Prologue

”You must promise me that you will try.”

Miss Joy Bosworth rolled her eyes at her mother.

“Try to be more like my elder sisters, yes? That is what you mean, is it not?”

“And what is wrong with being like them?” Lady Halifax’s stern tone told Joy in no uncertain terms that to criticize Bettina, Sarah, and Mary – all three of whom had married within the last few years – was a very poor decision indeed. Wincing, Joy fell silent and dropped her gaze to her lap as her beleaguered lady’s maid continued to fix her hair. This was the third time that her lady’s maid had set her hair, for the first two attempts had been deemed entirely unsuitable by Joy’s mother – though quite what was wrong with it, Joy had been completely unable to see.

“You are much too forward, too quick to give your opinion,” her mother continued, gazing at Joy’s reflection in the looking glass, her eyes narrowing a little. “All of your elder sisters are quiet, though Bettina perhaps a little too much so, but their husbands greatly appreciate that about them! They speak when they are asked to speak, give their opinion when it is desired and otherwise say very little when it comes to matters which do not concern them. You, on the other hand, speak when you are not asked to do so, give your opinion most readily, and say a great deal on any subject even when it does not concern you!”

Hearing the strong emphasis, Joy chose not to drop her head further, as her mother might have expected, but instead to lift her chin and look back steadily. She was not about to be cowed when it came to such a trait. In some ways, she was rather proud of her determination to speak as she thought, for she was the only one of her sisters who did so. Mayhap it was simply because she was the youngest, but Joy did not truly know why - she had always been determined to speak up for herself and, simply because she was in London, was not, she thought, cause to alter herself now!

“You must find a suitable husband!” Exclaiming aloud, Lady Halifax threw up her hands, perhaps seeing the glint of steel in Joy’s eyes. “Continuing to behave as you are will not attract anyone to you, I can assure you of that!”

“The right gentleman would still be attracted,” Joy shot back, adding her own emphasis. “There must be some amongst society who do not feel the same way as you, Mother. I do not seek to disagree with you, only to suggest that there might be a little more consideration in some, or even a different viewpoint altogether!”

“I know what I am talking about!” Lady Halifax smote Joy gently on the shoulder though her expression was one of frustration. “I have already had three daughters wed and it would do you well to listen to me and my advice.”

Joy did not know what to say. Yes, she had listened to her mother on many an occasion, but that did not mean that she had to take everything her mother said to heart… and on this occasion, she was certain that Lady Halifax was quite wrong.

“If I am not true to who I am, Mama, then will that not make for a very difficult marriage?”

“A difficult marriage?” This was said with such a degree of astonishment that Joy could not help but smile. “There is no such thing as a difficult marriage, not unless one of the two parties within the marriage itself attempts to make it so. Do you not understand, Joy? I am telling you to alter yourself so that you do not cause any difficulties, both for yourself now, and for your husband in the future.”

The smile on Joy’s face slipped and then blew away, her forehead furrowing as she looked at her mother again. Lady Halifax was everything a lady of quality ought to be, and she had trained each of her daughters to be as she was… except that Joy had never been the success her other daughters had been. Even now, the thought of stepping into marriage with a gentleman she barely knew, simply because he was deemed suitable, was rather horrifying to Joy, and was made all the worse by the idea that she would somehow have to pretend to be someone she was not!

“As I have said, Joy, you will try.”

This time, Joy realized, it was not a question her mother had been asking her but a statement. A statement which said that she was expected to do nothing other than what her mother said – and to do so without question also.

I shall not lie.

“I think my hair is quite presentable now, Mama.” Steadfastly refusing to either agree with or refuse what her mother had said, Joy sat up straight in her chair, her head lifting, her shoulders dropping low as she turned her head from side to side. “Very elegant, I must say.”

“The ribbon is not the right color.”

Joy resisted the urge to roll her eyes for what would be the second time.

“Mama, it is a light shade of green and it is threaded through the many braids Clara has tied my hair into. It is quite perfect and cannot be faulted. Besides, it does match the gown perfectly. You made certain of that yourself.”

So saying, she threw a quick smile to her lady’s maid and saw a twitch of Clara’s lips before the maid bowed her head, stepping back so that Lady Halifax would not see the smile on her face.

“It is not quite as I would want it, but it will have to do.” Lady Halifax sniffed and waved one hand in Clara’s direction. “My daughter requires her gown now. And be quick about it, we are a little short on time.”

“If you had not insisted that Clara do my hair on two further occasions, then we would not be in danger of being tardy,” Joy remarked, rising from her chair, and walking across the room, quite missing the flash in her mother’s eyes. “It was quite suitable the first time.”

“I shall be the judge of that,” came the sharp retort, as Lady Halifax stalked to the door. “Now do hurry up. The carriage is waiting, and I do not want us to bring the attention of the entire ton down upon us by walking in much later than any other!”

Joy sighed and nodded, turning back to where Clara was ready with her gown. Coming to London and seeking out a suitable match was not something she could get the least bit excited about, and this ball, rather than being a momentous one, filled with hope and expectation, felt like a heaviness on her shoulders. The sooner it was over, Joy considered, the happier she would be.