Page 7 of The Duke's Concealed Vow
“She is rather beside herself, isn’t she?” Christine asked, covering her giggles with her hands.
Serena nodded, pressing a gentle hand to her stomach, which was beginning to ache with laughter.
“She is, indeed,” she said.
Christine dabbed at her eyes and nodded.
“Then I suppose I best see to your bath water, milady,” she said as she, too, prepared to leave the room. “I laid out your fresh, clean robe and fresh towels for you, as well as the sweet soap you enjoy so much. You can go into your bathing room and undress and wait if you wish.” And Serena did just that.
***
Serena finished getting ready about fifteen minutes before the ball officially began. Christine had helped her into her white dress, and expertly coiffed her golden hair, adorning it with one single white rose, which had been spritzed with a little of the perfume she wore. Powder and rouge were lightly, almost imperceptibly dusted on her face and cheeks, respectively, and Christine had advised her to chew on her lips to give them a natural reddish pink hue.
As she sat in front of the mirror, Christine pulled out the pearl necklace and bracelets to complete Serena’s look.
“You are absolutely ravishing, Lady Serena,” she said as she gently helped her mistress don the jewelry.
Serena smiled, sitting still so that Christine could make any final touches necessary. However, as the hour of her ball approached, her nerves began to get the better of her. It was the night she had looked forward to her entire life, and her heart longed to find a true love and a perfect companionship. She would settle for nothing less than to marry for true love. And yet, she couldn’t stop the uncertainty that crept into the back of her mind. With all her excitement and the step from girl to grown noblewoman imminent, why did she feel the shadows of doubt and dread?
“My darling Serena, you look positively exquisite,” Olivia Sinclair, Serena’s best friend gushed from the door as she burst through it. Her vibrant personality and joyful, loving energy immediately filled the room. She wasted no time rushing over to Serena, barely giving her friend a chance to stand from the chair in which she sat for Christine before throwing her olive-tone arms around Serena. “Are you excited? This is it, dearest. The night your life changes forever, and I am bursting with excitement for you.”
Serena nodded, but she found it difficult to manage a smile. Despite being thrilled to see her best friend, she couldn’t stop thinking about her father and his strange behavior. He had seemed burdened by something. And as crazy as it sounded to Serena, she couldn’t help thinking that it was regret that weighted the earl so. For a moment, she wondered if he was regretting throwing her such a lavish ball, that it was the need to make her debut in society as memorable and extravagant as possible.
She also understood that now that she was a marriageable young lady, there would be expectations for her to marry soon, before she had spent too many seasons without any matches. All her worries were becoming overwhelming, and it was all she could do to keep the smile on her face. She looked into Olivia’s light brown eyes, desperately trying to take solace in the love and joy she saw there.
“Thank you, darling,” she said, embracing her friend once more to ground herself before she forced herself out of her chambers. “Shall we head to the ballroom now?”
Olivia dipped into a grand, exaggerated curtsey, gathering up the skirts of her deep green satin gown as she did so.
“Yes, Lady Serena,” she said, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice. “We shall, indeed.”
Olivia offered Serena her arm, which Serena took withanother laugh. The earl would be waiting for her at the entrance to the ballroom. But with the strain of her smile already making her cheeks ache, she could use the comfort of her friend’s hand on her. She allowed Olivia to lead her to the ballroom, where she could hear guests talking amongst themselves and awaiting her entrance. She desperately wished her apprehension would release her. Was she ready for such a major life change? What would happen if the night didn’t go well? And what was it about her father’s recent actions that had her so on edge?
