“Very well then, you must take charge of Isabell for the evening and accompany me to the ballroom. I will require you to be in attendance all evening.”
“And Miss Lucy, Your Grace? You usually prefer her to be with you.”
Judith glanced over at the plain Flossy. “No, I want you with me this evening. Miss Lucy is to be called only if there is an emergency and only if I request her. You understand?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
* * *
The Duke and George were to receive the guests at the main entrance, and The Duchess and her daughters were to greet the guests as they arrived in the ballroom. It was thought the flickering candlelight would add a charming blush to the daughters, whose fate depended on a successful and glittering evening. They must be showcased at the very beginning.
But before the guests arrived at the second receiving line, both the ladies and gentlemen needed to change into their dancing shoes, which they carried with them in shoe bags. The shoes and boots they arrived in were inappropriate for the light and fanciful dances of the evening, and flexible dancing slippers were required for both sexes.
The ballroom was one of the delights of Grayson Manor. It ran the length of one wing of the house, with windows on one side overlooking the estate and the opposite wall covered with mirrors, reflecting the view in the daytime, and the dancers, the myriad candles, and flowers reflecting in the evening. The scent of the burning candles filled the air, mingled with the perfumes of the various guests.
As the guests streamed into the ballroom, the elders found chairs around the perimeter where they might chat amongst themselves and watch the young people dance. The rest of the guests quickly formed into cliques of folks who knew each other. But they were all eyeing each other looking for advantageous new connections.
The Duchess was intent on filling up all the dances on her daughters’ dance cards—however, leaving a few dances free in case some young gentleman of quality was interested enough to ask for a second dance.
Judith had specifically reserved a place next to her for her dear friend, the Dowager Countess Rose Coombs, who knew everyone of quality in the county and could be called upon to narrate the story of each gentleman who showed any interest in one of her daughters.
After the receiving line dwindled, the Duchess nodded to the orchestra conductor to start the dancing and almost immediately the dance floor filled with dancers for a lusty Boulanger. The dance began, and the participants began to prance, hop, and swirl in grand exuberance.
Judith went to her chair and took Isabell from Flossy who was standing by. Judith leaned over to Countess Rose and said discreetly, “A most important evening. It is impossible to contemplate three unmarried daughters. I am counting on you to help me snare a couple or three perfect bachelors.”
The Countess chuckled. “You and at least a dozen other mothers in attendance this evening. I never knew such a surplus of daughters and a drought of suitable young gentlemen. Have they all joined the guards and gone off to India?”
Judith sighed, and then sighted Charlotte dancing with a relatively decent looking young man. “And who would that be with Charlotte?” she asked Rose.
“Ah, that is Jeremiah Cotsworth. The third son of the principal wool merchant from Shaftesbury. Decent, but with very little prospects unless they send him up to the university.”
“Ah…,” the Duchess said, writing into her little notebook and then picking up her fan and checking out the dance floor from behind it.
“And the young man with Betsy?”
The Countess squinted and finally finding Betsy said, “Oh, no. Totally unsuitable. His father is a tradesman of the lowest order. I am surprised he made it on to your guest list.”
Judith shuffled in her chair. It was difficult dealing with Isabell, her notebook, and her fan all at the same time.
Several more dances passed, and the Duchess spotted a handsome young gentleman who had just come into the ballroom with a sweet young lady at his side. Judith elbowed the Countess who had nearly fallen asleep.
“And who is that young man?” she asked with great enthusiasm.
The Countess jerked out of her stupor and looked up. “Oh, that is Beaumont Goodwin and his sister, Priscilla. They only recently settled into the Brookdale Estate for the foreseeable future. Down from London, and I believe he is the first son of Lord Goodwin the current Exchequer.”
“Lord Goodwin?”
“And the family has quite an estate in Shropshire—cattle, pork, grains, and a distillery in Scotland.
Judith became very excited, but then realized he was not on any of her daughter’s dance cards. Something must be done. Oh, where was Lucy when she needed her? And then, of course, she remembered. Lucy had been consigned to the kitchen for the evening. Drat.
The Duchess looked around to see whom she might call upon and spotted George who was not dancing at the moment. She caught his gaze and waved for him to come over—which he did. George was handsomely dressed in his finest attire—camel colored breeches, with a maroon waistcoat and a black cravat and coat.
“Georgie, I need you to fetch the young gentleman and lady who just came into the ballroom—unfashionably late, I might add.”
“Which would those be, Mother? I have not been following who might be coming or going.”
Judith pointed discreetly with her fan toward the couple. The gentleman in the brown coat with the charming looking young lady.”
