His Heart's Delight Read Free

endless scolding. And Joanna would lose all the confidence
that first dance had given her.
    When Mrs. Lambert asked about her partner,
Joanna replied with a smile and made to point him out. As she
scanned the sea of faces, Joanna gave Christiana a less than
ladylike wink.
    Why do I worry? Christiana thought. She has been dealing with Mama for two years longer than I, and
made a much better job of it.
    She let the conversation float around her.
Anticipation filled the air, and surely tonight she was queen of
that emotion. She had months with a wonderful city to explore and
shops by the hundreds! It was no burden to accompany Joanna to
boost her confidence, to help her secure a match so that her
sister’s happiness would equal her own. Surrounded by the
excitement, she could almost ignore her fear for Richard.
    Fear he’d made her promise to forget when
he’d urged her to accompany her sister to Town. His own inclination
did not include visits to London and he’d insisted that he wanted
her to enjoy it now and be content to stay at home once they were
wed. She felt a fresh burst of guilt at the realization that it was
so much easier than she had anticipated.
    A woman spoke to her and Christiana turned
her attention back to the group. On closer look, Christiana saw
that they were not all matrons; some were the dowagers,
grandmothers, and maiden ladies old enough to remember when no one
had heard of Napoleon. She moved closer and curtsied as she
recognized the Dowager Duchess of Halston.
    They had met briefly earlier in the week when
they had visited the same milliner.
    Months ago she thought she might faint if she
met an actual duchess, but how could she be intimidated by a woman
in a years-old gown, whose most frequent word was “Eh?”
    “Why ain’t you dancing?”
    Christiana smiled and bent close to her. The
old lady’s skin was parchment fine and her scent was of roses and
something else that was old-fashioned but charming. Christiana
spoke above the steady hum of voices. “The musicians have stopped
for the moment, Your Grace.”
    The old woman tapped Christiana’s arm with
her fan. “In my day they would not stop until we told them to.”
    “It must have been wonderful.”
    She nodded with a smile that showed teeth
still white and strong. “Why, I recall when the King—before he had
all those children, you understand—I recall the King and Queen came
to a masquerade that the duke gave—my husband’s father that
is.”
    The old duchess spoke on, telling her how the
King had eyes for no one but his wife, though several ladies did
their best to catch his attention. “Everyone knows his constancy to
his wife caused his madness.”
    Christiana had never heard that outrageous
suggestion before. She moved closer and steered the conversation
away from the delicate subject of the King’s health and asked her
about the clothes of the day. It was a subject the old lady warmed
to. Of course, one could not compare the somber clothes that men
wore today with the elegant satins and brocades of days past.
    “I am forever telling my grandson Morgan that
men must dress in finery. How else are they to attract ladies?”
    The musicians moved toward the small stage,
and once again she tapped Christiana’s arm with her fan. “You must
dance. This is not the time or place to speak with an old woman.
Besides, they play so loud that I cannot hear. Call on me tomorrow
and we will talk more.” She left abruptly with a brief word of
farewell.
    With a curtsy to the retreating figure,
Christiana turned her attention toward the ballroom, wondering if
Richard’s brother would remember their dance. Peter’s excitement
about the London Season matched hers, though his interests differed
significantly. Christiana knew that if he were settled in the card
room there would be no hope he would remember his promise.
    If he was so easily distracted by a game of
cards, then her original plan to rely on him as escort for the
Season was not a