Page 35 of Ordered Home for the Holidays
“Keep your chin up, Nellie,” her papa smiled at her. “I think, given the events of last night, you and he might come to an understanding sooner than you think.”
“What?” Her Mama looked up at her Papa, narrowing her eyes. “What have you allowed, Steven?”
“Nothing inappropriate,” her papa raised his hands in surrender. “I was minding them from the shadows, Marta; there wasn’t anything anyone could do more than sniff at.”
Her mama subsided, turning her attention to Nell. “Finish your breakfast, Nellie. I’m going to order your bath so we can start getting ready.”
“Yes mama,” Nell watched her mother leave and turned her eyes back to her father. “Papa—”
“I heard nothing of what was said, Nellie,” he mumbled. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Can’t ever tell about these noble types.”
“Thank you, Papa.” Nell smiled and forked the last bit of tomato onto her toast and popped it into her mouth. “Thank you for watching over me. I have to go get ready before Mama falls into a pit, but I’ll talk to you later.”
She scampered off, hurrying back up the stairs to her mother’s dressing room, where their gowns were on stands and three maids were standing by to help dress the two of them.
Nell’s white gown was stark against her mother’s sapphire blue one. But there was also a harmony there, and sheknew her father was wearing the same color. Her mother’s roses were pale blue, with one white one tucked front and center on the bodice. One small white bloom, a nod to the daughter she was sending out into society.
Nell could forgo all the faff, but it was making her mother so happy. Hopefully, she would find a circle of ladies to be friends with since she’d lost most of her circle in the war and to the elevation that came after, and Nell wanted nothing more than to see her happy.
She and her father both. They’d given her so much, had given the city so much, surely if anyone had permission to be happy, it was them.
* * *
She’d been right about the hours of faff. Though it mostly centered on her mother. Silk velvet was finicky, prone to going shiny and flat if sat on too much, and so Nell wasn’t to be dressed until directly before they went to the carriages.
Which meant she was sitting around in her wrapper having her hair worked on in stages while the others dressed her Mama. Who looked lovely, and decidedly uncomfortable.
“You look splendid, Mama.” Nell got up and took her mother’s hands. “Just lovely, you’ll be the star of the party.”
“That should be you, Nellie,” her mother wiped an escaping tear away. “Oh, that’s enough of that.” She looked at the descending sun and waved at the maids. “Dress her, we’re nearly late.”
All three of the maids descended on the gown and then on Nell. Which resulted in her being laced and primped and fluffed into more silk velvet and roses than she’d ever seen in her life.
It was a lovely gown, and Nell took her mother’s hand at the top of the stairs, and they went down together to where her father was waiting at the bottom with long boxes in his hands.
“My girls,” he had tears in his eyes. “You both look stunning, and I have something here that will finish it for good.” He offered her Mama one of the boxes and her the other. Inside Nell’s box was a pearl choker, with drops of pale aquamarines.
Her mama had a collar of star sapphires, with pearls interspersed among the settings.
Her father stepped behind her mother, helping her fit the collar to her throat over her protests. “You look lovely, Mama.”
“Now you, Nellie,” her Papa’s hands were warm as he fastened the choker around her neck. “I saw it at the jeweler’s and thought it would be just the thing for my girl.”
Nell smiled up at her papa, but before she could say anything, there was a knock at the door.
The butler scurried in and opened it, swinging it wide after a moment to reveal Nick, who caught sight of Nell and she watched his eyes bug and his mouth drop open.
Nell felt her gut drop. “I don’t look that bad, do I?”
Chapter Eleven
Nick was being unpardonably rude, just standing there with his mouth open and staring at Nell, who was looking more and more uncomfortable as the time ticked by.
And then his mother whacked him on the back of his head and stepped past him. “You look lovely, my dear. All of you look splendid. Nicholas is just being an idiot.”
“You look—” he stopped; he didn’t know how to phrase it with her parents staring at him. “Miss Warrick, you look lovely, and I will be the luckiest man at the party with you on my arm.”
Nell was a diamond, shining in the light of their foyer, and he was having to fight rather hard not to simply stand there and gawk like a country idiot.
