Citit - The Duke in My Bed by Amelia Grey

Author:Amelia Grey [Grey, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-12-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.

—Othello, act 2, scene 3

The Great Hall looked as if it had been sprinkled with gold dust.

Louisa stood at the entranceway to the large, sweeping ballroom with Gwen and Mrs. Colthrust. The brass and crystal chandeliers glittered and glimmered. Huge mirrors hung on the high walls, reflecting and scattering soft candlelight all over the ballroom.

The ceiling had been washed in a shade of sky blue, a scene of flowers, ferns, and waterfalls painted around the outer edges. Cherubs holding harps, hearts, and bows and arrows looked as if they were dancing across the heavenly tableau. At a quick glance, Louisa counted sixteen massive fluted Corinthian columns draped in pale blue tulle, ivy, and beads that looked like strings of pearls. Large urns overflowing with colorful flowers and statues of Greek gods and goddesses were standing in various places around the room. The décor of the spacious room lived up to its name. It was indeed a great hall.

There were two steps down from the entrance level to the ballroom, which must have held at least five hundred people. To the far side, Louisa saw a vast dance floor where fashionably gowned ladies and dapperly dressed gentlemen twirled, swayed, and hopped as the orchestra played a lively quadrille.

Mrs. Colthrust had chosen an ivory gown with pale pink ribbon fashioned into bows at the high waist and capped sleeves for Gwen, and an alabaster-colored gown with long sheer sleeves and pale green cuffs for Louisa. Both she and Gwen had their hair pinned up with ribbons woven through their golden curls. Mrs. Colthrust wore a low-cut puce-colored gown with strands of beige lace adorning the bodice and skirt. Her headpiece resembled a crown of gold with feathers shooting out of it.

“I’ve never seen so many candles,” Gwen said.

The three ladies stood in the entryway and took in the opulence and frenzied movement of the ballroom below.

“Don’t look so awestruck, Gwen,” Mrs. Colthrust said in her usual tart tone. “You must see to it that every gentleman you meet thinks you are accustomed to this kind of grandeur, and to be surrounded by it is what you will expect once you marry him.”

Louisa smiled at that outrageous comment. She didn’t know anyone who would want to or could afford to live amid such grandeur, except perhaps the King, the Prince, and maybe an arrogant duke or two.

“How will I ever get to know anyone in this crowd?” Gwen asked Mrs. Colthrust. “I’ve never seen so many people in one place.”

“Yes, dear, you have. You’ve been to market day in your village square. I will seek out the people I know well and introduce you. And if the duke keeps his word, he promised to make sure you meet the patronesses of Almack’s, which could be crucial to your making a match this Season. But if he doesn’t show, I know what to do. I’ll find his mother, the dowager duchess, and ask her to fill in for her son.

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