‘
What an
interesting
reticule you have
with you
, Lady Eleanor,
’
announced
M
adeleine.
‘
H
ow …
quaint
to have decorated it with sheep.
’
‘
They are not sheep,
’
correct
ed Eleanor
.
‘
They are daisies.
’
‘
Oh,
’
smiled
Madeleine
condescendingly
.
‘
Of course they are, dear.
’
‘
Never mind what they are,
’
piped up the
d
owager
.
‘
At least she got the deuced thing finished on time.
’
EIGHT
M
ayfair, that most fashionable area of London, was the location of the Carmichaels’ rented townhouse. By the time she alighted from the
carriage, however, Eleanor was too incensed
to not
ic
e her surroundings.
During the journey,
Madeleine had
re
ele
d off a list of criticisms regarding not only Eleanor’s
reticule, but also her gown, her shoes, her hair and even her posture. And she had done so in such a cunning way, that it had been impossible for Eleanor to defend herself without appearing churlish and incurring the wrath of her g
odmother.
But w
hile Eleanor had s
at s
eeth
ing
, James
had
merely sat -
star
ing
silently out of the window
.
He had seemed oblivious to them all and had not uttered a single word.
Evidentl
y out to impress, the Carmichaels had rented what appeared to be the la
rgest townhouse in
London. Set higher than its neighbours, with a
majestic set of step
s leading to the
main door, the building
gave off
a haughty superior air.
Every one of its many
windows was brightly illuminated
and
the main door was thrown wide open flooding the street below
with
a hub-bub of
chatter, laughter and music.
As soon as Eleanor set foot in the large black and white tiled entrance hall, it became apparent that the beautiful exterior of the property merely served as a teaser for the opulent delights within. Hundreds of candles blazed brightly and the
open
doors to all
the rooms leading off the hall allowed arriving
guests a first
-class view
into the magnificent ballroom. A l
arge crowd
was already gathered in the hall, every one of them dressed in
unabashed splendour.
Indeed, e
ven Eleanor, who had
little time for such
frivolity
,
was
amazed at the lavishness of the event. She had never seen so many beautiful gowns or glittering jewe
ls
: everywhere she looked her eye caught the shimmer of a diamond tiara, the wink of a sapphire necklace or the twinkle of a ruby ear
-
ring. Her
seething
anger quickly dissipated to be
replaced by
utter
astonishment.
‘
Eleanor!
Close your mouth and
stop gawping
,
’
ordered the
d
owager
. Then, intent
on her mission not to linger in the hall,
she
began brandishing her
fan in the manner of a
sword, rudely sweeping aside anyone in her path. A
n
embarrassed Eleanor trotted obediently behind, offering the
d
owager
’s stun
ned victims apologetic smiles along
the way. Holding possessively on
to James’s arm
, Madeleine and her escort br
ought up the rear at a
more leisurely pace: James, obviously having affected a more sociab
le air, stopping
here and there
to exchange
pleasantries and to introduce the beautiful Hungarian to those he deemed worthy of her acquaintance.
Eventually they reached the entrance
to the ballroom where Lady Carmichael and Felicity were greeti
ng their guests. From
Lady Carmichael’s
flushed cheeks, it appeared the woman
was in something of a flurry. Felicity
,
on
the other hand, despite sporting a hideous peach creation with far too much ruching on the bodice, appeared cool and composed. As her eyes met E
leanor
’s, a
n icy
shiver flashed down Eleanor’s spine.
‘
Ah, Lady Ormiston and Eleanor. How delightful,
’
gushed Lad
y Carmichael bobbing a curtsy.
‘
I cannot tell you how excited we are that this day has finally arrived. And have you se
en how many people are here, Lady Ormiston?
I do believe the event will
be the talk of the town for months to come.
’
‘
Indeed,
’
sniffed the
d
owager
.
‘
Yo
u do seem to have gone to a great deal
of effort, Cynthia.
’
‘
Well
,
nothing is too much effort for my little pumpkin,
’
beamed
Lady Carmichael, looking adoringly at Felicity.
‘
Let us only hope that it leads to greater things, Lady Ormiston.
’
The
d
owager
rolled her eyes.
‘
Oh my goodness, is that James I see making his way over? How marvellous. We were
so
hoping he would b
e able to attend,
’
gushed
Lady Carmichael.
