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“He was smiling—smirking—at me. Is there something on my face? On my gown?”

“Why do you care if there is?” Cecilia asked.

“Is there?”

“No,” Beatrice said gently, “though I must agree with Cecilia. You do not usually care for such things.”

“Yes I do. You all know that I like to be presentable.”

“Yes, but not to the extent that you panic like this.”

“Ah,” Cecilia said knowingly.

“What?” Dorothy asked.

“Nothing,” she grinned. “Nothing at all. Now, we really ought to see some other guests before the festivities begin. Are your chaperones nearby?”

Both young ladies nodded, gesturing to their mothers. Emma’s heart ached. It had been her father that was charged with her entrance into society, and it only made her more determined to undertake Sarah’s. She couldn’t allow her sister to go through what she had. Perhaps, if her mother had been alive…

She shook her head and tried not to think about it. It was how her life had been, and there was no use dreaming about it being any other way. She would be happy once Sarah was married, she was certain of it.

She simply had to find her a match, first.

CHAPTER 2

The estate was, as expected, as beautiful inside as it had been outside. Everything was newly decorated, and for an unmarried man the Duke of Pridefield was certainly in keeping with what was fashionable. He had set all of his guests to explore the estate to their hearts’ contents, and they were to be in the drawing room that night to share a drink before they went to a grand dinner. Everything had been meticulously planned, which Cecilia seemed to scoff at.

“You know,” she whispered, looping an arm around Emma’s, “if I were a duke, I would make all of my guests stop what they were doing when I thought they should. They would be on my schedule.”

“Then it is just as well that you are not a duke,” Emma laughed, “for I might not have enjoyed your company so much.”

Cecilia laughed in turn. She had always been a spirited lady, and having long since discovered that such behavior turned suitors away, she did not seem to care at all.

“We are going to the greenhouse,” Cecilia explained. “Dorothy has heard about some plants that she has never seen before. Will you be joining us?”

It was an incredibly tempting offer, but Emma knew that she was there for a reason, and that went far beyond listening to her friend regaling them with tales of different plant specimens. Sarah was her priority, and she had to act accordingly.

“I am afraid not. I must escort my sister to make some introductions.”

“Oh dear, is your father threatening to make good on his word?”

“It would appear so. He mentioned it in the carriage. If I do not find a match for her, then he will, and I cannot bear the thought of that.”

“Nor can I,” she sighed. “Very well, but if the two of you grow weary of the same foolish men over and over, you know where we shall be.”

Emma nodded, and Cecilia left to find the others. She went to Sarah, who seemed quite apologetic about it all.

“You really should spend time with your friends,” she said kindly. “Father can accompany me, I assure you.”

Emma raised an eyebrow at her sister, and at once the younger lady’s resolve disappeared.

“I know,” Sarah said. “He is not a very good matchmaker, but then I am not the easiest to find a match for. I am very particular.”

“And you have every right to be. I shall hear no more of this, not when we have so many introductions to make.”

Fortunately, Sarah had made a very good impression during her presentation to the Queen, and it had led to many gentlemen vying for her hand. She was seen as a prize, just as Emma had been—once—and Emma was pleased that she had not ruined her sister’s prospects by not marrying.

Thetonknew exactly who she was, and Sarah recognized the newer faces that Emma did not, and so they managed perfectly well.