Lady Fortescue Steps Out by Marion Chesney & M. C. Beaton

Author:Marion Chesney & M. C. Beaton [Chesney, Marion & Beaton, M. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Romance, Regency, Historical Romance
Amazon: B00CME5PO8
Publisher: RosettaBooks
Published: 2014-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face,

Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek.

—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The duke’s offer to make her his mistress should have given Harriet a disgust of him—as it had, she fiercely told herself. The heavy, languorous feeling she had when she thought about him she put down to dismay that she should socially have sunk so low. She worked away in the evenings on her old ball gown, trimming it with bows of green silk and making herself a green silk mask, but thinking as she stitched that it was folly to go to the ball. She had been so grateful to Lady Fortescue for having ended her dreary days of isolation. But this ball might bring back all the old misery and discontent.

When Lady Darkwood sent for her on the day before the ball, she appeared flurried and upset. “Darkwood is being an old pig,” she burst out. “I told him I was taking you to the ball and he said it was the outside of enough and I was shaming the Darkwood name, just as if his father hadn’t been an ironmaster and bought his title!”

Now was the opportunity for Harriet to say it was all right, that she did not really want to go anyway, to deny that each stitch set among the green silk bows had carried a memory of that waltz with the duke, but instead she said lightly, “Then you must tell Darkwood I am not going, Susan. He will be none the wiser when I do go.”

Susan clapped her hands. “Wicked puss! We shall both go and be wicked together, for my husband will not be here when we do leave. Everyone is desperate to see if Rowcester pays court to Lady Stanton.”

“Why?” asked Harriet.

“She has been telling all that will listen she means to make him her own and she has the edge on the young misses, for she plans to get him to bed if she cannot get him to the altar.”

“How very forward,” said Harriet primly. “I am sure the Duke of Rowcester who, ‘tis said, hardly ever attends the Season, is come this time to find a wife. He will not be interested in elderly widows.”

Susan cackled with laughter. “You obviously have not seen her. She is our age and quite stupendously beautiful, not like the dewy Miss Simms, mark you, but in a full-blown, bold way. And she breaks hearts.”

Once again a voice in Harriet’s head urged her not to go, but she said nothing. That evening, Miss Tonks and Mrs. Budley wistfully admired the finished gown. “Have a dance for each of us,” said Mrs. Budley. “We shall never have the chance to go into society again.”

“You shall if this hotel is a success,” said Sir Philip. “Enough money for us all to retire and then relaunch ourselves.”

Miss Tonks brightened and then her face fell. “There are six of us. Once the money is divided up, none of us will be rich enough for society to forgive us.

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