"Your dress. Now get moving. I just need to find the shoes we hid amongst the potatoes." She disappeared into the pantry, and I could hear her muttering to herself.
Alice held out a towel. "Ready for you, miss." Her eyes glinted with mischief.
Whatever would I do without these two? And how much quieter would my life be without these two? "Oh, Alice, what are you two cooking? Apart from my hide."
She towelled the moisture from my limbs. "Magda and I have been working on a dress for you. As soon as we heard about the ball, we wanted you to have something extra special."
A cry of triumph came from the pantry and Magda emerged, a pair of heels dangling from her fingers. They were the most magical shoes I had ever seen. Covered in tiny glass beads, they captured the light like the dress.
"We must have magic potatoes, if that is what they grow in the dark," I said.
Magda picked up the dress and scooped it over my head. It tumbled over my form, clinging to my slender curves. It stopped above my knees at the front and flared out at the back to mid-calf length. It was the cut at the very edge of fashion, as though they had plucked it straight from the last edition of Vogue.
"It's beautiful," I whispered as I fingered the strands. "How on earth did you manage it?"
Magda smiled. "The under chemise was simple. Then we did all the strands of beads separately; it was easy to grab the odd quiet moment to string the little things. Then I would stitch them on at night, in my room."
Magda brushed my hair and added a feather and beaded headband to my blonde waves. "There."
The dress moved and swayed with me, like the current of an ocean. I slipped my feet into the shoes. "I feel like a princess, and you two are like fairy godmothers."
"And you shall go to the ball," Alice said, slipping her arm through mine. "Your carriage awaits."
"Wait." I stopped by the door. "There's something I have to do first."
"He's still up," Magda said. "Stewart and I thought you would want to show him the dress before you go."
I raced back through the kitchen and up the stairs to father's room. I pushed the door open to find him sitting in his usual spot by the window.
There! I didn't imagine it this time. His head turned and a smile pulled one corner of his lips.
"Isn't it beautiful?" I twirled in front of him.
The smile crept further across his face, and for the first time in a year, I glimpsed my father hiding in the depths of his eyes. The doctors said his brain injury was most likely irrecoverable, but they simply didn't know. We never believed them, and stubbornly kept faith that one day he might return to us, just as we believed Henry would find his voice. Tonight seemed to be the night for miracles.
I touched the fall of silver running over my thighs. "Magda and Alice made it for me. Tonight I dance with the duke! I intend to thumb my nose at Louise, and stand up to a rather evil monster. Then I shall come home and tell you all about it."
I kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand. A faint pressure returned my touch and my heart soared. Nothing could ruin tonight, not now that my father's sleeping soul had awoken.
Downstairs, Magda and Alice waited for me. Stewart had to drive the motorcar to take the others to the ball, which limited my transportation options. Alice laughed and opened the door.
Henry sat with Trusty the Triumph, which now sported a sidecar.
"Where did that come from?" We never owned such a contraption.
"Frank," she said his name and sighed at the same time. "He thought it might be handy."
I shook my head, but laughter welled up in my chest. "My carriage for the ball is a sidecar on the motorcycle?"
"Yes, and you'll need these." Alice handed me the googles and a cushion.
"And keep your mouth shut so you don't get bugs in your teeth." Was Magda's offered advice.
I might be wearing the most beautiful dress I had ever owned, but they would have to prise my sword from my hand. I tucked it into the sidecar, and Henry held my hand while I clambered in, taking my seat on the blue cushion. I tapped the front. "We could mount a machine gun on this, might be useful."
Henry grinned and gave me the thumbs up; he liked the idea too. Might have to ask Frank if he could procure one. The bike rumbled into life.
I grinned at Alice and Magda. "Are you going to tell me to be home by midnight?"
"Tosh, party will only be starting then. We don't expect to see you back until dawn," Magda said. She and Alice waved, and we set off down the road.
We rattled along the packed dirt, and I clutched my feathered headband, ensuring it didn't blow off and fly down the road. Serenity House was lit up. Every light in the place must have been on, with additional lanterns on tall poles lining the driveway. The entire estate exuded an enchanted air, as though anything could happen — like a serving girl taking the hand of a duke to dance at a grand ball.
There was something far more opulent than decorative lights lining the drive: a procession of gleaming motorcars. As Henry manoeuvred between them, my heart grew tighter in my chest. I couldn't do this. Gentry from the surrounding county poured into Serenity House, and I would be an imposter amongst them. I pulled my googles off and threw them down by my feet. No, we had to go back. This was a foolish idea.
The little door in the sidecar cracked open. "Lord Leithfield is looking for you, miss." Warrens, the butler, held out his hand to me as though I were waiting to exit an expensive motor, not lever myself from a sidecar.
Seth was waiting for me, and I at least owed him a last dance. I placed my hand in Warrens and met his gaze. "What if I were just a nobody, and not a lady at all?"
"You are the defender of this parish miss, and have always acted noble, even if you were not born to it."
Deep thinkers, butlers. I wonder if it's all that time standing around in hallways waiting for something to happen? Warrens had been with the deMage family for decades, and no doubt had a network of ears throughout the county. He must have known the truth of my origins. Had he told Seth I was no noble?
"You'll find his grace in the ballroom, miss."
Apparently I was taking too long to decide on a course of action. He nodded toward the noise and light spilling from the house. Here goes nothing.
Up the steps, I ventured across the expansive entranceway to the source of the noise. The ballroom occupied its own wing running off to one side. It dropped below the level of the rest of the house. The steps downward enabled one to survey the dancers below and make an entrance.
