Page 34 of Cinderella's Charade With the Duke
A blush warmed Hattie’s cheeks and her pulse increased. ‘Is it too much?’ Hattie rushed out. ‘I may have misjudged when I insisted on this shade,’ she continued. ‘I know nothing of thetonor Society and I fear I may ruin His Grace’s plan,’ she continued. ‘It is not too late,’ she added. ‘I can change and pretend we have not done any of this. No one will know,’ she finished. She struggled to take a breath. She didn’t know if it was from nerves or the exquisite binding of the new undergarments the Mademoiselle and Lady Buchanan said were ‘essential’ to showcase her figure.
Daphne dropped her hand from her mouth and smiled. ‘Mademoiselle,’ she said softly, ‘you have created a masterpiece. Truly. No one will be able to take their eyes from you, Miss Potts.’ Her eyes glistened as if she might cry and Hattie’s throat tightened. Could it be true? Could she be beautiful enough to fool everyone?
‘Don’t you mean Lady Penelope?’ Mademoiselle quipped and smirked before fluffing out the back of Hattie’s gown and standing. ‘Turn and look in the mirror for yourself, Miss Potts. You are stunning,ma chérie.’
Hattie closed her eyes. ‘I cannot,’ she murmured. Uncertainty swirled and festered in her stomach like a crowd of butterflies desperate to free themselves from their cocoons.
What if she wasn’t enough? What if she was still…lacking…after all they had done for her and they just didn’t want to tell her the truth?
‘Yes, you can,’ Daphne said, grasping her shoulders and gently turning her. ‘Open your eyes,’ she said.
You can do this. She counted down. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
Then she opened her eyes.
Hattie blinked once and then again. Her lips parted in surprise. Wasthiswoman looking back in the gilded standing mirror truly her? Hattie lifted a hand to her stomach—so did the woman in the mirror. She felt the gentle pressure of her trembling fingers on her hip as she slid her hand to the edge of the embroidered fabric of her gown. It was her. She had never seen a more glorious dress in all her life and she had never looked as beautiful. While she knew the modiste was a gifted seamstress, Hattie had never seen or dreamed of anything so exquisite. She had also never understood how a gown could transform oneself until this moment. How a fine frock could thrust you into a power you had never known before.
Simply put, it was magic.
ShewasCinderella.
‘I cannot believe it. You have made me her. I am no longer Hattie Potts, orphan from Stow, but Lady Penelope Denning, a woman of means, substance and standing.’
‘And great wealth,’ Daphne quipped with a wink. ‘Do not forget you are from a prominent family overseas and have returned after studies at a fine boarding school. You are a hidden treasure revealed.’
‘And that.’ Hattie smiled and the uncertainty of before transformed into excitement.
For a night she could be someone else just like she and Ophelia and Trudy had always dreamed about. For a few hours, she would escape the disappointment of her past and revel in the finery and acceptance of being someone else with influence and means…and beauty.
She turned her head and couldn’t help but smile. Her dark hair was wrapped in a jewelled bandeau of small crystals and rubies woven with skill through her tresses. It twinkled when she turned her head and caught the light. And the jewels! Rubies dangled from her ears and trailed gently along her collarbonefrom the necklace around her neck. She ran her fingertips over them, stunned by the petite oval stones and their rich, wine colour that warmed her fair skin. The three women stared at Hattie’s reflection.
Daphne was the first to speak. ‘I think His Grace will be quite pleased with how compelling and how very believable you look. I dare say you might be more successful than he is prepared for.’
‘Is that good or bad?’ Hattie asked.
‘It is good,ma chérie,’ Mademoiselle offered. ‘It is always good to keep a man of power and influence on his toes, is it not, my lady?’
‘My, yes, it is,’ Daphne murmured. ‘I can hardly wait to see his face.’
The mantel clock chimed as if it, too, agreed with Lady Buchanan’s statement. ‘Is it time?’ Hattie asked.
Daphne cast a glance back at the clock and then walked to the window where she peaked out at the drive. She quirked her lips. ‘We shall give ten more minutes and then present you. I shall go ahead and go down, my dear, and make sure that my cousin has not attempted a hasty escape.’
Hattie froze.
‘Only teasing,’ Daphne began and then paused. ‘Mostly teasing. He would not abandon his own ball…at least I don’tthinkhe would. I’d best go and check on him.’
Before Hattie could utter a word of protest, Daphne, her tether of safety, vanished from her chambers.
‘You will take their breath away, Miss Potts,’ Mademoiselle said, smiling at her.
‘Are you sure?’
‘I believe you may be my finest creation,’ she said, lifting her chin as she smoothed out a turned-up edge on one of Hattie’s small cap sleeves.
Hattie’s shoulders fell and she swallowed hard. If this did not work, she would be failing everyone.
‘What happened to that confident powerful woman I saw emerge when you first glanced upon yourself in that mirror?’ Mademoiselle asked. ‘Bring her back.Shewas Lady Penelope. She is who you must become. The dress can do much for you, but you must bring the woman to life.’
