Mrs. Donnelly returned within moments and handed Eliza a silver tray containing a single invitation.
“Thank you,” she said to the housekeeper.
Mrs. Donnelly bowed. “Please let me know if there will be anything else.” She slipped back into the house without a sound.
Eliza picked up the cream paper and set the tray down on the table nearly upsetting her glass of lemonade as she wasn’t looking. Louisa and Johanna vacated their chairs and hurried to lean over Eliza’s shoulder and read the invitation.
The invitation was simple in design, drawing the viewer’s attention to the script, for the script was the true masterpiece.
The Duke of Ashbourne requests your presence at the traditional Ashbourne summer ball where he is proud to introduce his new wife, the Duchess of Ashbourne.
Your reply is appreciated.
The words were direct and simple, the remainder of the invitation detailing the specifics of the ball, but Eliza could see none of it.
Where he is proud to introduce his wife.
“Dear God, he’s recreated the ball where he was humiliated.” Johanna pressed a hand to her mouth as if surprised she had uttered the words.
Eliza blinked and read the invitation again, but the words remained the same.
“Surely, he can’t think—” Louisa choked on the words, swallowed, and tried again. “He doesn’t think you won’t show because of what he did. Does he?”
“More importantly, will you?”
Eliza shook her head and raised a hand, silencing them both. “One at a time. What did you say?”
It took a physical effort to pull herself from the words of the invitation, and she hadn’t understood either sister.
“Would you truly not show to the ball because he kissed Lady Isley?” Louisa’s eyes were wider than usual.
“Of course, I wouldn’t. It’s my duty to—” She stopped, the words catching in her throat.
“He thought Lady Isley showing to her proposal ball was a given as well,” Johanna whispered the very thing racing through Eliza’s mind.
“And she humiliated him.” Louisa took the invitation and held it closer, studying it. “He’s made the ball about you now instead of a mere tradition. The guests will be satisfied with nothing but you. No food, drink, or music will suffice as a substitute.”
Johanna released a breath. “He’s given you all the power.”
Eliza’s hands strayed to her stomach again, and she realized her sisters were right. Somehow in the past few weeks, cradling the baby she held within her had started to bring her comfort. It was a wonder Dax didn’t already suspect.
And now this.
“Power?” Eliza questioned, although she feared she already knew what her sister meant.
Johanna crouched in front of her, meeting her gaze. “He’s letting you decide, Eliza. He’s telling you he wants to trust someone again, and he’s leaving it up to you.”
Eliza licked her lips. “But I would never neglect my duty.”
“This isn’t about duty.” Johanna stood and took the invitation from Louisa. “This is about love.”
“What am I supposed to do about that then?” She blinked up at the pair of them as they hovered over her.
Louisa’s smile was quick. “We must ensure Mrs. Fletcher’s gown for you is spectacular.”
The gown was indeed spectacular, far more beautiful than anything Eliza had acquired at a modiste in London.
It was constructed of the finest sapphire silk that showcased her complexion the way it was always meant to be with her dark hair appearing alluring and lush, her creamy skin kissed by the sun until she simply glowed. The generous neckline would once have done nothing more than amplify her shortcomings, but now she filled it out quite nicely, and dare she say, she had actual womanly bits.
It was a marvel of some proportion, but she was too distracted by the rest of the gown. Mrs. Fletcher had done a clever fold of the fabric across her midriff, concealing the soft roundness that had developed there in the past week. The skirts flared in a tantalizing bell. There was nothing to be said except the silhouette of the gown made Eliza appear voluptuous for the first time in her life.
She cradled the babe within her, speaking softly. “I suppose motherhood suits me.”
“It certainly does.”
She started at the sound of Louisa’s voice behind her as she’d been studying her reflection in her dressing room mirror.
Louisa looked exquisite as always, but her eyes were just a bit damp with unshed tears. Johanna gawked from behind her.
“You look beautiful.” Johanna’s tone was one of disbelief.
Eliza turned back to the mirror. “Do you really think so?”
Johanna stepped into the room and joined her in front of the mirror. “All this time, this is what you truly look like and none of us knew.”
“I think Ashbourne knew.” Louisa spoke the words from behind them, and they turned to her. Her smile was soft as she said, “It’s time for you to join your husband in the receiving line.”
Eliza’s stomach clenched at the words.
The day of the ball had dawned with rain striking the windows, a storm pushing in off the sea. It had cleared quickly though, leaving a refreshing coolness about that beckoned the coming arrival of fall. She wasn’t sure how the summer had passed so quickly or how it could have been such a whirlwind of emotions. She couldn’t have guessed what would have happened when Viv had returned to see her sisters safely wed.
Eliza certainly hadn’t expected Dax.
She drew a fortifying breath and gathered her skirts.
“What must be done must be done.” She kissed each of them of the cheek with a promise to meet up with them later and went out in the hall to make her way to the vestibule where they were to receive their guests.
She was nearly to the front hall when the rumble of carriages reached her, and she peeked out the nearest window. She blinked, unsure if she’d seen correctly. There was already a line snaking its way down the drive of the finest carriages she’d ever witnessed. Each one was more dazzling than the first.
She turned her attention to the clock standing guard at the top of the stairs and was shocked to find it was hardly the hour when the ball was to begin. Lud, to think of the crush that awaited them already.
She hastened her step, making her way down to the vestibule without pausing, wanting nothing more than to get this over with. It was why she wasn’t thinking when she stepped down onto the marble floor and nearly collided with Dax.
“Oh.” The sound was light and breathless in the cavernous space, and she drew back involuntarily, picking up her skirts as she did so.
Dax was as she’d expected him to be, but still, it took her breath away. Gorgeous was the word her sisters had used, and Eliza knew it to be fitting. He was dressed all in black with only the white of his cravat to offset it, and it only served to make him appear more intimidating.
But the way he looked at her stopped her heart.
His gaze was intense, but it was the shock of his parted lips that drew her attention. She’d surprised him. It was writ across his face, and for one silly moment, pride and triumph surged through her.