I stepped over the threshold as though I expected to find it packed with vermin. It wasn't, but it seethed with colour from the myriad of women in a range of fashions. Some still clung to the pre-war fashion of long gowns and trains. One or two modelled the scandalous harem pants, but most had raised hemlines. I was the only one baring my knees in the height of fashion.
The men were mostly monochromatic in black evening wear and white (or ivory) shirts. Amongst them I spotted the khaki of soldiers. They hung near the open doorways, some with rifles slung over their shoulders. One man detached himself from a group of penguins by the side and walked to the bottom of the steps.
Seth.
The Duke of Leithfield raised one dark eyebrow and looked up at me. His hand extended, waiting. "Will you dance with me, Ella?"
Chapter Nineteen
How could I refuse?
I took the last step and laid my hand in his. He drew me near as the band began to play a waltz. Not the ragtime music I expected, but I wasn't going to complain while he held me close for a slow dance.
"You look beautiful," he whispered. His gaze shone, turning the grey of his eyes to shot silver.
"You're very fine yourself," I said. He was exquisite in his tails, but I imagined it was bad form to call a man beautiful.
We moved out on to the parquet floor. While it gleamed for the moment, it would be dull and scuffed by thousands of footsteps by dawn. Overhead, enormous chandeliers glinted, as though Seth had plucked several moons from the heavens and hung them from the ceiling. One wall contained French doors at regular intervals, leading to the patio and gardens beyond. In between each set of doors, mounted on the wall, were crossed swords, from Japanese katanas to Scottish claymores. Steel caught the overhead light, and fire ran along razor edges. These were no ornaments, but sharpened blades ready to be used.
"I like the décor choice," I said, nodding to a set of exquisite katanas with long, silken tassels.
A smile pulled at his lips. "With this many people and all the doors open, I thought it would be prudent to be prepared."
I had the image of lumbering vermin climbing through the windows and rushing onto the dance floor. Let's hope they didn't like to party, but I admired his forethought. That also explained the soldiers, ready to repel the enemy should they make a push over the balcony. "Spoken like a true duke, looking out for his people."
His serious gaze pulled me in. "Something I learned from you. These people need my direction and protection. It's not a duty I ever wanted, but I will take it up. I will not fail them."
A shiver ran down my spine. Did he feel it under his fingers where he touched my skin? His gaze stripped me bare, down to the core of who I was. The conversation of a few hours ago ran through my mind. Had he really spoken to the king and queen about marrying me? Preposterous.
I looked sideways at our joined hands. That was a future beyond my grasp.
Enjoy the moment, Ella, and then blow it away like a dandelion fluff ball.
My gaze drifted to the uniforms by the door. "Where did all the army chaps come from?"
"I told the War Office of your bee and hive hypothesis. They are intrigued, and agree it should be investigated. They sent a detachment of troops to help us search for the hive, concentrating on the area we identified on the map, but I thought to use the spares as security tonight." He grinned, and I thought I detected a hint of pride.
They thought my idea had merit. An ember burned in my stomach at being valued for what I could contribute to this fight. Equality was seductive, giving one dreams far above one's station. Like dancing with a duke, when you should be scrubbing the hearths and bringing in wood to keep the range ticking over.
The waltz came to an end, and people clapped for the musicians. Seth kept his arm around my waist, holding me to him.
"Wait with me. I have arranged a special treat." He winked.
On the raised platform, the men and women trooped to one side, while another band walked on. People gasped, whispers shot around the room as they were recognised. Their faces adorned the front page of the daily papers. Louise played their record constantly, practicing her moves. The lauded Original Dixieland Jazz band took up their instruments. The British called their sound
hot
music, but Americans called it jazz, and it was sweeping the country faster than the flu pandemic.
I was impressed. Perhaps there were advantages to being a duke. "Lord Leithfield, how scandalous, bringing jazz music to the country. However did you manage it?"
That wide smile took over his face, and my knees melted. "They are on tour in England. I have some pull, and detoured them on their way to Bath."
"The older ladies will pass out, you know." Already the matrons were shaking their heads, the older men throwing up their arms. I couldn't hear their words, but I imagined it was something akin to
foolish children and their distasteful music.
As the band played, our conversation ended. The fast beat took over, and I was grateful for late nights trying out new steps with Alice. The beads on my dress spun and slapped, and for a moment, I imagined I was one of the new women – a bright young thing with the world spread before her.
Four numbers later, and I thought my lungs would explode from lack of oxygen — never had I danced so fast and free. My skin glowed, and if I didn't stop now, I would need to dab a napkin under my armpits. Seth breathed heavy as well, but his gaze remained on me.
The band took a break for refreshments, something I desperately needed.
"Time for a drink?" he asked.
"Please, before I pass out and you'll have to carry me to the side." As I said the words, he winked, and my treacherous knees thought about seeing what it would be like to have him sweep me into his arms and whisk me away. Perhaps somewhere slightly less crowded than the ballroom?
As we crossed the floor, I took a step from the gaiety of the dance, and back into a world that burned and crashed down around my ears.
"Whore!"
I didn't need to turn to know who had screamed the insult across the room. How long had she waited for her moment? Did she see me descend the stairs and take Seth's hand so many dances ago? Given she expected to wring a marriage proposal from him this evening, she must have watched every second I spent in his arms.
Confronting me during a dance would have gone largely unnoticed in the push and hustle of bodies and loud music. Yelling
whore
in the peace that descends when the band is on a break certainly has impact. Complete silence fell and all eyes centred on us. To give Louise her dues, she knew how to create a scene.