The night of the ball quickly arrived, and Emily found that she was quite excited. It was to be her first public ball, as her mother had never encouraged attending country assemblies.
It wasn't customary for noblemen to attend these public events but, she learned, Nate had always made it a point to, knowing that it would show his tenants that he did not think himself better than them or above them. It was rather admirable of him, for most titled folk, including her own parents, Emily knew, thought themselves above such frivolities, that these pursuits were plebian. Nate, at least, didn't take himself too seriously.
While getting ready for the ball, she made sure to choose a gown that was not too elaborate, as did Cassandra and Alexandra. Allie, however, made it clear that she had hoped that she'd attend her first ball wearing something much fancier. Instead, she'd had to don one of her old evening gowns, rather than one of the ball gowns that Kit had bought her.
"Where's the ball being held tonight?" Emily asked, wincing as Ellen cinched the stays of her corset rather tightly, before helping her into the dress she'd picked for the evening. It was a simple cream coloured gown and, although the ribbon she'd bought the other day had been meant for the hair, she tied it beneath the bust of her dress to make it a bit more decorative, for it was quite plain.
"At the home of a gentleman by the name of Mr. Bennett. He has a large home that he has opened to the public for tonight." Cassandra answered, looking up from Allie's hair, which she was styling in a pretty, yet elaborate updo that was composed of many twined braids that were pinned to her head with little silver hairpins, with the assistance of Allie's lady's maid, Christiana.
"Are you ready, then?" Allie asked impatiently once Emily had finally been laced into her dress. She'd been the last to get ready and the other two were waiting for her.
"Sorry, give me a moment." She said, slipping her feet into her satin slippers. "Right, I'm done now."
"Good." Cassie said with a smile, hooking her arm through Emily's and pulling her downstairs. "I cannot wait to introduce you to country balls. They are such fun. They don't have any of the stuffiness we are used to at most other private balls."
"Good." She affirmed with a nod, "We could all do with a bit less stuffiness."
"That I wholeheartedly agree with." Cassandra informed her, glancing over her shoulder to see if Allie was following. Once they reached the top of the grand staircase, she added. "Alright, you and Allie go downstairs. I'll say goodnight to Juliette before meeting you there."
"Alright." Alexandra said, but didn't bother waiting for Emily before skipping downstairs and launching herself at Nate, who was waiting right at the bottom and hugging him tightly, her excitement incredibly evident. Emily chuckled, and hurried down the steps herself. Allie wrenched herself off her brother only a few seconds after that.
"Is that your new ribbon, Emily?" Nate asked, noticing instantly, making her flush as pink as the ribbon. "It suits you very much."
Emily couldn't think of anything to say in response to that, and only managed a small smile of gratitude. At the sight of this little exchange, Allie had a strange look in her eyes as she glanced between them, a peculiar smile coming upon her lips.
They didn't wait much longer than that before Cassandra and Kit arrived, descending the stairs arm in arm. Cassandra's hair was out of place and Kit's jacket was suspiciously dishevelled, which gave the others quite the clue as to what they had been doing. Nate certainly garnered the truth, for he groaned softly and scrunched up his nose.
"Under my own roof, Kit, really?" He demanded, but it was quite obvious that he wasn't serious. "At least don't make it so clear."
"What?" Allie asked, entirely oblivious. Her innocence about such matters was rather endearing. There was still a certain talk that Nate or, rather, Cassandra had to have with her. Emily and Cassandra, however, had learned whatever there was to learn through a Gothic romance novel they had seen and purchased in Hatchards, when they'd been shopping in Piccadilly together.
"Uh, shall we leave?" Nate suggested, unwilling to mention a word about the matter to his little sister.
"Oh, yes!" Allie agreed excitedly. "I asked Malcolm to tell the stable boy to prepare the carriage ages ago."
Emily laughed as they headed outside, towards the carriage. It was rather stuffy inside with all five of them, and she found herself squeezed in between Nate and Allie, a little too close to Nate for her nerves. His arm was awkwardly splayed across the seat behind them, and touched the back of her neck, making the hairs there prickle. She couldn't ever remember being in such close contact with a man, especially one she fancied as much as she did Nate.
They arrived at the aforementioned Mr. Bennett's house not twenty minutes later, but it felt like an eternity. By the end of it, she didn't mind the proximity at all, and was certainly beginning to like it quite a bit. However, they came to a jerking halt in front of a large, somewhat dilapidated mansion.
There were no footmen milling about to take their cloaks and guide them to the ballroom. Instead, they had to find their own way. There wasn't even an announcer. The ball wasn't even taking place in the actual ballroom but, on the other hand, right in the foyer. The house was built in the old-fashioned style, which meant that the foyer itself was large enough to accommodate the dancers and those merely socialising were in the surrounding rooms.
Nate, being the owner of the land, attracted quite a bit of attention from those that recognised him, which meant most of the attendees. A few mothers even nudged their daughters to stand up straighter or look prettier because they were in the presence of a rich, eligible bachelor.
Since the ball was entirely informal, there weren't any dance cards either. That meant that a lady could dance with any gentleman who asked her whenever she pleased.
