do to assist you?”

“Mrs Wilkins, I have just been considering what more needs to be done for the ballroom, and I have concluded that we will need a rather vast quantity of flowers, as well as many ells of fabric to drape about the room as decoration. I must assume that we are unlikely to have so much fabric on hand?”

As Mrs Wilkins went to answer her, Mona heard the sound of a door closing, not far away, but the housekeeper’s words drowned out any further sound there might have been.

“No, Your Grace, we don’t – you have the right of it there. Nor do we have enough flowering plants in the gardens, or the greenhouse, to fill a ballroom.”

“I see. Do you think that any of the shopkeepers in the Village might be able to assist us? Or would this be too large an order, and require us to go farther afield?”

Mrs Wilkins looked uncertain.

“I cannot know, Your Grace. Perhaps they might be able to help – we would need to enquire with them.”

Mona frowned, a little disappointed.

“Then I shall have to ask them, I suppose. I would prefer to give the business to the village shopkeepers if possible.”

A footstep sounded, very close behind her, and Mona half turned, even as Mrs Wilkins’ eyes went to something over Mona’s shoulder.

“I agree, my dear. We should always support the local businesses if we can.”

Devlin! Mona finished turning, and met his eyes.

“Then will you come to the village with me, husband, and see what we can discover? I assume that you heard the rest of our conversation, and know what it is that I wish to buy?”

Devlin almost flinched and, for a moment, Mona was sorry to have asked – but surely, by now, he was better able to deal with people? He knew the villagers… but perhaps he still found it truly difficult, no matter how much progress he had seemed to be making. She pushed her doubts away – if he would go with her, then she would see how well he dealt with it. She could hope that it would be good for him.

She watched as he drew himself up and took a deep breath before answering her.

“Of course I will. When did you wish to go?”

With a secret prayer that she was doing the right thing, Mona seized the moment.

“Now, if you have nothing else that you must be doing?”

His eyes flared with shock for a moment, then he swallowed, and nodded.

“Of course. Give me some time to change, for I fear that my clothes have suffered from walking in the gardens and the nearby rough land, and I will meet you in the parlour. I’ll ask for the carriage to be ready in half an hour.”

Mona turned back to the housekeeper.

“Thank you, Mrs Wilkins. I will let you know what we discover.”