The Royal Lacemaker (29 page)

It took her some time to check all their
work, and there was no chance of further conversation. By the end of the day, she
was surprised to see that they were on schedule after all.

Feeling heartened and relieved that she
hadn't lied to Mrs Bodney the previous evening, she bade them good evening,
and then sat there in the gathering dusk going over what Cora had said about Tom and
his boat. It appeared Mrs Westlake had been telling the truth, so where had he
gone?

‘Stand still, for goodness'
sake,' scolded Mrs Bodney as she put the finishing touches to Lily's
hair.

‘Sorry, Mrs Bodney, but I'm
really nervous and it's uncomfortable with all these pins in my
hair.'

‘That style makes you look
sophisticated and it shows off your shoulders to great effect. Men like that,
Lily.'

‘Oh. Must I really wear gloves,
though? It's not winter yet,' she asked, as Mrs Bodney placed a pair
next to her dress.

‘A lady wears gloves regardless of
the season. Now stop fussing. Rupert will be arriving any moment. Do you want him to
see you in your under things?'

‘Goodness me, no,' Lily
gasped, shuddering at the thought.

‘Well, step into your dress and
I'll fasten it for you. Good, now for the gloves,' Mrs Bodney said,
slipping the silky material over her hands. ‘Right, hold the reticule and
I'll pop a touch of rouge on your lips.'

‘On my lips?' Lily
exclaimed.

‘Well, you certainly don't
need any on your cheeks now, do you? There, that's better,' Mrs Bodney
finally pronounced, taking a step back to check her handiwork.

But Lily was too excited to stand still.
Swishing the beautiful dress from side to side, she smiled, then caught sight of her
boots. They were beautiful but the cherry-red
stitching poking out
from under the delicate material looked all wrong.

‘These are lovely but they
don't really go with the dress, do they?' she asked, frowning.

‘You look charming, and if
I'm not mistaken the carriage is pulling up at the door right this very
minute. Have a good time and remember to look the squire right in the eyes as you
are presented,' Mrs Bodney instructed.

‘Presented?' Lily squeaked,
horrified.

‘Indeed you will be, but remember
it's all about perception. If you act like a lady, you'll become
one.'

‘Me? Become a lady?' Lily
laughed, but the other woman was already disappearing down the stairs. As she stood
there gulping like the goldfish she'd once won at the travelling fair, there
was a knock on the door.

‘Mr Mountsford is waiting for you
in the parlour, Miss Rose,' Tilda announced.

Taking a deep breath, Lily descended the
stairs.

As she appeared in the doorway, Rupert
rose to his feet. He seemed transfixed, staring at her for a full moment before
moving towards her and shaking his head.

‘Lily, I can't believe
it's really you. Why, you look wonderful, utterly charming. Not that you
don't always look beautiful,' he added quickly, holding out a corsage of
tiny rosebuds. Bewildered, she stared down at the yellow flowers. What was she
supposed to do with them? Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, Rupert gently took
them from her.

‘May I?' he asked, bending
and pinning them to her dress; then gently taking her arm he led her outside.
‘My carriage awaits you, Cinderella,' he announced.

‘As long as it doesn't turn
into a pumpkin before we get
there,' she laughed, feeling
like a princess in the sapphire velveteen gown. If only she had glass slippers to
wear instead of her boots, she thought settling back on the leather squabs and
sniffing gently. There was that odd smell again.

Before she could dwell on it, Rupert had
climbed in and called to the driver. As the carriage began to move, she sat watching
the flickering lights from the candles in the cottages and the wood smoke pluming
into the inky sky. The scenery looked sort of hazy mauve and very different from the
last ride she'd taken in the carriage. Just then, Rupert rapped on the window
and the coach drew to a halt.

‘What's the matter?'
she asked, but he was busy retrieving something from under his seat and didn't
answer. Then, with a flourish he handed her a parcel tied with a red satin bow.
Surprised, she sat looking down at it.