"Lady Hawthorne," Kit began dramatically, bending lowly in a mocking bow, "Would you do me the great honour of dancing the first dance with me?"
"Why, yes, kind sir!" Cassandra agreed with a flutter of her eyebrows, pretending to simper. "I would be delighted."
The happy couple took off towards the dance floor, while Nate appeared reluctant to leave Allie's side, even as he was called over by someone he clearly knew.
"Go," Emily ordered, in a whisper too soft for Alexandra to hear, "It will appear rude otherwise. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to her."
"Alright." Nate gave in hesitantly, but finally went over to his acquaintance, but not before warning his sister not to even think of flirting with a man. Emily couldn't help but laugh at his overprotectiveness while Allie simply rolled her eyes, making it clear that she wasn't going to listen to a word he had said.
"So, is it everything you thought it would be?" Emily probed, once she and Alexandra were truly alone. She had to shout a bit to be heard over the loud sounds of music and chatter, but it didn't really matter for, before Allie could answer, they were approached by a young man. He looked to be about twenty one, which meant he would likely be three years younger than Emily. He was pleasing to the eye, but not exactly devastatingly handsome. However, he carried himself with a confidence that only increased his appeal.
"Good evening." He greeted, bowing. "My name is Edgar Bennett."
Since he was not titled and both of them outranked him, they did not curtsy. Emily, used to having to fake all of these things, said in a voice sweet as could be, "Mr. Bennett! I suppose we have you to thank for tonight. It truly is lovely."
"I thank you for the compliments, my lady, but it is the elder Mr. Bennett, my father, to whom this evening must be credited to." He bowed again, and Emily couldn't help but feel that his manners were rather rehearsed. There was something almost predatory in his eyes as he looked over Alexandra, and Emily involuntarily stepped a little closer to the girl.
"I don't believe we've been introduced." Mr. Bennett continued, his eyes not leaving Allie. They roved over her, taking in every inch of her, more lecherous than he was charming.
"Lady Alexandra Whitlock." Allie said, her cheeks colouring in a pretty blush. "And my companion is Lady Emily Carter."
"Whitlock?" Mr. Bennett asked, his curiosity evidently having been piqued. "Might you be the infamous sister of His Grace, the Duke of Somerhall?"
Upon seeing Allie's nod, he continued, "The entire county has been aflame with news of your beauty, milady, but nothing can compare to your true appearance. You are lovelier than even the tallest tales boasts." His compliment was delivered with a grin that was probably meant to be roguish but came across to Emily as being menacing. It seemed to work on Allie, however, for she giggled.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Bennett." She gushed, sounding every bit the naive debutante Emily was sure men like him were used to preying on. She would not allow Allie to be treated the same way as all those other poor girls who hadn't known what they were getting themselves into.
"Mr. Bennett, I believe our attention is needed elsewhere. It was a delight to make your acquaintance, but I fear we must take your leave for now to enjoy the rest of the evening." Emily said hurriedly, wanting to be get away from him as soon as she could.
"But, wait!" He called, just as Emily managed to secure Alexandra's arm and was about to pull her away. "Will you not allow me the pleasure of dancing at least a single dance with you, Lady Alexandra?"
"But of course." Allie agreed.
At this, Emily leaned in to whisper furiously into Allie's ear. "I do not think this is a good idea at all. Your brother will not be happyâ he would not appreciate learning that I allowed you to leave my sight."
"Oh, you'll still be able to see me while I'm dancing." Allie huffed, "And it's only a bit of fun. Besides, Mr. Bennett is a perfectly agreeable man, don't you think?"
Unfortunately, before Emily could inform Allie as to how disagreeable Mr. Bennett was, the younger girl had already pulled her arm from Emily's and taken Mr. Bennett's instead, allowing him to lead her to where the rest of the swirling couples were and joined them mid-dance.
"Where's Allie?" A voice asked suddenly at her shoulder, and she turned to see Nate. Instantly, she felt guilty for she'd promised him she'd look after his sister and she had gone off in the company of an obvious rake within the first ten minutes of being alone with Emily.
"I am so sorry." Emily apologised. "I know I promised I'd watch her, but she was adamant on dancing with the younger Mr. Bennett and, I'm afraid, I didn't put up too much of a fight. There she is." Emily pointed towards Allie, who was smiling and playing along with whatever her companion was saying.
"It isn't your fault." Nate brushed it off immediately, "I know how headstrong that girl can be. Even if you'd been insistent that she remain unmoving from your side, she would have gone to dance. I can't say I blame her, though, for it is her first ball, after all."
"Still," Emily frowned, "I don't trust that man. He seemed......slimy to me. Yes, I think that's the right word for him."
"Shall we keep a closer eye on them, then?" He asked suggestively, but Emily couldn't really get his meaning. Sensing her confusion, he clarified by adding, while stretching out his hand, "I meant, shall we join them in dancing so that we may watch them more closely?"
Without hesitating for even a single second, Emily placed her hand in his and allowed her tiny fingers to be encompassed by his significantly larger ones.
"I think I shall be delighted to do so, Your Grace." She said teasingly, eliciting a smile from him.
At the sight of his grin, Emily realised that her heart was beating more than twice as fast as it normally did.