Lord Blackwood's Valentine Bal by Arabella Sheraton

Author:Arabella Sheraton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2015-10-03T21:00:00+00:00

Five

Patience hesitated at the top of the stairs. A knot of tension tightened in her stomach. She still had mixed feeling about going to the ball, despite her promises to Lorna and Henrietta. Lorna, who had finished dressing first, was already inspecting the two posies lying on the hall table. One was a simple arrangement of spring flowers in delicate pastel shades of pale blue, purple, and white. The other was an elaborate confection of exotic blooms in pinks, whites, and yellows, probably hothouse plants.

Lorna pounced on the more elaborate posy and said, “This must be the one from Lord Blackwood. It’s so…regal!” Then she picked up the smaller, more modest arrangement. “This is very charming. Did it come with the fancy one, Doris?”

Doris, flushed with the romance of the occasion and having showed the household a Valentine card from the baker’s apprentice a few streets along, smiled at her. “Oh, no, Miss Lorna, this came separate. Someone delivered it, but he didn’t leave a note or nothing to say who it’s from.”

Lorna laughed. “He’s not supposed to leave a note, Doris! That defeats the purpose of a Valentine. The identity of the sender should remain a secret.”

Doris’s face fell. “Oh, but Ted Brown signed his name on his card to me. Is that all right, Miss Lorna?”

“It’s a matter of choice, Doris, and if you’re lucky enough to know it was Ted and not perhaps Horace Jones, the butcher’s man whom you dislike so much, you won’t go thanking the wrong person.”

Doris grimaced. “Oh, no, Miss Lorna. I can’t abide Horace Jones. He stinks of the abattoir, and he’s forever hanging about the doorstep like a grim shadow. He even offered me a regular supply of tasty pork chops if I’d step out with him, but I told him I prefer a nice fresh loaf instead.” She slowly slid the card from Ted out of her apron pocket and stroked it. “Ted has such a lovely hand, Miss Lorna. Clear and strong. He’s not so good with the poetry, but I don’t mind.”

Lorna, laughing, looked up as Patience descended the stairs. “Aren’t we all so lucky! Even Doris received a Valentine.”

“So I hear,” said Patience. “From Ted Brown. And I see two Valentine posies in time for his lordship’s ball. We are indeed fortunate.”

Patience stood back to admire Lorna’s ball gown, and made a twirling motion with one hand to indicate she should turn around. She had no idea where Lorna had discovered such a beautiful dress, but she had to admit it was breathtaking. Lorna looked magnificent in a pink gown that somehow did not clash with her fiery locks. A spangled scarf draped over her arms, silver sandals adorned her dainty feet, and her hair was upswept in an elegant twist with curls tumbling onto her shoulders. A quantity of her mama’s diamonds sparkled around her neck, on her ears, and on her wrists. Although Patience thought privately that the diamonds were too much for a young woman, Lorna’s mama had clearly wanted her to wear the jewels.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.