TRAPPED WITH THE BEASTLY DUKE BY ARABELLA WELLS – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Arabella Wells
- Language: English
- Genre: Historical Romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
The Rose Of The Ball
“Do not forget to smile, my darling,” Lady Cotswalts whispered, her
lips barely moving. “You must seem excited to be here.”
Rose Pembleton found balls incredibly overwhelming, and the
Yardstale ball was no exception. She did as her mother asked, smiling in a
way that she hoped conveyed excitement without being overbearing.
It’s only a ball. Besides, you want to be inviting so as not to scare
people away!
It didn’t help that it was the fourth ball she attended in a fortnight.
Of course, she could appreciate the effort and extravagance that went
into making such an occasion an enjoyable night. She had a deep love for
music and dancing, yet a ball never felt like a place where she could
appreciate them either.
Instead, she spent most of the time being mindful of the expressions on
her face, reminding herself of the myriad of tips her mother would share
every evening and walking the thin line between being intriguing and
proper.
How does this seem to come so naturally to everyone else?
She envied the women who seemed content to enjoy their Season. The
women who were assured that having a second or third Season would bring
no harm to them or their families.
Now you sound bitter. You cannot resent someone just because they have
the luxury of time and you do not.
Her mother, the Viscountess Cotswalts, stood beside her. She was the
picture of serene grace and sophistication and somehow also completely
charming.
How does she do it?
Rose forced herself not to shift uncomfortably as they walked around
the edge of the ballroom, hoping to attract attention without being obvious.
She tried to emulate her mother’s easy grace, a half-remembered tip about
her gait struggling to surface amid the chaos in her mind. She glanced
towards the window, hoping to settle her nerves by glimpsing the gardens,
and immediately regretted the decision. The reflection in the glass only
increased her discomfort.
Although Rose knew the reflection was hers, she could not help but feel
that she was looking at a stranger. A pretty stranger, but a stranger
nonetheless. She had started to think of this stranger as Ball Rose.
Ball Rose does not fidget or wish to be elsewhere. She is everything a
lady should be.
Rose forced herself to take in the woman she saw in the window.
Her chestnut hair was pulled back, with a few delicate curls framing her
face. The rouge on her cheeks was eye-catching but not gaudy, simply
accentuating natural lines and beauty. Yet, it still felt like too much for her.
Her eyebrows, thankfully, had been thick enough that they would not need
to be altered with fur. Her lips were painted so seamlessly that there would
be no way to tell without being improperly close.
The only part of the reflection that felt like the real Rose was her brown
eyes and her slightly upturned nose.
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