Page 1 of A Wish Upon an Earl
1
Lady Sarah Appleton stood on the outskirts of her own party, watching the crush of dancers move about the ballroom.
By all accounts, this masquerade was a success.
The ballroom was full, the orchestra was excellent, and the costumes were lavish.
She looked down at her own dress and frowned.
The dress was a thoughtful gift from her friends, and that should have filled her with joy, but the moment she’d looked at the lovely concoction of cream and pale green, her stomach had churned with apprehension.
The expertly crafted gown was like a physical reminder of all that was wrong with her as a person.She tugged at the long trailing sleeves as a sigh of frustration escaped her lips.
“What’s wrong, Sarah?”Aubrey asked next to her.“You’ve not seemed yourself this evening.”
“Nothing.Nothing at all is wrong.”She smiled brightly at her recently married friend, her cheeks stretched thin at the effort.How did one say that the thoughtful gift Aubrey, Rose, and Camilla had given her had brought up a well of churning emotions?
She shook her head, trying to force the thoughts from her mind.
Camilla gave her a quizzical glance, and Rose adjusted her crown of feathers on her peacock ensemble as she looked over at Sarah.“Look at the turnout for this party.You’re an amazing success.”
Sarah’s smile softened into something far more genuine.She loved her friends dearly, and they were so supportive of her.She truly was grateful.“Thank you.”
Six weeks prior, all four of them had been dancing about a maypole, having snuck out of their finishing school at dawn under the guise of going for a walk.They’d wanted to see the newly erected pole that had been put in place for a May Day celebration.
In that moment of fun, each of the girls had made a wish.
Aubrey had wished for a puppy.Sweet and soft and full of love.So perfect for her lovable friend.
Camilla, in her typical fashion, had requested a highly practical chemistry set, while Rose wanted a book of poetry.
And Sarah?In one of her usual flights of romantic fancy, she’d wished for a knight in shining armor.So silly.Men didn’t wear armor any longer, and even if they did…
She held in another sigh.Romantic whims brought her nothing but trouble, as was evidenced at this exact moment.Her friends had brought her a medieval gown, which she now wore because of that wish.Flowing sleeves belled out from the elbows, brushing the floor whenever her arms were down, while fabric trailed behind her, pooling about her legs whenever she was still.
It was truly lovely.
But she could barely move.
And that was the problem.Every time she allowed fanciful thoughts to slip past her lips, she said silly things that only ended up getting her in trouble.
Tonight wasn’t too bad.So she couldn't dance or circulate about the room, or even move, really, without tripping.But it was one night.She’d survive.
The problem was that she was making a pattern of this sort of behavior.
One moment she’d allowed herself to get carried away by romantic notions and told her friends her wildest hopes and dreams.Next thing she knew, she’d ended up in a medieval gown of flowing skirts…or wearing the wings of a cupid.
Sarah stopped her thoughts, groaning to herself.She would not think about the other time she’d worn the completely wrong costume.
Though her thoughts had been drifting to that day a great deal of late.Becausethe incident, as she now called it, had involved one of her brother’s very best friends, John Marxum, the Earl of Bentley.He’d been center stage for her little drama, a cause of endless embarrassment.Fortunately for Sarah, she’d been able to avoid him for most of the last five years.The only time they’d seen one another had been a year ago at her brother Malcolm’s funeral, and even then, she’d been able to avoid conversation.
But Jack, as his friends called him, as she’d once called him, would be here tonight.She’d received his acceptance to her invitation just yesterday.And honestly, when it hadn’t arrived before that, Sarah had assumed—hoped, really—that his lack of communication had meant that he’d not attend.Now he was going to be here, and she was stuck in a dress in which she could barely move, in some misguided attempt to attract a knight in shining armor.
Because men so often wore suits of armor to parties…
She looked down at the silk of the gown edged with the most beautiful embroidered design.Her friends had been so thrilled to give her the dress.Rose, in her poetic fashion, had declared it the only possible way one might attract a knight.
Because her friends had begun to believe wishes came true.
