Page 13 of Enticed By an Earl
“Of course, my lord,” the butler said.
Kit was provided with a footman, who showed him to a private room in the opposite direction from the ballroom. It contained a chamber pot, but there was also a lock on the door which Kit quickly turned to seal himself inside.
He breathed out a heavy breath as soon as he was alone, but only took a moment to pause before tearing at the fastenings of his coat. His hands shook as he removed it, revealing not a gentleman’s jacket, shirt, and waistcoat underneath but the cleverly designed bodice Miss Jones had constructed for him.
The ballgown Miss Jones had put her heart and soul into was as exquisite as it was clever. It fit Kit perfectly, drawing the eye specifically to give him a more feminine shape. She had even managed to construct stays that gave the illusion of a narrower waist and fuller bosom, because, of course, Kit had none.
He took the valise over to a table in the retiring room and quickly opened it to reveal the skirt that accompanied his ensemble. Miss Jones had designed that piece to be easily tied and fastened under the bodice. Kit was able to slip into it and complete the gown without the assistance of a maid after removing his trousers and shoes.
There were more things in the valise, silk shoes, paste jewels, and delicate hair pieces that Miss Jones and Wilkes had found to match the natural shade of his hair. Miss Jones had also included a variety of powders and other cosmeticsto assist Kit’s transformation. It took some time, and Kit was startled by knocks on the retiring room door twice during his preparations, but before long, when he looked in the mirror, Miss Kitty Dryden looked back at him. Looked back ather.
She smiled at the image, letting out a long breath. It must have been some sign from the Divine about who she truly was and who she was meant to be that her features naturally softened into those of a handsome woman with very little help. She had always been soft, but it was uncanny how convincing she was once transformed. The only part of herself that she could not disguise as female was her Adam’s apple, but the thick, decorative ribbon Miss Jones had made for her concealed that one part perfectly.
Once the change was complete, Kitty packed away her coat, trousers, and shoes in the valise then stashed it in a convenient cupboard off to one side of the room. After that, she took a few moments simply to breathe, a hand pressed to her stomach to still the butterflies, then, with one final check in the mirror, she left the retiring room and headed to the ballroom.
Every glance sent her way and every nod or curtsy from one of the other guests gave Kitty pause. She was absolutely certain that she would be found out and murdered with every new bit of attention she was given. As far as she was aware, no one in the history of thetonhad ever attempted anything as bold or as scandalous as what she was now attempting.
She reached the ballroom without impediment, though. The ladies and gentlemen around her smiled and regarded her with very little curiosity, if they regarded her at all. Once in the heart of the ballroom, there was too much else to occupy the guests’ attention, and she was ignored entirely.
It was liberating and it was fascinating. Kitty had onlyever attended a ball as one of the gentlemen, but even standing alone at the side of the room, she saw the event with different eyes. She watched as clusters of gentlemen talked and laughed louder than they should have, all while eyeing up the young ladies in the room. A few glanced her way with more interest than Kitty cared for. The ladies chattered and gossiped, and most of them eyed up the gentlemen in the same way the gentlemen were watching them. Balls truly were a marriage market as well as a place to interact with one’s peers.
Everything else was forgotten when Kitty spotted Lord Deveraux. The man was unmistakable, and that evening he was resplendent in a fine suit, his dark hair brushed just so. Kitty spotted him dancing with a particularly interested lady. She found herself comparing her gown to the woman’s blue and gold confection and wondering if the pale pink Miss Jones had insisted suited her was enough.
There was much to wonder about on that score. Kitty stood where she was, watching Lord Deveraux for some time as he danced with a variety of women. With each one, Kitty wondered if she measured up. She doubted that she had the grace or bearing that most of them had. She even found herself mimicking the stance or expression of Lord Deveraux’s partners a time or two.
And then came the moment Kitty had been both longing for and dreading. Lord Deveraux finished a dance, escorted his partner to the side, then spotted her. Kitty held her breath, pressing a hand to her gut, and ordered herself not to swoon as Lord Deveraux smiled and strode over to greet her.
“Forgive me for speaking to you without being introduced, but you seem as though you are a bit lost, miss?”
It took all Kitty’s powers of concentration to keep her wits about her as she conversed with Lord Deveraux. She was certain that her new friend recognized her, certain hecould see through the powder and silk to who and what Kitty was. But as the conversation progressed, when Lord Deveraux offered his arm to lead Kitty into the lines for the next dance, Kitty became convinced that Lord Deveraux did not know who she truly was at all.
It was both a blessing and a disappointment.
Neither Kitty’s elation nor her worry lasted for long, though. The dance began, and she suddenly found herself faced with the harrowing task of remembering the steps of the ladies’ part. She thanked God that she had learned the ladies’ part with her sisters years ago, but wished she had thought to practice before joining in at a ball under Lord Deveraux’s eyes.
“You seem anxious, Miss Dryden,” Lord Deveraux observed as the steps brought them closer together.
“I am, my lord,” Kitty confessed, keeping her gaze turned down slightly, lest Lord Deveraux suddenly see the truth of who she was in the middle of the dance and cause a scene.
“There is no cause to be nervous,” Lord Deveraux said, caressing Kitty’s hand with perhaps a bit too much familiarity just before the steps parted them. When they joined together again, he went on with, “I take it you do not have as much experience with dancing as you might?”
“Oh, I do,” Kitty said, risking a quick peek up at him. “Only, it has been some time, and I was never very graceful to begin with.” She prayed that would be enough of a reason for her clumsiness that Lord Deveraux would not doubt her.
“You are doing quite well,” Lord Deveraux said. “And despite your insistence, you are extraordinarily graceful.”
Kitty blushed down to the roots of her hair, concealed, as they were, under her wig. She might have accidentally lowered her chin and peeked up at Lord Deveraux with a coy look as she did. “You are too kind, my lord,” she said.
“I have never been accused of being too kind,” Lord Deveraux said, his expression cheeky.
“I very much doubt that,” Kitty replied with a gentle laugh. “You are quite gallant.”
Lord Deveraux laughed. “I most certainly am not. I have a reputation as something of a rake,” he confessed, lowering his voice and bringing his mouth shamelessly close to Kitty’s ear as he did.
The dance had them in such a position that Lord Deveraux was able to linger there, and Kitty was certain she felt and heard the man breathe her in. She prayed that the scent Miss Jones had applied to her gown was more powerful than that of her sweat.
The dance took them away from each other for a moment before bringing them back.
“I am surprised that I have never seen you at a ball before,” Lord Deveraux said once they were palm to palm, circling each other and gazing into each other’s eyes again. “Surely, I would remember a flower as lovely as you.”
