Chapter Twelve

M irella thanked the maid and looked at her reflection in the mirror, pleased with what she saw.

Tonight was the opening ball of the Season, something she seemed to have looked forward to for all her life. It would be odd, not having any of her sisters or cousins there with her, but she knew how happy they were in their new lives and how Effie would enjoy her last carefree spring and summer at Shadowcrest with her animals.

A light tap sounded on the door, and Mama stuck her head in. Mirella waved Mama inside the bedchamber.

Tears misted her mother’s eyes as she said, “Oh, Mirella, you look absolutely lovely. The soft lilac was the perfect choice of gown.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “This is the gown I would have worn to the first ball of my come-out last year. I thought it only appropriate to wear it tonight.”

Mama smiled. “I have something else that I wish for you to wear this evening. Turn around and close your eyes.”

Curious, Mirella did as her mother asked. She sensed Mama lifting something over her head and then an object brushed her neck. She decided it was a necklace.

“You may open your eyes.”

Glancing down, she fingered the gold locket now hanging from her neck. Moving to the mirror, she looked at it.

“Oh, Mama! It is beautiful.” She thought a moment. “Wait. I saw Georgie wearing one similar to this at her wedding. Allegra and Lyric, too. I thought to ask them about it, but we were so carried away in the festivities of the day, I forgot.”

She turned to face her mother and asked, “Is this something you give to all your girls?”

Mama placed her hands on Mirella’s shoulders. “Yes. I purchased these lockets for each of you shortly after your births. I had the jeweler engrave each one with the initial of your first name, and then once you had enough hair, I snipped a small lock of it to place inside.”

Mirella brought the locket to her lips and kissed it tenderly. “This means a great deal to me, Mama. I will wear it with pride, knowing all the Strong women have done so.” She thought a moment. “Did Pippa receive one? I cannot recall from her wedding day.”

“Even though Pippa had no formal come-out, I did give hers to her before her wedding to Seth. So far, Georgina is the only one who has made a traditional come-out in our family, and she received hers on the opening night of the Season last spring. I gave Lyric and Allegra theirs before the house party began last summer. I hope this locket will bring you happiness and good fortune and that you find the man who is destined to be your soulmate this Season.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Mama went to answer it. Mirella saw the captain standing there.

“I have been sent to hurry you along,” he told them. “You know how impatient James can be.”

“Fortunately, we are both ready,” Mama told her husband, who brushed a kiss against his wife’s cheek.

They left the bedchamber, with the captain offering each of them his arm, saying, “I cannot believe I will be escorting the two most beautiful ladies to the opening ball. Unfortunately, that means I have to attend that ball, wearing these clothes.”

Mirella thought her stepfather quite handsome in his evening dress, but it was very different from the usual clothes he wore to Neptune Shipping each day.

When they reached the last set of stairs, he said to her, “This is your first shining moment of this evening, Mirella. I want you to descend the stairs alone so that your family focuses only on you.” He kissed her cheek. “I could not be prouder of you, and I hope you will enjoy your time tonight and over the next few months.”

“Thank you, Captain,” she said. “I am happy you and Mama will be by my side at these events. It will help quell my nerves.”

She stood back and allowed the couple to descend the stairs together. Once they had reached the landing and turned, now out of her sight, she slowly began her own descent. Moments later, she came into view of her waiting family in the foyer below, smiling at them, and seeing their smiles in return.

“Oh, Mirella!” exclaimed Sophie. “You look like a fairy princess.”

Aunt Matty met her and embraced Mirella, kissing her cheek. “You look like a dream, my darling. I hope you have the time of your life tonight.”

James gruffly said, “You are beautiful, Mirella. So much so that Drake and I may have to keep away the hungry wolves who chase after you.”

Sophie swatted her husband playfully. “You and Drake will do no such thing, James. Mirella is a grown woman, and she can handle any social situation. That includes whether or not she wishes to spend time with a gentleman.”

“Then I will make it widely known that both Drake and I will be present in the drawing room tomorrow afternoon if any suitor wishes to call upon my sister. They will have to talk to—and get through—the both of us before Mirella is available to them.”

She laughed and went and tucked her arm through her brother’s. “You are all sound and fury, James, and I know you mean well. Sophie is right, however. I can fend for myself. Besides, I believe Strong women are blessed with good judgment. Just look at the additions which have come into our family during the last year or so. I must deem a man incredibly worthy if he is to join the line of my brothers-in-law.”

