Prologue

PROLOGUE

M arianne stood beside the dancefloor, back pressed to the wall, watching as couple after couple spun by. Her isolation was not unusual, it was how things had always been since she had come out two years ago. Due to a great number of circumstances, including gossip, death and her own shy disposition, the exercise had been a failure. She'd felt it keenly at the time, but now…well, now it was almost comfortable. Especially when she was joined at the wall by her dearest friend and fellow wallflower, Lady Claudia, the sister of the Marquess of Broadsmoore.

"Did you see the feathers Miss Percy has in her hair?" Claudia asked as she handed over a glass of watered-down punch and smiled at Marianne.

Marianne shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Oh, if you did, you'd know," Claudia giggled. "They're huge. I heard she poked poor Sir Niall in the eye when they were dancing and he nearly fell over."

"Where is she?" Marianne asked, and lifted on her tiptoes, now desperate to see this fashion faux pas in with her own eyes. Not that she had much ground to stand on when it came to that score. Her own gowns were lovely, of course, but she'd never given much time to the current fashion of low necklines and lifted bosoms and all-in-all flashy and reckless exposure. She didn't feel confident enough.

"She's standing with Lady Charlotte, the Marquess of Chilton's daughter," Claudia said, pointing to a stunning red-haired woman across the room.

"Lady Charlotte always looks so pretty," Marianne sighed. "I wish I had half her fashion sense. And her absolute certainty in every step she takes. Oh…" She finally saw the aforementioned Miss Percy, or rather her feathers and then Miss Percy. They were at least two feet long, dyed pink and they flopped around her face and everyone else around her. "Gracious, she's going to injure herself and others!"

"You know, if she poked out the eye of Prudence Green, at least she couldn't see to find victims for her cruelty." Claudia grabbed her arm and they both began to giggle over the potential demise of a young lady who hadn't been very kind to them.

Marianne sipped her punch and continued to look around the room. She smiled as she caught a glimpse of her brother Finn, standing across the room with his best friend, the Earl of Ramsbury. Sebastian looked utterly dashing, as always. Though when he turned to a lady beside him and leaned in to whisper in her ear, her heart sank.

"Looking at the two wicked earls?" Claudia asked.

Marianne rolled her eyes. "I cannot call my brother a ‘wicked' earl. He isn't wicked. And even if he were, I wouldn't want to know about it."

Claudia laughed again. "Anyway, all you ever look at is Sebastian ."

"He's my friend, that's all."

"Of course he is." Claudia rolled her eyes.

A playful elbow to her friend's side was all the defense Marianne could make to the implied charge. "Honestly, I should never tell you deep, dark secrets. You are absolutely atrocious to bring up such topics."

"I never brought anything up, you did by mooning after him," Claudia corrected her, and then sighed. "Honestly, he is very handsome."

"Of course he is. And it isn't as if I'm the first person to ever notice it. But I know my place, Claudia, and it's here along the wall. I'm his friend and that's all I shall ever be. I'm very clear on that."

Claudia was silent for a moment, her gaze troubled as she continued looking out into the crowd. "Don't you ever want more than the wall?"

"More?" Marianne repeated. "You mean like marriage and children and the like? I suppose that's a hope for the future. Something might change. You know a few of the wallflowers have matched with very nice widowers in the past few years."

"No, not that," Claudia said, and her tone was tense now. It was such an odd thing, for Marianne wasn't accustomed to her being anything but playful and kind.

"Then what?"

"What about adventure ?" Claudia said while clasping her hands together before herself. "Romance? Something out of the ordinary that would shock the world?"

"You sound like you're talking about a scandal," Marianne said.

"Oh, how I'd love a good scandal," Claudia sighed, but then she smiled at Marianne. "You are pale as paper. Does the idea shock you so much?"

"I've experienced a scandal," Marianne said softly. "I can't recommend it."

Claudia put an arm around her and squeezed. "Of course you have, I wasn't thinking. It was silly of me. I suppose I've been reading too many gothic novels where young ladies like us land the wicked rake like Ramsbury or cause a delightful outrage at a garden party all to solve a murder or…or catch a ghost? Whatever the last one was."

"It was a housekeeper pretending to be a dead woman in order to torment a lady," Marianne said. "Which I think wouldn't be as entertaining in real life, although I suppose I could try. For you."

They laughed together and all the tension and longing was gone from Claudia's voice as she said, "Come on, let's go out on the terrace and dance in a dark corner. We might as well have some fun tonight."

Claudia caught her hand and together they hurried out onto the terrace for some girlish fun where no one would judge. Marianne loved her friend for always lifting her spirits, even if some of her ideas were a little mad. After all, wallflowers like her and Claudia didn't strike out on adventures. If they hoped for them, it was likely to end in disappointment.

So she just had to enjoy the life she was living. It was for the best.