Page 27 of The Pureblood Princess
“I understand. I’ve never been one for parties myself. The small talk is tiresome. But I can let you in on my little secret.” He glances back over his shoulder, then whispers, “Wine helps.”
Nadia’s laughter is quick and bright. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, glad to be of help. Now, let’s not keep the others waiting. Shall we?”
The earl offers Nadia his arm, and she takes it, grateful once more that Lord Rosetti has been so welcoming of her. She can see clearly where Theodore learned his impeccable manners and genteel chivalry.
Arm in arm, she and the earl make their way from the paddock to the front of the manor, where three carriages await. Servants bustle about, loading the last few trunks and bags, ensuring the family has everything they’ll need for their short trip to Riverhill, where the brotherhood hosts its annual galas.
Theodore and Lady Rosetti stand at the foot of the stairs, chatting idly while they wait. When Lady Rosetti glances over and makes eye contact with Nadia, she places a hand on Theodore’s arm, and their conversation ceases. He turns, and his eyes go wide.
Theodore’s gaze sweeps up and down Nadia’s body. She’s wearing a new dress, one of the gowns Mrs. McDonald designed for this very occasion, and she can feel his warm stare as it travels over her skin.
When Amélie first opened the gown box and held it up, Nadia was taken aback. She’s used to pale colors and innocent necklines, dresses befitting virginal debutantes. But the gown she’s wearing now is black as a raven’s feathers, with a low neckline and a cinched waist that accentuates her gentle curves. At first, she felt too exposed and risqué, but now, seeing the effect it has on Theodore, she decides it’s absolutely perfect.
“You look lovely, Miss Magdalena,” Theodore says as he approaches. Taking her hand, he presses a gentle kiss against her skin.
You’re ravishing, he whispers in her mind.But that dress would look even better in shreds.
“I thank you, my lord,” Nadia says, pulling her hand back and dropping into a curtsy.
Perhaps you can steal me away and turn it into ribbons, she says to Theodore, and he immediately averts his eyes, a muscle in his jaw flexing as he struggles to control himself.
Don’t tempt me, he says ruefully.
Delighted, Nadia turns to Lady Rosetti.
“I’m so grateful for the gowns, Lady Rosetti. Mrs. McDonald has outdone herself once again. Though I’d never hear the end of it if I were to wear such a gown in Everborough.” She glances down at herself, and warmth blossoms in her cheeks when she thinks of what her mother would say of her attire.
Lady Rosetti’s red lips quirk up in one corner. “Riverhill is not Everborough, Miss Magdalena. As you’ll come to find, such occasions allow us to express ourselves in ways that high society may find...” She pauses as if to search for the right word.
“Lecherous?” Lord Rosetti says innocently, but a mischievous twinkle shines in his green eyes.
Theodore laughs, and Nadia turns her smiling face away bashfully.
“Niccolò!” Lady Rosetti snaps, but she seems only playfully aghast and lets the earl pull her into an embrace.
Seeing Theodore’s parents together, still so clearly in love, makes Nadia ache for her blood parents, Kirill and Vera. Knowing their names now, having the book of ancestry Lord Rosetti so tediously pored over, makes her feel both closer to and further from her blood family than ever before.
When she didn’t know who they were, it was harder to miss them; after all, how does one miss a ghost they’ve never known? But now, with names and faces burned into her mind, with the knowledge that they weretakenfrom her, the space within her heart that they were supposed to occupy feels even more vacant.
“I’m riding with Contessa!” Luca yells over his shoulder, his voice shattering the quiet air. He takes a running leap down the stairs, then sprints toward one of the carriages. Giulia and Renzo are already waiting, stroking the horses’ silky manes while they stand beneath the gray sky.
“No, I am!” Francesca snaps back from where she stands in the open doorway. “She already told me I could! Isn’t that right, sister?”
Contessa and Charlie appear in the doorway behind her, and Contessa looks stunning in her new gown. It’s bloodred and formfitting and accentuates her generous curves in all the right ways. Seeing her, Nadia is surprised Charlie hasn’t dragged her off to have his way with her.
“You’ll both be disappointed,” Contessa says to her youngest siblings, a playful lilt to her voice, “as I’ve already promised Nadia I’d ride with her.”
Francesca crosses her arms and hangs her head despondently.
“But,” Contessa says, reaching down to take Francesca’s chin in her hand, “I promise the three of us will ride together on the way home. Is that a deal?”
The young Rosettis both perk up at that.
“Deal,” Francesca says, then skips down the stairs and joins Luca and the two elder children beside the horses.
Contessa watches her go with a genial smile, then holds her hand out to Charlie. They descend the stairs together and join Nadia and the other Rosettis.