All heads turned to James and
Madeleine. A palpable ripple of excitement followed the couple,
with Madeleine
the cynosure of all eyes. It was not only her exquisite beauty and daring gown w
hich were causing a stir
, but also the fact that she was holding the arm of one of the most sought-after men in the whole of England, providing delicious fodder for the ever-hungry gossips. Observing Felicity’s features twist into an ominous
expression
as she absorbed the scene,
Eleanor felt a rash of prickly goosebumps break out over her body
.
Lady Carmichael
,
too, appeared to be having problems disguising her sentiments.
‘
Oh,
’
she sniffed, her tone ripe with disappointment.
‘
James has a
…
guest
, I see.
’
‘
Indeed
he does,
’
replied the
d
owager
matter-of-factly.
‘
Lady Madeleine
Bouvray
is from Hungary. She is staying with us for the Season.
’
Lady Carmichael whipped open her fan
and began fluttering frantically
.
‘
Ah
, then
she wil
l not be staying in London long,
’
she exclaimed
on a breath of
relief.
Before anyone had a chance to reply, James and Madeleine
joined the group
.
This time Eleanor watched James’s face carefully. She had little doubt that this would be the first occasion he
,
too
,
had set eyes on Felicity since the attempted blackmailing incident at the garden party. Would he, she wondered, feel as uncomfortable in the
girl’s evil presence as she did?
James
, to her astonishment, appeared not
the least
bit perturbed. Indeed he
appeared to have exchanged his
previous
surly, silent countenance
and manner of only a few minutes ago
,
for one of
perfect charm
– all, Eleanor suspected, for the benefit of Felicity
.
‘
Ah, the
l
adies Carmichael,
’
he
beamed.
‘
M
ay I congratulate you on
such a splendid gathering
.’
He bowed graciously.
Felicit
y and her mother dipped a curts
y.
‘T
hank you, James,
’
tinkl
ed Lady Carmichael, eyeing
Madeleine suspiciously.
‘
I see tha
t you have brought a
guest with you
.
’
‘
Indeed I have,
’
replied James silkily.
‘
Allow me to introduce you to
L
ady Madeleine
Bouvray- f
rom Hungary no less.’
Not rel
inquishing
James’s arm for one moment, nor apparentl
y sensing anything
odd about his s
udden change of behaviour,
Madeleine sank into a low curts
y which revealed the shockingly low cut of her dress a little more than propriety would
usually
allow.
She smiled beatifically at the Carmichaels as she straightened.
‘
Charmed,
’
she purred in her exotic accent.
Cynthia Carmichael’s eyes widened and her fan fluttering intensified.
‘
Hmm,
’
she flustered, inclining her head to the younger woman.
‘
Er … all the way from Hungary
, Lady Madeleine. How very …
interesting
, to meet someone from such a
n
…
interesting
country.
Is it not, Felicity dear?
’
Felicity’s cold, calculating eyes roved malevolently over
Lady Madeleine’s perfect
form.
She affected a disingenuous smile.
‘
Indeed, it is,
M
ama,
’
she almost hissed.
‘
Quite
…
interesting
indeed.
’
‘
I believe you are only here for a short visit, Lady Madeleine,
’
continued Lady Carmic
hael, now wafting her fan
wildly.
‘
Do you have any
idea how long you will be staying?
’
‘
Alas, I do not, madam,
’
replied Lady Madeleine
. Then,
cast
ing
a knowing look at James,
‘
Perhaps I might
stay for good.
’
A look of
horror swept over
Cynthia
Carmichael’s face.
‘
Good gracious,
’
she puff
ed
,
before
adding quickly, through gritted teeth
,
‘
I mean
how …
delightful
that would be.
’
‘
Yes
it would,
’
agreed James, toss
ing Madeleine another winning smile.
‘
It
would be most delightful
.
’
He suddenly turned his dark eyes to look directly into Felicity’s insipid blue ones.
‘
I do hope this evening live
s up to your expectations, Miss Carmichael
,
’
he said coolly.
Eleanor was amazed to see that the girl did not so much as flinch under his contemptuous scrutiny.
‘
Oh
,
I am sure it will, sir,
’
she replied with a blatantly false smile.
‘
T
here are so many people of consequence here - the Duke and Duchess of Swinton, for example – that one could not fail to enjoy oneself.
’
Eleanor gasped loudly at the audacity of the girl. How dare s
he remind James of her
threat? Had she no sh
ame at all? Suddenly she realiz
ed that her godmo
ther and
Madeleine were both eyeing her suspiciously.
She hastily feigned a cough. James and Felicity
,
on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to those around them, locked in a fierce battle of wits. Eleanor was the only spectator aware of the insidiousness weave
d
through their apparently innocent exchange. The battle continued as James smiled serenely at his opponent.