They went outside where the carriage awaited them and traveled to Lord and Lady Pance’s. The couple was hosting the first ball of the Season, and Mirella saw how snarled traffic was getting to their destination.

“I have never asked about what to expect this evening,” she said suddenly. “What actually happens at a ball besides dancing?”

Her sister-in-law smiled at her. “Besides dancing, at which you excel? We will first go through a receiving line, where we are greeted by our host and hostess. Then, we make our way into the ballroom, where your mother—who knows everyone in Polite Society—will introduce you to others.”

“We will stake out a prime place in the ballroom,” Mama added. “Because your brother is a duke, we will not circulate around the room. Instead, others will come to us. Once you have been properly introduced to someone, you may then accept a dance if the gentleman asks for one from you. You must always have that introduction first, though, Mirella. Most of those introductions will come from me, but you may, on occasion, be introduced by a third party to someone new.”

“Do not forget the part about the number of dances,” Aunt Matty reminded.

“Oh, yes,” Mama said. “You only want to dance with a gentleman once in an evening. If, however, he asks for a second dance, he is demonstrating to you—and the other guests present—that he is most interested in you. If you return that interest, then you may accept a second dance from a suitor.”

“And under no circumstances are you to ever dance thrice with a man in a single evening,” Aunt Matty advised. “It is simply not done.”

“Do not worry about me,” she told everyone inside the carriage. “I do love to dance, and I want to meet as many people as possible tonight, both gentlemen and ladies. While my sisters and cousins have been my closest friends and always will be, I am looking forward to getting to know other ladies close to my age over the Season. Why, I recall Georgie talking about Miss Bancroft and how much she enjoyed their new friendship.”

Mama smiled. “Yes, we all got to know Miss Bancroft quite well at the house party. She left it engaged to Viscount Tillings, and they wed close to the time your cousins did. Miss Bancroft was the most delightful woman. If she and Lord Tillings are present this evening, I will make certain that you make their acquaintance.”

The carriage, which barely crawled along, finally came to a standstill. After a moment, a footman opened the door and said, “Your Grace, the coachman says this is as close as he can get you. You will have to walk the rest of the way.”

“Walk?” Mirella asked. “It is that crowded?”

Mama nodded. “It is not unusual to do so. The opening ball of the Season is the most attended event. As time passes, not as many people will turn out for an affair, but they are all eager to catch up with old friends and see what others are wearing on this first night, as well as look over the group of girls making their come-outs. Almost aways, a ball is the only event of an evening, but on the nights no ball is being held? There will be other smaller, more intimate gatherings, such as a card party or musicale. Even though you love to dance, Mirella, I believe you will enjoy those events just as much. They give you more of a chance to converse with others and get to know them better.”

She was glad to be learning all these things about the Season. She was now on the threshold of embarking upon her come-out, and excitement filled her.

James climbed from his ducal carriage, and the captain followed, with James handing each of the ladies down.

Her brother said, “I will escort Sophie and Mirella inside. Drake, you look after Dinah and Aunt Matty.”

They walked a good five minutes before they arrived at their destination, cutting through stalled carriages along the road. They entered Lord and Lady Pance’s townhouse and joined the receiving line.

As they stood waiting their turn to greet their hosts, Mama pointed out various people to Mirella. She listened carefully, trying to memorize as many names and faces as she could.

While searching for Lord Bridgewater.

She knew he would be in attendance tonight. She shouldn’t be looking forward to seeing him, but she was. Part of her hoped he would ask her for a dance, and yet she thought it would be unwise if he did so. She would have to wait and see if Lord Bridgewater approached her and asked for a dance before she decided to award one to him or not.

As far as other gentlemen went, Mirella had already made up her mind that she would not reject any requests for a dance with her, wanting to give all gentlemen an equal chance to make her acquaintance.

They finally reached the front of the line, and Lord and Lady Pance greeted James and Sophie.

James said, “I have the honor of introducing you to my sister, Lady Mirella Strong. Tonight, she is making her come-out into Polite Society.”

Lady Pance eyed her with interest. “Oh, don’t you look lovely, Lady Mirella. We have already met several of the girls who are making their come-outs this Season, but you are—by far—superior to them in beauty and grace.”

“Thank you, Lady Pance,” she said humbly.

