The Spring Bride by Gracie Anne

Author:Gracie, Anne [Gracie, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-04-30T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.

—JANE AUSTEN, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Jane held her breath. “Ta-da.” Daisy whipped off the cover she’d draped over the long cheval looking glass and Jane saw for the first time what her dress looked like on.

“Oh, Daisy . . . Oh, Daisy . . .” Jane twirled around slowly, gazing at her reflection in the looking glass. The fabric swirled gracefully around her body as she moved, flowing like water, like mist. The gauzy white silk had a subtle and delicate cross-weave that threw up the palest pink shadows in the folds of the skirt. A specially imported fabric, compliments of Max and Flynn. The bodice was decorated with hundreds of tiny pink crystals, which winked in the gaslight.

“It’s the most beautiful dress I have ever, ever seen,” Jane breathed. “Oh, thank you, Daisy. It’s . . . oh, I cannot think of the words to describe how I feel.”

“You look like a princess in a fairy tale,” Abby said, blinking back tears. “Oh, Jane, you’re the very image of Mama. I wish she and Papa could see you now. Oh, dear, oh, dear, I think I’m going to cry.”

“Oi! Stop that now,” Daisy interrupted. “We don’t want nobody drippin’ tears all over my good silk, now do we? If I’d wanted watered silk, I’d’a used it.”

Laughing and crying at the same time, Abby stepped back. She turned to her husband and said helplessly, “I’m not sad, truly. It’s just that she’s the image of our mother. And it was always Jane’s dream to make her come-out, as Mama did. But we never thought it would h-h-happen.”

“I know, love,” Max said gently, and passed his wife a pristine white handkerchief. Then he handed Jane an oblong box covered in white brocade. “A small token from your sister and me, in memory of your first ball.”

With shaking hands, Jane opened it. It contained a necklace of pearls and crystals, and a pair of pearl drop earrings. She gasped and looked at Abby.

Abby nodded. “It was as close as we could get to the necklace Mama described. But we thought you’d prefer pink.”

“Oh, I do. Thank you so much, I love it. I’ve never seen pink pearls before,” Jane murmured, taking the necklace out of the box and holding it up against herself. “Can you do it up for me, Abby?”

“South Sea Island pearls,” Max told her.

Abby fastened the necklace, then when Jane had donned the earrings, she hugged her. “Enjoy your first ball, little sister.”

“And you enjoy yours, big sister,” Jane responded happily. It wasn’t right that all the attention was on her—it was the first ball for all three of them—Abby and Damaris too. She wished Daisy would come too, but she’d refused.

“Don’t crush the dresses,” Daisy warned. Abby was dressed in vibrant green silk, the hem of which was embellished with delicate swags of gold net, held up by tiny gold embroidered tassels. Around her neck she wore a magnificent necklace of emeralds.

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