Page 26 of A Dreamy Match Made in Heaven
“A dance? Like a ball?” Sophia asked.
“Yes! Oh, can you even imagine it? How splendid it will be! There are going to be all sorts of gentlemen there, just for the sake of Miss Wainwright matching you up,” Adrianna giggled with excitement.
“Let me see,” Sophia replied, stretching out her hand.
Adrianna gave her the invitation that had arrived that morning while the girls had been out with Lord and Lady Faversham, enjoying London. Now that they had returned, the maid had given the invitation to Adrianna who opened it.
To the young women of the house,
Please come to the estate on Derby Road on Friday evening for a night of music and dance on behalf of my clients. Come in your most spectacular gowns and with your chaperones. There shall be a great deal of socializing and seeing if the ‘spark’ exists between those I intend to match.
Thank you,
Miss Georgiana Wainwright
“Can you even imagine it?” Sophia asked.
“Well, this is London. You have been here before and enjoyed the season,” Adrianna reminded Sophia.
“Oh, I know, but that was entirely different. Those balls were all for the sake of showing off who was who and we were meant to find our mates based on what we knew our mothers and fathers expected. This is an arrangement made by Miss Wainwright. The sole purpose is to match us with those whom she believes us to belong with,” Sophia said in reply.
“Well, that is true. I mean, for you it is. I am looking forward to attending, but I am rather relieved that she has no intention of finding a match for me. You are enough for her to handle,” Adrianna laughed.
“I am not as much of a handful as you are,” Sophia teased.
“And I would have it no other way. You think I dislike being the way that I am?” she challenged.
“Not even a little. For that, I am glad. But regardless, we must press onward. I need to know your thoughts between two of my gowns,” Sophia suddenly realised, wanting to make sure that she looked her very best for the ball.
It seemed unbelievable that this whole event was being arranged for the select individuals that Miss Wainwright intended to match.
Sophia was delighted by the thought. She could hardly wait for the dance, even if it was rather a frightening idea.
The Matchmaker had seemed as though she had been hopeful that she would find someone for Sophia to marry. But that had been days ago. And if Miss Wainwright saw a great number of clients in a week, there could be even more men for her to choose from. The ball would be an ideal opportunity for Sophia to be introduced to some of those men.
Adrianna was clearly delighted as well. Sophia was relieved that she was having such great opportunities in accompanying her, even if she chose to deny that she would like to find a husband.
Over the following two days, Sophia and Adrianna daydreamed about what it would be like. They chose their gowns and came to the idea of how they would each fix their hair and any pins that they might want to decorate themselves.
“You are choosing the roses?” Adrianna asked.
“Most certainly,” Sophia replied.
“Good, I was hoping for the pearls,” Adrianna replied, holding up the pins she wanted.
Sophia continued getting herself ready. She could scarcely believe that the ball was a mere matter of hours away. She would soon be dancing around at an estate, trying to intrigue the men around her.
She considered what it would feel like, being in the arms of a new man, someone she had never met before. Would she dance with one? Three? Or did Miss Wainwright intend for an abundance of partners?
“What do you expect it shall be like?” Sophia asked.
“Glorious! You know, she often speaks about finding a spark in order to correctly match a couple. If she believes that you have the spark with a man, you might as well just go and be fitted for a wedding gown. Miss Wainwright never gets it wrong,” Adrianna said.
These reassurances had been coming frequently from Adrianna, and Sophia tried to keep them in mind as an additional bit of confidence. No one seemed to be the least bit concerned about Miss Wainwright making an error in her judgments.
“Yes, I suppose,” she replied, sounding less enthusiastic than she had previously been.
“Oh dear, what is the matter?” Adrianna asked, noting the change.
