“Timeless?” Nicholas chuckled, examining the sleeves of the dress. “Pray tell, what is so timeless about a puffed sleeve? It can double as a purse, surely, with how much space there is inside of it.”
Joanna narrowed her eyes at him. Deborah, who had been listening to their conversation, noticed that she seemed more playful and less on guard when interacting with Nicholas. The pressures of being the perfect lady seemed less intense when it was not the Duke, letting more of her real personality come out.
“I am not sure who made you the authority on women’s fashion,” Joanna teased back, seeming to enjoy their little banter.
“My grandmother thinks that I have excellent taste,” Nicholas replied cheekily.
“Who is old-fashioned now?” Joanna sparred. “Surely, her tastes belong to a different time entirely, and the fact that she considers you to have a good sense of style must mean that the two things correspond.”
“Fair play,” Nicholas said.
The Duke saw the two interacting and stepped into the conversation.
“Is that the dress you picked out, Lady Joanna?” he asked, nodding appreciatively at Joanna’s choice.
“Yes, Your Grace.” The timidness returned to Joanna’s voice once more. “What do you think about it?”
“It is a great choice,” he said. “You should get it.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Joanna replied, concluding their conversation.
Again, Deborah could not help but notice how stiffly the Duke and Joanna behaved with each other. She compared it to her own interactions with the Duke. The two of them could scarcely go without arguing for too long.
She thought to herself that maybe this is what the Duke desires in a woman, someone who brings him peace. Feeling disheartened once more, she decided to stop secretly listening in to their conversation and help Emma instead, who seemed to be struggling in deciding what fabric she should pick.
“There are just too many options.” Emma sighed, holding up a piece of silk in her hands. “Each is equally beautiful as the other. You must help me, Deborah, for I am at my wit’s end.”
Deborah smiled, relieved at the chance to occupy her mind elsewhere. “Well, silk is an excellent choice for all seasons,” she remarked, making use of what her grandmother had told her throughout her life.
“Yes, but what about the color?” Emma asked. “I am confused between this wonderful lilac and emerald green.”
“I believe green would complement your complexion quite well,” Deborah replied. “It is a bold color, and definitely something that will make you stand out in the crowd.”
“Oh, you think?” Emma flushed, holding the fabric against her skin.
“I certainly do.”
“What do you think, dear brother?” Emma asked the Duke, who walked over to the two of them. “Shall I go with the green or the lilac dress?”
“It is an obvious choice,” he replied immediately. “Lilac, as it compliments your femininity. The green one is far too pronounced.”
“Why do you think only light colors complement femininity?” Deborah challenged. “I believe green can be just as feminine as lilac.”
The Duke pursed his lips. “I am afraid I do not agree with you there, My Lady.”
“I believe you should go with the green,” Deborah urged her friend.
She expected the Duke to come up with an argument, perhaps lecturing her about traditions, but to her surprise, he merely nodded, holding back his comments.
“If you say so, then green it shall be,” Emma said, finally picking the color.
Instead of feeling triumphant, Deborah could not help but feel a little disappointed instead. To her surprise, she yearned for the familiar dance of opposing opinions between the Duke and her. It was not something she had ever expected to feel, given that she considered arguing with him a mostly unpleasant experience.
“She’s picked green,” she said to him directly now, breaking her promise to herself that she would avoid interacting with him. “Do you not wish to change her mind, Your Grace?”
The Duke simply shrugged. “She may do as she wishes.”
His sudden diplomacy both confused and hurt Deborah, and she found herself wishing that they would argue about the choice of color.
