“But what, Darling Sister?” Alison asked.
“But it matters not how I speak, nor how well I behave. Heavens, it wouldn’t even matter if I were eight years younger and the right age to be introduced to theton.”
“What do you mean?” Alison asked, carefully watching her.
Jenny put a hand to her stomach, tightly restrained by her stays, so different to her uniforms as a maid, and she looked away, not wanting to face Alison for fear her eyes would well up with tears.
“Jenny?” Alison asked gently, placing a careful hand on Jenny’s bare arm. “What is it?” Jenny turned back, her lips in a tight, thin line of pain.
“It matters not because they allknow.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Alison began, her voice forcibly bright and undoubtedly false.
“It’s not nonsense,” Jenny snapped. “Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors, the whispers. Every time we go out, be it the dressmaker or the tearoom or the marketplace, I hear them making snide remarks and discussing my unfortunate past.”
Alison sighed, but she looked at Jenny with such sadness in her eyes that Jenny felt herself soften. She was not ashamed of her past, but she knew others would not approve, and she so badly wanted this to work—for her brother’s sake, if nothing else.
“Yes,” Alison admitted. “I have heard the rumors, too. But really, Jenny, rumors and gossip are currency among the rich, where money means nothing. And once it is spent, it is gone, and then it is done. They need to find new tales to tell to keep up with their friends, and then they will no longer be talking about you.”
“Do you honestly believe that?” Jenny asked.
“I do,” Alison said. “Remember, I havebeenthat currency. That I married the groom—whether or not he had become a businessman by that point or not—was quite the talk of the town.”
“I hadn’t forgotten,” Jenny said, smiling. “You are so strong, Alison. To have fought for what you wanted against this tide of people and their seemingly arbitrary rules. It’s quite something.”
“And you are strong too, Jenny. Of that, I am certain.” Alison flashed Jenny a smile and then leaned forward, kissing her quickly on the cheek. “Now, come along, get your gown on. We need to leave shortly. I shall go and check that Luke is ready and not lost in some business papers—you know how he is!”
Jenny chuckled as Alison glided out, the taffeta of her baby-blue gown rustling softly as she went. She was right. Luke had a tendency to lose himself in his work, and he always had. Where before, he would spend long hours brushing down horses and building a rapport, now he locked himself away in his study, piles of papers in front of him. He would pore over the words for hours, having finally discovered the true joy of reading and writing.
“Fanny,” she said, calling out to the lady’s maid who seemed to be lost somewhere within the wardrobe, “do you have my gown?”
“Of course, Miss. Arms up.”
Fanny came out of the wardrobe with a brand new and pristine ivory gown draped over her arms. Alison had wanted her to wear white, but Jenny had been horrified at the idea of wearing a color that signified innocence and youth. She would be made a mockery of, she was certain. Jenny had wanted emerald green, instead, but they finally settled on the ivory, with the emerald green already made for the next ball.
Jenny held her arms in the air and bent over as Fanny slipped the gown over her head. The silk shimmered in the light. It was a simple gown, but all the more beautiful for it. The short sleeves were frilled and puffy, but other than that, the ivory silk was left to shine on its own. The bodice was short and tight, but the skirt flowed freely, a gentle femininity added by the way in which the fabric swung around her legs.
“All set, Miss,” Fanny said, smiling at Jenny’s reflection in the mirror. “And very beautiful you look, too.”
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked, the fluttering of her stomach almost too much to bear.
“Certain,” Fanny said.
Jenny nodded at her own reflection, as much to convince herself as to agree with Fanny. Butterfly wings whipped against her breastbone, her belly tickled with nerves. It all seemed so unnatural to her, and she dreaded facing the rumors, but she was determined to do everything correctly, for Luke’s sake. He had worked so hard to get where he was, and she desperately didn’t want to let him down.
Taking a deep breath, she made her way down the stairs.
“Well, don’t you look something,” Luke said as she approached. He and Alison waited in the small entrance hall.
“Quite the young lady now, isn’t she?” Alison asked, looking proudly at her sister-in-law.
“Neither young nor a lady,” Jenny snorted, but before Luke could argue, she added, “but I feel as much tonight. And I shall truly make the best of the evening.”
“Please do,” Luke said, reading the hidden message in her words. “I want so much for this to work for us.”
“I know,” Jenny said, stepping onto the tiled floor and giving her brother a kiss on the cheek. “And you have worked so very hard to get us to where we are. Believe me, Luke, I am incredibly grateful and I will find a way to repay you.”
“No need,” Luke said, pulling back to look her up and down again. “Repay me only by being happy.”
