Page 27 of How to Fall for a Scoundrel
Ellie opened the door and even without her glasses on, she was close enough to see the stunned delight on her friends’ faces.
“Eleanor Law, you look incredible!” Tess breathed. “Why have you never bought a dress that color before? It’s perfect for your eyes and your hair.”
“And when did you get breasts so big?” Daisy gaped.
Ellie clapped her hands self-consciously over her bosom. The daringly low cut of the neckline made her feel as though the entire top half of her chest was exposed.
“It’s not me!” she breathed. “It’s this dress. There’s some kind of magical corsetry sewn into the bodice that pushes them up and together. They’ve never looked this impressive before, I swear.”
Tess laughed. “All your other dresses have been far more conservative.”
“Modest,” Ellie groaned. “Appropriate.”
“Unremarkable,” Daisy said decisively. “That this is by far the most flattering thing you’ve ever worn. Even if it is a little risqué.”
“I look like an opera singer.”
“Perhaps that’s ‘Carlotta’s’ profession?”
Ellie snorted. “If I take one deep breath to sing an aria, my breasts will pop out of this bodice.”
Daisy giggled gleefully. “Come on, sit down and we’ll help you with your hair.”
True to his word, Harry had sent a wig to add to her disguise. In keeping with the rather flamboyant style of the courtesans who graced the demimonde, it was a striking red shade, the color of garnet, with curls arranged in an artful froth on the top and spilling down over one shoulder.
Ellie sat stoically as Tess pinned her brown locks flat to her head, secured the wig, and added some tasteful embellishments. Madame had sent three silk flowers, made from the same green fabric as the dress, for just such a purpose.
“I’ve borrowed some beauty products from my friend Mary, who works in the Drury Lane Theatre,” Daisy said.
A pink fluid from a bottle labeled “Liquid Bloom of Roses” was used to give a heavier-than-usual blush to Ellie’s cheeks, and the addition of some vermilion paste to her regular almond-oil lip salve painted her lips a deep red.
“Close your eyes. I need to line your lashes,” Daisy commanded.
Ellie squinted at the small pot and paintbrush Daisy brandished in her hand. “Whatisthat?”
“A mix of lamp black and a little oil. Don’t worry, it’ll wash off. Probably.”
Tess took care to protect the outrageous dress with a cloak while Daisy added a final dusting of powder to Ellie’s shoulders and face with a shimmerymixture that made her skin glimmer with the luster of a pearl.
When they were finally done, Ellie looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized the bold, brazen woman who stared back at her. Her eyes glittered with excitement, her cheeks were flushed as if she’d recently risen from bed, and her body was an extraordinary combination of womanly curves.
She didn’t look like herself. She didn’tfeellike herself, either, and a thrilling pulse of anticipation warmed her blood.
Perhaps she did have it in her to be a little bit wicked after all.
“Bellissima!” Daisy kissed the tips of her fingers, like a chef. “Time for me to get ready.”
“I’m glad you’re going too,” Ellie said as Daisy lifted her own outfit from the chair and slipped into the back room.
Few households employed enough permanent staff to cater for large parties, and most people hired additional servants from a reputable agency whenever the need arose. Thanks to the busy time of year, and an old school contact, Daisy had managed to secure a place as a temporary maid for the Willinghams’ event.
Tess hadn’t received an official invitation, and since she was the most recognizable of the three of them, she was reluctantly remaining at home.
In contrast to Ellie’s exuberance, Daisy transformed herself into an unremarkable maid, complete with white apron and demure mob cap covering her hair. The same cosmetics added an ashen pallor to her smooth, blemish-free skin, and created dark circles under her eyes. Nobody seeing her would guess she was thehealthy daughter of a duke. She looked tired and overworked.
“I look perfectly hideous!” Daisy cackled in glee when she saw her reflection. “Even the most lecherous drunkard wouldn’t give me a second look. But for the final touch… Ellie, do you have a spare pair of spectacles?”
Ellie obligingly found a pair in her desk, but when Daisy put them on, she uttered a squawk of horror.