Chapter Thirty-Seven

T he day passed quickly, and a ball was arranged for the coming Friday. It was easy to do by using the occasion of Violet's brother's return from the continent and announcing that the House of Langley was hosting a soiree. Over one hundred guests, the creme de la creme of the Ton, were invited. The Earl of Langley sent a personal note to Pippa's father and his wife, requesting their presence.

The next morning, after plans were hatched, meals were shared, and hatchets buried, Violet came into the room Pippa and Isabel were using to dress.

"You need to look your best," Violet said, bringing a large white box upholstered with embroidered cotton. "This is from France. It's the finest."

Pippa and Isabel sat on the edge of the bed, and Violet pulled up the stool from the vanity table.

"This is a pomade of shimmer made of crushed pearl. If you pat it on your cheeks just so," Violet rubbed some on the back of her hand, "and then buff it with the powder, it'll last all night." She picked up the pouf and dusted it onto her hand.

Isabel and Pippa gasped. A thin layer of shimmering pink was on Violet's hand as if she'd made her hand blush.

"Isn't this for women of ill repute?" Pippa asked.

"If you don't know it's there, it doesn't affect anyone's reputation." Violet rubbed some on the apples of her cheeks, and it melted into her skin. She looked glowing, but Pippa wouldn't have known if she didn't know Violet's secret now. "See?" Violet smiled and handed Pippa the box.

"Amazing!" Isabel said.

"There's more in here and something special for you, Isabel." Violet retrieved a silver cachou box and unscrewed the lid. "A little beeswax, rose oil, talcum powder, and rice flower with gum arabic." She held it to Isabel's face. "I think it will do."

"What are you doing?" Isabel frowned.

"How do you think I got through the prickly periods during finishing school with a mother like mine? Without these little helpers, my parents would have probably treated me just as…" Violet's voice trailed away.

"As ours treated us?" Isabel gave Pippa a look. Isabel's parents had mistreated her, but Pippa's mother would never have allowed her father to behave as he was now. None of this would have happened if her mother were still alive.

And yet, she wouldn't have met Nick then.

Life was different now, and Pippa felt changed. She'd accepted her mother's absence from her adult life and took the reins. Yes, she still needed some help and receiving it from the unlikely ally of Violet showed how the tides had turned.

Well, this was Pippa's life.

So, she'd make the best of it.

She smelled the little cachou boxes with shades of purple-pink safflower, blood-red carmine, and rose-petal pink alkanet. They smelled waxy and a little like honey combined with fragrant oil and something powdery. There was nothing objectionable at all.

"You're trying to mask my blemish?" Isabel asked.

"No, I'm helping you to highlight your best features." Violet set the beige paste in the box and retrieved another larger box covered in blue velvet. She opened the small hook and revealed a beautiful glass bottle with a waxed cork. "And this perfume, my dear, will highlight the best features, your character and confidence."

Isabel took the perfume bottle and opened the cork. She rubbed the moisture form the cork on the back of her hand and a scent of cardamom and saffron mixed with jasmine wafted into Pippa's nose.

"It smells exotic and different," Pippa whispered.

"That is my intention," Violet said with the tone of a woman wiser than her age. "The perfume announces something spectacular and yet, gives an aura of greatness."

"It's a shield of courage?"

"A feminine one, yes. The power of scent can help—" Violet waved grandly as if she could catch the right words in the air—"sway people's opinions." And before Pippa could ask, Violet admitted, "Mr. Collins, the apothecary, made this for me. It's a one of a kind, Isabel. Use it well."

And just so, with some magical little potions of maquillage from Paris, Alfie's special perfume, and the skill of years of practice, Violet equipped Pippa and Isabel for the ball.

"Why are you helping us?" Pippa finally asked when the initial fascination of the little cremes, scents, and oils had worn off.

"I'm hoping you'll help me in return," Violet said.

Ah! There was never anything Violet did without some strings attached and those strings were usually a ruse, ready to take anyone out of her way who interfered with the glory she sought at that moment.

Pippa sucked in her lower lip, considering what she could say given that she was Violet's guest this evening and that it was rude to challenge her hostess.

"I see that you're not asking what I want. It's fine. There's no secret that I have had less than elegant methods until now, but my husband is helping me to redirect my talents."

"Hm!" Pippa could imagine the talents had something to do with the notorious pavilion of sin and seduction and the spicy things she'd discovered because of Violet. Well, thanks to her.

"Well, if you must know, Pippa," Violet started with a curt smile, "it's about my brother."

She hadn't asked, but Violet had piqued her interest after all. "What is the matter with Scott?"

"He's been injured on the continent."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So, he's back now?"

"Yes. But he needs to recover and heal."

Pippa's mind raced to the doctors on Harley Street.

"Several of his companions suffered the same fates. Different injuries, but if they don't get the medical attention they need, they'll all be crippled."

"Understandable. I certainly hope they get the help they need."

"My husband has arranged for some, but we require a place for them."

Pippa had a bad feeling about this.

"We were thinking that you could do a little favor in return for our help with your father."

"And what is that?"

"Well, I have something in mind, but it takes some work."

Pippa observed as Violet's mischievous gleam returned, transformed into a more mature and calculated expression. "We also need Bea's help. I'll send her a note and explain it when she comes for tea."

It was no longer just a play of mischief, but a plotting grin that hinted at a depth of understanding and purpose. Despite Pippa's apprehensions, she couldn't shake the growing realization that Violet's intentions were driven by a genuine desire to help. This insight brought forth conflicting emotions within Pippa, a mix of wariness and a tentative flicker of gratitude toward someone she had long viewed with guarded skepticism. As the weight of Violet's unspoken wish settled upon her, Pippa couldn't deny the unsettling sense that Violet held the strings to a secret that could upend the carefully constructed walls of the Ton's scorn.