A Reckless Encounter. Rosemary Rogers

A pity. It would have been delightful to introduce you to him.”

      A feeling of nausea swept over Celia, and her fingers were clumsy as she fumbled in her reticule for a linen scarf to press to her nose. Northington! He’d been that close and she hadn’t even known it.…

      “Harvey is an intimate of Lord Northington, who is far too elusive, I fear,” Jacqueline was saying, oblivious to Celia’s reaction.

      She cleared her throat. “Why is this Northington so elusive?”

      “Probably because he’s weary of being pursued by so many marriageable women.” Jacqueline laughed softly. “His reputation leans toward rakish, but if a hostess manages to get him to attend an affair, success is assured. He is quite sought after—an unmarried viscount usually is these days. You’d be amazed at the lengths some hostesses go to in order to secure his presence at a ball or soirée. But a man who is heir to an earldom can take his time to wed, it seems.”

      Celia sidestepped a clod of debris on the walkway, her tone calm. “So he will be an earl one day.”

      “Yes, and perhaps sooner than one would think, as his father has been an invalid for several years now…a most unpleasant man—Do be careful ma petite, and beware of where you step. What was I saying? Oh, yes, Northington is very closely acquainted with Harvey. They seem to attend many of the same functions.”

      “Is he?” She cleared her throat. “And you aspire to have Northington in attendance?”

      “It would be a social coup. But never fear. I have already taken steps to ensure his attendance. Ah, here we are. Madame Dupre is most strict about punctuality. She’s much sought after as a seamstress and will be able to fashion you some flattering gowns. Oh, this is going to be so amusing, Celia! I’m so glad you’ve come to visit. I needed a new venture to occupy my time now that Carolyn’s future is assured.”

      Celia smiled, and during the next two hours endured the prodding and poking of the seamstress as she measured her for new gowns, exclaiming over her unusual height and slender proportions.

      “But you are so tall, mademoiselle! And such long legs. Rarely have I seen a woman with your proportions. It is a pleasure to fit you for gowns. So many of these English misses have figures like boards, so petite and with no female curves. Made like boys, they are, But you! Ah, you are magnificent!”

      Feeling awkward, Celia managed an appropriate murmur in reply, and caught Jacqueline’s amused gaze on her.

      “She is not accustomed to such praise, Madame Dupre,” Jacqueline said briskly. “But it is good for her to hear it. She must realize her worth.”

      Celia’s chin came up. “I know my worth,” she said quietly.

      Jacqueline laughed. “Yes, I believe you do. Very good! No unnecessary modesty, I’m pleased to see. But she is correct, you know, Celia. You are most unusual. I predict you will be a success.”

      “Are you certain you wish to do this? I had not thought it important.” Celia frowned slightly. “It seems a great deal of trouble just to introduce me to your friends.”

      “Ah, but it is not just to introduce you to my friends, my dear. We intend to snare you a wealthy husband, just as my own Caro has done. Of course, her marriage was arranged years ago, but before she settles into married life, I wish her to enjoy herself. But you—you have so much promise! Already there is interest. You saw your effect on Sir John, did you not? He was absolutely tripping over his own feet to talk to you. And as I said, he has extensive connections of the right sort. In London, it is imperative to be well connected.” She paused, glanced at Madame Dupre and said a bit wistfully, “In France, it was much the same. But we did not worry about appearances so much as they do here, for we were all secure in our proper places. And, of course, we all knew we were lovely and well dressed!”

      Madame Dupre joined her in soft laughter, and Celia let her mind wander. If Sir John was close companions with Lord Northington, she fully intended to expand upon their brief acquaintance. Through Harvey, she could learn much about her quarry. And quarry he was, though Northington may not know it. Would he remember her? Would he even recognize the woman in the girl he had once known? Did he ever think about Léonie Sinclair, or had she been only one more woman he’d used and cast aside as unimportant.

      Anger burned deeply, a low, smoldering blaze that never eased, never altered, and she thought of how delicious it would be to ruin Northington. He would pay, in whatever way she could manage, for Old Peter’s death as well as her mother’s. Everyone in London would know what he had done. If she could, she would see him hanged for murder. But that was unlikely. Vengeance would have to be tempered with practicality.

      “Child,” Madame Dupre said with a puzzled look on her face, “you are so stiff, like a board! Please, you must not worry that I will stick you with a pin. I’ve not wounded many of my clients.”

      Celia managed a laugh. “Forgive me, madame. I was thinking of something else. A sudden memory.”

      “It must be something dreadful, to make you so stiff.”

      “Yes. It was.”

      “Poor child,” Jacqueline said. “You have suffered so much sorrow.”

      “Not so very much,” Celia said. “Not as much as many others have suffered.”

      “Perhaps you are right.” Jacqueline lapsed into a sorrowful silence that was shared by Madame Dupre, another French emigré who had fled Paris during the terrible revolution.

      So many, Celia had learned during her short time here, had survived horrors. It was no wonder her mother had shied away from discussing those dark days, but spoke instead of the happier times—her love for her husband and their meeting in London.

      “But come,” Madame Dupre said briskly after a moment, “we must not dwell on those things. They are past now, and we must think only of the coming Season. It will be most exciting this year, I believe, as the Prince of Wales has already begun making preparations for a grand fête.…”

      As the two women chattered in French about the coming galas, Celia lifted her arms obediently as she was measured and turned this way and that, while the talk turned to silk versus satin for evening, and of course, how low should the décolletage be this year without inviting scandal.

      “But I think, with her height, that she should wear the newest fashion,” Madame Dupre announced. “Waists are dropping, but necklines are still low enough to tempt the eye without being too risqué. A pointed bodice perhaps. Off the shoulders, of course, with long gloves to the elbow. No oversleeves are necessary, for she has such lovely slender arms. For this ball, tulle over white satin, do you not think? Four rouleaux?”

      “No,” Jacqueline said thoughtfully. “I think perhaps flounces edged with a rollio, and the underskirt with a rouleau…definitely white for her first ball, though not that glaring white against her pale skin. And a sash of celestial blue would be so lovely…a complement to Caro’s gown as well. What a striking pair they will be!”

      Jacqueline’s daughter had already been fitted for her gowns, and she had declined to accompany them for Celia’s fittings. Though not antagonistic, Carolyn was very reserved in her welcome, and there had been a certain restraint between them at first.

      It had been Carolyn who dictated the rudiments of proper address, the tangle of titles so confusing that Celia made her laugh with her errors.

      “No, no,” Caro had said when she mistakenly referred to a duke as Sir Charles. “Dukes are always your grace, or the duke of Marlborough, never Sir. His son would be called my lord, as would a viscount, marquess or earl. And never call anyone Lord John unless he is a younger son of a duke or marquess. It’s simple, really, if you can remember that the only nobles are princes and dukes. Everyone else, even earls, are commoners. All male peers except dukes are called Lord whatever their title name is, do you see?”

      “No,” Celia said frankly, and Carolyn had laughed, easing some of the first tension between them.