Page 63 of His Arranged Duchess
She’d considered wearing her burgundy gown again. After all, it was so beautiful, and clearly Lucien liked the way she looked in it. But it would be afaux pasto wear the same gown twice in a row, even if few members of thetonhad seen it the first time.
Fortunately, a new gown had arrived only that morning. It was a frothy confection of pale blue silk and lace, with foaming petticoats and a sequined bodice that glittered when she moved.
Since it was a masquerade ball, it would be entirely proper to wear a gown thatsuggesteda costume, and this one made her appear to be a fish, or perhaps a mermaid, rising out of the sea. The domino mask she would wear along with it was covered in matching blue silk and edged in pearls. There were pearlsalong the necklines and at the hem of her gown, too, matching perfectly.
Her hair was mostly down, curled elaborately and decorated with seashells, sequins, glass flowers, and little pearls. It would not have suited Almack’s, for example, but Lady Quince loved the absurd and beautiful.
Thinking of Lady Quince made Frances remember the letter she received from her only yesterday, and she shivered uneasily. Lord Easton had been invited, and he had accepted. Lady Quince had written to warn Frances and to subtly hint that she would not allow a scene at her meticulously planned masquerade.
It was hard to blame her, really.
The clock on the mantelpiece began to chime, giving Frances a start.
I had better hurry. I’d promised Lucien I wouldn’t be late.
She hurried down the stairs, conscious of a fluttering of excitement in the pit of her stomach. No matter how often she told herself that Lucien was merely fond of her at best, and that he was notwooingher, she couldn’t help but feel… well, it was hard to put a name to the sensation which crept over her.
Halfway down the stairs, Lucien paced into view, walking back and forth across the foyer restlessly, as he had before. He glanced up and stopped dead when he saw her.
Frances halted and offered him a faint smile, holding out her skirts so he could better see the layers of lace, ruching, and beading which made her look as though she were stepping out of a bed of seafoam.
“Well? What do you think?”
Lucien’s eyes were wide, his jaw slack. His gaze travelled up and down her frame, from head to toe and back again.
“You look enchanting,” he said at last. “You look… You look so beautiful, Frances. I’m sorry that I cannot fathom a better word for it.”
She smiled as delight bloomed in her chest.
“I thinkenchantingandbeautifulwill suit me quite well enough.”
He gave a wry smile. “I’m glad to hear it. Now, come along. We had better be going—Lady Quince is expecting us.”
“It’s a new dance,” Lucien explained, pitching his voice over the laughter and chatter pressing in around them. “I learned it on the continent. See, it goes like a waltz, then you change partnershere. A few moments later, the dance will repeat, and you’ll change again. It’s fairly easy.”
Frances watched the dance go on, chewing her lip nervously. Lady Quince had announced, shortly after the masquerade began in earnest, that they would all try a new dance which had a complicated French name. So far, it seemed that a good many people knew it already.
The ballroom was full of people from wall to wall. Frances knew that Nicholas was in the crowd somewhere, but she had not seen him, and she hoped it would stay that way. Costumes and gowns of all descriptions came floating past, and most people wore masks tied to their heads. Most of the ladies carried their masks on sticks, lifting them up whenever they felt like it.
Frances’s mask hooked behind her ears with two pieces of wire, so as not to disarrange her hair. Lucien wore an entirely black suit—even his cravat was a glittering black—and the only color was his domino, which was a bright red to match the ruby cravat pin at his throat.
Frances glanced up at him, watching him watch the dancers.
He wants to try it,she realized with a start. Lucien often appeared to be a man who did not care for trite things like dances, food, and fun.
Well, even Lord Malevolente enjoyed dancing.
The dance ended, and the dancers all clapped breathlessly. Frances knew that in a moment or two the dance would begin again.
She turned to Lucien.
“Let’s do it.”
He brightened. “You wish to try the dance? It’s easy, once you get the hang of it, as I said.”
“Of course. I should love to try it, and I shall try my best not to tread on your feet.”
Chuckling, Lucien led her onto the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Frances caught a glimpse of Benjamin Holton, hand in hand withKatherineof all people, approaching the dance floor.
