Regency Christmas Parties by Annie Burrows

Author:Annie Burrows
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-09-07T13:26:07+00:00

Chapter Ten

Hadley Hall’s Great Mummers Show of 1818

New Year’s Eve

All Welcome

That was announced by a sign in big bold red letters painted by Emily and the twins and strung up along the conservatory wall behind the makeshift stage. Bella had been put to work sorting and preparing costumes extracted from three large wooden trunks.

They were bursting not only with all manner of masquerade costumes, but with clothes of bygone days: brocade coats and vests, wigs, frilled collars, and a pair of high-heeled men’s shoes in a shade of pink not even a demi-monde would be caught dead in. And one devil’s costume which was immediately assigned to Nicholas.

‘I told you how it would be,’ Bella murmured, not without some satisfaction.

‘You’re a spiteful little hedgehog,’ he muttered, eyeing the long black cloak his mother had handed him. ‘I was hoping for something a little more...diabolical. This will make me look like the villain from a second-rate Covent Garden pantomime.’

She poked her finger through a moth hole in the cape. ‘Third-rate.’

‘I’ll wear it on the condition you sign on as the dragon. The devil has the privilege of choosing his allies.’

‘How fortuitous you should suggest that,’ chimed in his mother. ‘Look what I found. It is already too small for the twins and rather too large yet for Emily. You shall make a marvellous dragon...dragoness...? What does one call the female of that species, Nicholas?’

‘Dangerous, Mama. Now show us the costume. I want to see what my minion shall look like.’

Lady Deverill held out a shimmer of green and gold and Bella stared in awe at a long, almost transparent cape of fine green gauze embroidered with golden scales and ending in a gold fringe. Lady Deverill shoved it into Bella’s hands and continued rooting about the pile of fabrics, emerging again with a triumphant ‘aha!’ This time she held aloft a set of green silk trousers and a laced blouse with long pointy sleeves.

‘I cannot wear that!’ Bella said, shocked to her very core.

‘Of course you can, my dear. It is all part of the play. And pray consider, when next shall you have an excuse to wear trousers? I quite envy you, but I am to play the winter queen and she would look rather peculiar in breeches.’ Lady Deverill didn’t wait for her reply, towing her towards the parlour that had been set aside for the women to try their costumes. As the door closed, she heard Nicholas’s laughter trailing behind her.

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