While she knew she was quite pretty, Mirella did not feel comfortable with others complimenting her looks. She wanted to be more than her looks to others. More than a sister of a duke. She wanted to be Mirella.

Mama, the captain, and Aunt Matty also greeted their hosts, then the six of them entered the ballroom. Her eyes swept across it, seeing it was already quite crowded. She spied a quartet of musicians and anticipation filled her. Her feet itched to dance.

“Over there,” Mama said, steering their group to a place where they could see and be seen by others.

Immediately, people appeared before them, some as couples and others as individuals. She noticed every single individual happened to be male. A few had a hungry look in their eyes, as if they were on the hunt for prey. She would have to use all her intelligence to discern which men were simply wishing to claim her as some trophy and which ones truly wished to get to know her.

Her dance card began filling rapidly, and a small part of her wished she could save a number for Lord Bridgewater. She chided herself, knowing it was a strong possibility that he would not approach her this evening because of the way they had parted.

Then she caught sight of him, and her heart began to beat rapidly. If she had thought him handsome before, he was ten times so in his formal, black evening wear. He stood talking with a young man and woman. Mirella did not know if they were wed or possibly brother and sister. She decided the latter when she saw the young lady allow Lord Bridgewater to sign her dance programme. Matrons—even young ones—did not dance often, so she surmised the couple must be a brother and sister.

She studied the young woman the marquess would be dancing with at some point this evening. The girl was exquisite, with a dark cloud of hair and the face of an angel. Mirella wondered if this girl, too, might be making her own come-out this evening.

“Oh, there is Lord Bridgewater,” Aunt Matty declared. “I hope he sees us. It would be good to visit with him.”

Suddenly, she and the marquess locked eyes. An intense rush of unnamed emotions ran through her.

“Mirella?”

She broke the spell between them, turning to her mother. “Yes, Mama?” Then she saw Lord and Lady Benton had joined their circle.

Smiling, Mirella dipped a curtsey to the pair. “It is so good to see you again, my lord, my lady.”

“It is delightful to see you, as well, my dear,” Lord Benton said.

“And it is so odd being at a ball in town,” Lady Benton added. “While we go to the assembly room in Grasmere and dance upon occasion, I do believe that I have missed being in a large, London ballroom.”

Lady Benton gazed up at her husband. “You will need to dance with me at least once, Benton, before you vanish into the card room.”

Something changed in the air, and Mirella knew Lord Bridgewater had joined them. She turned, drawing on all her strength to appear calm before saying, “Good evening, Lord Bridgewater. It is good to see you.”

“I feel the same, Lady Mirella.”

Aunt Matty stepped in, saying, “Let me introduce you, my lord, to those in my family whom you have yet to meet.”

Her aunt swiftly went through the introductions, and Mirella felt lightheaded. She told herself above all else, she should not faint in front of the marquess and a ballroom full of guests.

“We are delighted Bridgewater has come to town for the Season,” his aunt declared, beaming proudly at her nephew. With a twinkle in her eyes, Lady Benton added, “And we hope he will find his marchioness.”

“I hope the same, Aunt Flora,” the marquess said. “But it is good to see an old friend such as Lady Mirella.” His gaze met hers. “Might you be able to accommodate me with a dance, my lady? Your cousin, Mr. Strong, said I should request to dance with you and that it would be him you danced with in spirit.”

She only had two slots remaining on her dance card, the one after supper and the final one of the evening.

Curious as to which one he might choose, she handed her programme to him. He scribbled his name and returned it, smiling at her. That smile tugged on her heartstrings, and Mirella told herself not to fall victim to it.

“It was lovely meeting you all,” the marquess told the group, bowing before departing.

As the others began chatting, Mama quietly said to her, “You did not mention how very handsome Lord Bridgewater is.”

“Too handsome if you ask me,” she said, glancing down at her programme.

He had taken the last slot on her card, which meant they would spend the final minutes of the evening together.

Mirella told herself not to worry about it. Not to think about him. She would enjoy this evening and then tolerate the dance with him. In fact, she would explain to him that she would prefer they did not dance in the future. Yes, that would be best and free her up to dance with other gentlemen.

The musicians began tuning their instruments, and her first partner of the evening, an earl, joined their circle.

“I am looking forward to our dance, Lady Mirella,” he said to her.

“So am I, my lord,” she replied, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.