CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
“Lydia!”
Lydia turned, relieved, toward the sound of a friendly voice. Nancy was rushing over to her, Colin following behind at some distance. She held out her arms and embraced her friend. “Nancy, it’s so good to see you,” she said. “I didn’t know if our paths would cross tonight.”
“Oh, Colin and I never miss a ball,” Nancy said as Colin came walking up to join them. “Isn’t that right, darling?”
“Never miss one,” Colin agreed. “Nancy here is quite passionate about them, of course. You knew that already, though, Lydia.”
“I’m not sure I did know,” Lydia admitted. “We met at a ball, of course, and we’ve attended so many of them together, but I don’t think I realized they were a true passion of yours, Nancy.”
“Everything about them is a joy,” Nancy said with a smile. “Choosing a new gown is one of my favorite parts. It’s rare that I’m able to afford anything as fine as what you’re wearing tonight, of course—it’s so beautiful, and the very latest in fashion! But Colin always ensures that I’m able to have something new to me, even if it isn’t necessarily new to Society.”
Lydia could see what her friend meant. The gown Nancy was wearing resembled a style Lydia herself already had in her closet, and there were several other ladies at the ball dressed in similar things. Lydia’s gown, meanwhile, stood out in the crowd—Lydia thought she might have been the only one here to be wearing something like it. It was one of a kind. And yet, Nancy looked radiant. It was something about the obvious joy she had at the fact of being placed in the gown she was wearing. She felt beautiful, so she was beautiful. It was that simple.
And Lydia enjoyed her friend’s happiness.
“The gown is wonderful,” she told Nancy. “And I’m so glad the two of us are here together.”
“Oh, I am too,” Nancy said. “I thought you might not come.”
“It seems everyone thought we might not come,” Lydia remarked.
“How on earth did you talk him into it?” Colin asked.
“I didn’t talk him into anything,” Lydia said. “He’s the one who asked me if I wanted to come.”
“You’re kidding. He offered to bring you to the ball?”
“I know,” Lydia said. “I know it’s shocking. It seems to be the only thing anyone wants to say to me today—how shocking it is that my husband would bring me to a ball.”
“Well, that’s rude,” Colin commented.
Lydia turned to look at him. It hadn’t occurred to her that it was a rude thing to say. “What do you mean?” she asked him.
“It’s not very kind of people to act as though it’s shocking that your husband would want to take you to a ball,” Colin explained. “Of course, I know they don’t mean it as a slight against you. No one means to suggest it’s a surprise that a gentleman would want to bring a lady such as yourself to a ball. Of course not. You’re lovely.”
Lydia darted a glance at Nancy to see whether she was troubled that her husband had made that comment, but Nancy smiled and nodded, a clear indication that nothing was wrong. “Colin is right,” she said. “You are lovely, Lydia. Any gentleman would be lucky to have you on his arm tonight.”
“Still,” Colin went on, “it’s simply not very polite for them to say that it’s surprising for Edward to be here with you. I think, if I were in your shoes, that would make me feel as if people thought I wasn’t exciting enough, or beautiful enough, to make my husband want to come to a ball with me. Obviously, that’s not what they mean, but I just hope you haven’t been made to feel that way.”
The expression on his face was so genuine that Lydia couldn’t help smiling at him. “It’s so kind of you to ask,” she said. “There’s nothing to worry about. No one has made me feel bad.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” Colin replied. “And, as you know, Nancy and I are both extremely happy to have you here. Any friend of my wife’s is a good friend of mine, and it’s made her so happy to know that she has a close friend here.”
Lydia beamed at Nancy. “I’m glad we get to do this together too,” she said. “I don’t think I would be having nearly as much fun as I am if not for you.”
“I imagine you wouldn’t,” Nancy agreed, an expression of concern crossing her face. “What’s happened to Edward? He was just here, and now, he’s gone. I know Colin was looking forward to having the opportunity to speak with him.”
“Yes, I imagine he’ll be back very soon,” Lydia said, feeling a bit uncomfortable about having to make excuses for her husband’s absence. “He wanted a bit of fresh air.”
“And, of course, he didn’t take you with him,” Colin remarked, rolling his eyes. “Because how could a man possibly walk out in the garden with his wife on his arm? That’s classic Edward. I’m sure he didn’t mean to offend you, Lydia. He just doesn’t think about what he’s doing.”
“I wasn’t offended.” Lydia assured them.
But now that she thought about it, shedidfeel ever so slightly offended. She and Edward had been dancing together, and then, he had just left her with hardly any explanation. What was she to make of that? Whyhadn’the brought her along if all he had wanted was a quick walk in the garden? She would have enjoyed such an excursion, and it would have given the pair of them an opportunity to continue getting to know one another—to continue the good time they had been having so far.
At least, shethoughtit had been a good time.