‘Well, don't you want to see
what's inside?' he asked.

Slowly, she pulled at the ribbon then,
curiosity getting the better of her, flipped off the lid. Inside, nestling amongst
the softest paper, was a pair of blue velvet dancing slippers. They were encrusted
with diamond-like gems that twinkled in the twilight.

‘Why, they're
beautiful,' she gasped.

‘Yes, they are rather,' he
said, smiling at her bemused look. ‘Aren't you going to try them
on?'

‘You mean they're for
me?' she asked, her eyes widening in amazement.

‘Well, I rather think
they'll be a bit small for me,' he teased. ‘Of course they are for
you, Lily. When Mrs Bodney let slip what colour dress you'd be wearing, I took
the liberty of having these made to match.'

‘And she knew?
No wonder she didn't think my wearing these boots would be a problem,'
she said, eagerly pulling them off.

‘May I?' he asked, taking
the slippers from her, then bending down and gently placing one on each foot.

Speechless for probably the first time
in her life, Lily could only gaze in wonderment at her new footwear.

‘They are simply exquisite,'
she said eventually.

‘Well, I do pride myself on
knowing what ladies like,' said Rupert, rather smugly.

‘I guess Albert must have
remembered my size,' she murmured.

‘Ah,' he said smiling.
‘Whilst Albert is undoubtedly a skilled cordwainer, I don't think he
would have had the materials for these. I commissioned them to be made in
London.'

‘But how did you manage that? You
only knew what I'd be wearing a few days ago,' she asked.

He tapped the side of his nose, the way
Mrs Bodney did when she was being secretive.

‘As long as you are pleased, Lily,
then that's all that matters. May I say how delightful you look wearing
them?' he complimented, as she held her feet out in front of her.

‘Thank you,' she murmured,
still bemused at such a wonderful gift.

‘Now, it's time we were on
our way,' he said, rapping on the window again, whereupon the carriage began
to move. As she sat there admiring her new slippers, she heard her father's
voice in her ear.

Careful, Lily, you don't get anything for nothing in this life.

‘Oh,' she gasped.

‘Is something
wrong?' Rupert asked, looking concerned.

‘Well, nobody gives you things for
nothing, so will you, erm, expect …?' her voice stuttered to a halt and
she felt her cheeks growing hot.

‘Lily, really,' he
spluttered, quickly staring out of the window. There was silence for a moment and
then having recovered his composure, he added, ‘I enjoy your company, and am
lucky to have the means to give you a present from time to time. Now stop fretting
and enjoy the rest of the ride.'

She relaxed back, thinking what a really
nice man he was. Then, as they continued their journey, her insides fizzed excitedly
as she thought of the evening ahead. The image of Tom popped into her mind, but she
pushed it away. Why should she worry about him when it was obvious he no longer
cared for her?

Lamplight illuminated the courtyard as
the driver drove up the gravelled carriage sweep, bringing the horses to a stop
outside the imposing pillared portico of the manor house. Jumping down, Rupert
helped her from the carriage then, keeping a light hold on her arm, led her inside.
She gazed in wonder at the grandeur of the hallway, for of course, in the past,
she'd always used the servants' entrance.

‘Mr Rupert Mountsford and Miss
Lily Rose,' the butler announced, and before she knew it, she was standing
before Squire and Lady Clinsden.

‘What in heaven's name is
the meaning …?' spluttered the squire, his face growing redder by the
moment.

‘Lily and Rupert, how kind of you
to join us this evening,'
Lady Clinsden welcomed, cutting
swiftly across her husband. ‘Please do go through. Dancing is about to
commence and supper will be served in the dining hall later. I trust you have an
enjoyable evening. Oh, and Lily, Rupert here dances a very good quadrille so if I
were you I'd get him to teach you,' she laughed. Before Lily could ask
her what a quadrille was, she'd turned away and was greeting her next
guests.

‘It seems my secret is out,'
Rupert said, beaming, and holding out his arm, he guided her through the thronging
guests into the ballroom where a string quartet was playing.

