“Possibly. Now, you should ask Uncle Lawrence if he has another mount suitable
for you. You will not even feed Tempest. He would gnaw off your hand. Oh, yes,
one other matter. Don’t try to get rid of Boynton, my valet, who will now be
following you everywhere.” He turned then and left the stable.
I stared after him. Boynton would be following me?
What the devil was that all about? The warning about Tempest was nothing new,
but this size thing that had to do with Napoleon, this was very strange indeed.
Well, I would forget it, all of it. Boynton following me. I felt safer already.
As it turned out, I didn’t have much free time that day to fret about anything
except the ball.
The only time I had ever seen servants more excited than right here and right
now, had been at my own coming-out ball. Even Brantley unbent enough to yell at
one of the footmen for dropping a potted palm in the entrance hall. It rolled
into a suit of armor and sent it crashing to the floor. Brantley never yelled.
It was seen by all the servants as a good omen.
I laughed and laughed, I just couldn’t help it. Brantley stopped yelling and
looked so chagrined that I wanted to console him, something I knew he wouldn’t
ever accept, and so I said nothing, just grinned shamelessly at him.
I came downstairs that evening wearing my beautiful new pale blue silk gown, the
exact shade of my eyes, Belinda had assured me. It was cut low to show off my
bosom, something my modiste had told me was simply imperative to do or I would
look like a dowd, and thus reflect on her. Then, she assured me, no one would
come to her shop ever again, and she would starve in a ditch and it would be my
fault. I thought that was a bit dramatic on her part. After all, how could my
bosom be the reason for her possible demise? But I allowed her to cut the gown
as low as she wanted. I still thought there was too much white flesh showing and
said so to Belinda. At that point, Belinda gasped with outrage. When I suggested
wearing a nice shawl over it, I thought she would swoon she was so distraught.
So, with my bosom on full display, I walked down the wide staircase and
immediately ran into Lady Elizabeth Palmer.
We eyed each other like two fighting cocks, not that I’d ever actually seen
cocks do this, but I could imagine it, once I stood eye to eye with her. I was
the hostess, I was charming. I had no choice, curse it. “Good evening, Lady
Elizabeth. May I say that your gown is lovely?”
“Of course you may,” she said, then looked at me full on. “Somehow I hadn’t
expected to see you show off this much of yourself. You seem so very young. But
you are quite adequate, Andrea?”
“Ah, do call me Andy.”
“Very well. Yes, all the gentlemen are sure to agree with me, particularly your
dear husband who has you on the longest leash I’ve ever heard about for a new
husband.”
“I don’t know what you mean, but let me assure you that I am not a dog. I don’t
even use a leash on George. Would you like to meet George?”
“I have met your dog. He would not leave John alone. We were forced to bring him
with us on our lovely stroll in the east gardens or he would have barked down
the house. He is the strangest color?it is mustard, a particular vile shade of
mustard. In any case, what I meant about a very long leash is that your husband
is treating you like a young schoolgirl who needs to be cosseted and protected?which
is the last thing you need?what with his waiting to bed you. Until when? When
you have gained your twenty-first year?”
“I have reached it.”
“Ah, then you have this religious vow to remain chaste? And Lawrence is actually
giving you your way? Everyone agrees that it is extraordinary.
“Now, your gown is quite lovely as well. The pale blue is unusual, a delicious