Pride and Retribution by Norton Lyndsey

Author:Norton, Lyndsey [Norton, Lyndsey]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Published: 2013-05-18T21:00:00+00:00

*****

The magnificent ballroom had taken an age to prepare and Evelyn had started the footmen to polishing the floor a fortnight before Christmas. Lucy decided it was all worthwhile as she looked down and saw her reflection in the parquet finish. The walls had been washed, the chandeliers cleaned and filled with good quality candles that should last the night. All three chandeliers were down ready to light, which made it difficult to get around the ballroom, but the staff managed. Egerton was supervising the laying out of the seating for the small orchestra that had been hired from London, Mrs. Egerton was in the still-room putting the floral displays together and the maids were placing them exactly where Evelyn told them to. Lucy smiled as she looked at the flowers, most of which had been grown in the hot-house just for such a purpose.

‘Do you need any help, mother?’ She asked as she stopped beside Evelyn.

‘Yes.’ Evelyn blurted and lifted her arm to point at the footmen fixing a swag across the ballroom. ‘Help John and Stuart with the placing of that swag. It needs to be central or it will look stupid.’

‘Yes, Mother.’ Lucy said and went with a soft smile. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought her mother was in a panic about the ball that night, but Lucy could tell by the sparkle in her mother’s eyes that she was revelling in the challenge it represented. She was now the Earl’s mother, if not the Dowager and therefore the success or failure of the event as a whole would reflect not only on her, but on Robert as well. If anything went seriously awry, it would damage the name of Bassett on the ton, possibly for ever more, certainly for the next few years. It would certainly leave Lucy as a spinster on the shelf and probably ruin Robert’s chances with the icily beautiful Lady Caroline. While she watched John and Stuart in death defying positions, as they hung the swathe of midnight blue silk over the French doors to the terrace, Lucy contemplated Lady Caroline. She hadn’t seen a great deal of her, as she spent a lot of time with her mother and had not ridden out that morning. Lucy hoped she wasn’t shy, especially of her brother and that she would show herself to great advantage that night at the ball. She prayed that Lady Caroline wasn’t just a simpering miss and actually had a brain, because she would struggle if her beloved favourite brother married some gormless chit that Lucy would end up hating! She had appreciated Lady Eleanor’s quick wit, when Lady Phyllida was accosting the Earl of Buxton’s person and wondered when she was due for her first season.

The silk was draped very effectively and correctly without Lucy having to say a word. She smiled as she left the ballroom and moved onto her personal maid Betsy, who was just vanishing into what would be the card room with an armful of Holly.

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