Charmed by the Duke by Amelia Florey

Author:Amelia Florey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Camden Lee Press, LLC
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

6 – A Stunning Performance

Earlier that day, Jenny had taken extra care in preparing to perform for the duke and his mother, the Duchess of Wetmore. She was to attend tea at their London home, and play the harp.

“It’s a simple piece,” Jenny said, “and perfectly within my ability.”

“And you play it beautifully.” Charlotte tugged a little more tightly on the laces of her stays. “The Duchess is going to adore you.”

Jenny smiled nervously at the mirror hanging in her aunt’s violet-walled bedroom. She didn’t want to cloud her maid’s excitement with the reality of the situation. The Duchess adored very few people, and likely meant to test Jenny by inviting her to play at her home. Perhaps, if she could focus, and remember to mind her hand position, Jenny and her harp would amuse the guests well enough that they would be welcome at future functions.

If she played poorly, however, there was no telling what might become of her. The duke would be a problem, though. He would be watching her no matter how she played, and his arrogant, mocking presence would be a shadow over her entire evening.

“Breath out, Miss Jenny,” Charlotte said.

Jenny blew a breath out of her chest and tummy, and her maid seized the chance to tie the final knot tightening her stays. She hummed a few bars from the adagio she planned to entertain the guests with, as Charlotte tucked the loose ends into the tightened laces.

“Would you like the green gown tonight, Miss Jenny?” she said.

Jenny stared at her reflection in the mirror. She loved her green gown that was subtly striped with a brighter shade, hemmed at the bottom and about the neckline with cunning beads of Croatian glass. It made her look a bit taller, she thought, and the color made her eyes sparkle with hints of honey.

But her father called her the shepherdess when she wore it. How could she appear before the duke, at his London home, in a dress that inspired her father to call her the shepherdess?

“Perhaps not,” Jenny sighed. “Show me the blue one. Let me see if that will be more appropriate.”

Her maid hurried over to the wardrobe and removed one of the dresses she’d packed into a trunk for the trip to London, upon receiving the invitation to play. That morning had been joyful, and the future had seemed filled with promise.

The blue dress, too, seemed to have lost all of its charm since they’d begun to prepare for London. Jenny shook her head, with her eyes fixed on the wrinkles in the fine cotton of the blue gown. Perhaps they would go unnoticed at a simple affair in the country, but this was London. This was a gathering of the ton. A wrinkle in Jenny’s dress would not go without comment there.

“Perhaps the dark grey?” Charlotte pursed her lips and returned the blue gown to her wardrobe. “Your mother always does say it looks regal on you.”

“Let’s have a look.” Jenny nodded. She needed to be regal tonight, at the very minimum.

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