He is not so obsessed with neatness these days.
“That doesn’t help,” Margaret muttered to him. “Tell her nice things. Like she’ll be wonderful in her debut. That she has nothing to fear.”
Theo smiled and raised his eyebrows in answer.
“Well, you’re a big help,” Margaret said wryly, to which he chuckled.
Louisa looked sharply at Theo. She didn’t need to say anything for Margaret to know what she was thinking. The last three months had been the same. The more Theo had relaxed with her and the public, the more he had been seen to smile and laugh. This new, happy, even jesting Theo, had taken the world by surprise.
“There is nothing to fear,” Margaret assured her sister as she laid her hands on Louisa’s shoulders, comfortingly. “You heard what Evelina said earlier today. It can be a wonderful thing. Even enjoyable.”
“It can be…” Theodore whispered, mischievously.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Margaret asked him, unable to stop her lips lifting in his direction.
“No. In Evelina and Gabriel’s absence, it’s my responsibility to escort your sister into the room tonight. I am here to fulfill my duty.”
Though nothing was said between them on the matter, Margaret knew what he was thinking. The fact that James had chosen to spend the night gambling instead of introducing Louisa to the ton had shocked them both. It had taken all of a second for Theo to volunteer to take his place.
“It’s all so terrifying.” Louisa huffed and turned to face the doors, peering through the crack to the great hall.
Margaret had been certain to make the event a beautiful one. Spring flowers were everywhere all over the room, and the fashion for ladies with bird feathers in their hair had taken hold properly this season. It seemed to have had the effect of making the room feel like a giant aviary.
“I’ll be like a stuffed bird.” Louisa stood straight and wafted at the feather in her own hair.
“You look beautiful,” Margaret said sweetly as she stepped forward to adjust the feather. Had Evelina not been so heavily pregnant, she knew Evelina would have been here, too, to help calm their sister. As it was, that responsibility of care rested on Margaret’s shoulders alone tonight, and she was determined to see it through and protect her sister. “Please do not panic.”
“Too late,” Louisa muttered.
“Yes, the ton can be scary.” Margaret sighed with the words, for she knew it was true. “Yet there are good people in it as well. The trick is to find the people that are good.”
“And to stay away from my cousin, Cedric,” Theo added quickly. “He has something of a… reputation.”
“Bad reputations didn’t stop you two,” Louisa observed, looking between the pair of them.
Theodore winked and Margaret smiled, feeling her cheeks heat.
The last three months had been a wondrous and happy surprise to her. Ever since Theo had revealed her past to her, Margaret had seen who he was at heart more and more.
There was scarcely a day they spent apart now, and they came together for every mealtime. The door between their chamberswas never locked either. The two of them had become quite inseparable, and Margaret was not afraid to tell anyone who would listen that Theo was not only the man she loved, but also her best friend.
“Oh, I cannot bear this!” Louisa wrung her white gloved hands as she turned on the spot once again.
“Louisa, let me assure of you something.” Theodore stepped forward, before Margaret could say anymore. “This is just a party. In its essence, that is all it is. There are plenty of shadows for you to hide in, there are good people to meet too, and there’s a particularly fine champagne on offer as well.”
She smiled, rather sadly.
“If all else fails and you still do not like your debut tonight, then rest assured on this point at least.” Theo offered his arm to her. “My library is just two doors away, and Margaret assures me there at least some books in there you haven’t read yet.”
Margaret and Louisa both laughed.
“Now, are we ready?” he asked, waiting for her approval. As Louisa breathed deeply, Margaret mouthed a quickthank youto her husband. He smiled, for her eyes only.
He knows how to be a part of a family, how to protect, how to love.
Margaret’s body was filled with excitement as Louisa eventually nodded and Theo opened the doors, escorting her into the ballroom.
As Margaret walked alongside her sister, the footman announced Louisa’s entrance and title. Many pairs of eyes turned to face them with curiosity. When Louisa threatened to look down at her feet, Margaret had to subtly elbow her arm, prompting her to look up again.