Lily didn't know what was
affecting her most, the blatant stares of the other guests or the heat from
Rupert's arm. She could hear whispers of astonishment as they passed by, but
if Rupert noticed he gave no sign. He stopped beside a table that was set back from
the floor.

‘I think this will suit us well.
We'll be near enough to enjoy the music but far enough away to hear each other
speak,' he was saying, but she was aware of the sudden chill as he withdrew
his arm. ‘Would you care for some refreshment?' he asked as a servant
hovered beside them.

Lily nodded. Words were beyond her at
the moment, and she busied herself studying the glass of sparkling pink liquid that
was placed before her. Should she or should she not remove her gloves before picking
it up? As the bubbles rose and popped, she surreptitiously glanced around, trying to
ascertain what the other ladies were doing.

‘It's only mildly
intoxicating, Lily. Take a sip; it might fortify you,' Rupert urged, mistaking
her hesitation.

Oh, what does it
matter? she thought as, throwing caution to the wind, she did as he bid. She was
pleasantly surprised to find it tasted of summer berries, and smiling, she took
another sip.

‘Gently does it, Lily. We've
yet to partake of supper,' Rupert chided gently. Much to her embarrassment,
her stomach rumbled, reminding her she'd been too excited to eat anything
since breaking her fast that morning. If Rupert heard, he showed no sign as he sat
there gently tapping his fingers on the table in time to the music. There was a
sudden flurry of activity around them, as guests began making their way onto the
dance floor. Smiling, he rose and held out his hand.

‘They're forming squares for
dancing. Come on, let's have some fun.' And before she could answer, she
found herself being led onto the floor. Her movements were hesitant at first, but
she followed his lead and was soon caught up in the rhythm of the music. Curious
stares were cast in their direction but, following Rupert's example, she
ignored them. He was clearly enjoying himself and she intended to as well. By the
time the quadrille was announced she had forgotten her nerves and was having fun
herself.

‘You dance well, Lily,'
Rupert said, breathlessly, as they finally left the floor to take a break.

‘I just followed you,
really,' she said, sinking onto her seat, then remembering where she was, sat
up straight again.

‘Then you are obviously a
natural,' he said, smiling at her so engagingly she found herself responding.
Heedless of the others around them, he continued gazing into her
eyes until she felt quite light-headed and that tingle began creeping up her spine
again.

The dinner gong sounded, shattering the
moment and bringing them rudely back to the present.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, please make
your way to the dining hall where supper will be served,' the butler
announced.

Rupert grinned at her ruefully. ‘I
have to admit I could eat the proverbial horse. What about you, Lily?'

‘Oh, I could only manage a pony,
I'm afraid,' she quipped, sending them both into fits of laughter,
bringing more disapproving looks their way.

‘Lily, we must behave ourselves or
I fear we shall be cast out on the streets, cold and hungry,' murmured Rupert
gravely. Then with a wicked smile, he jumped to his feet, holding out his arm for
her to take.

The dining hall was lit by myriad
candles and, as they were shown to their table, Lily couldn't get over how
splendid the chandeliers looked, casting their flickering glow around the room. Of
course, she'd never had time to look around and appreciate the grandeur when
she'd been serving at the tables. A guffaw of raucous laughter caught her
attention and she shivered as she saw the squire sitting close by. Quickly, she
looked down, hoping he wouldn't notice her.

‘Is anything wrong, Lily?'
Rupert asked, leaning towards her. Again, she felt that tingling sensation. Seeing
the tender concern in his eyes, she thought again what a nice man he was.

‘No, everything is fine, thank
you, Rupert,' she answered, trying not to squirm as the squire turned and shot
her a look of loathing. Remembering Mrs Bodney's advice,
she coolly returned his stare but it made her feel uncomfortable. Then his attention
was diverted as his first course was served and she could relax. Saved by the soup,
she thought, trying not to giggle.