Page 48 of Winterset
Kate
The morning of the masked ball, the modiste delivered Hannah’s newly hemmed ball gown for me to wear.
After changing into the lovely light-blue gown, I stood before the mirror and admired my reflection.
I couldn’t help it. Made of the softest silk and daintily decorated with glass beads, the dress was the most beautiful gown I’d ever worn.
My only regret was that Oliver was not here to see me wear it.
“I knew it would fit you!” Hannah beamed at my reflection. “What do you think?”
“I think I’ve never worn anything so beautiful as this dress.” Hannah was right. It fit me perfectly. Almost like it had been made for me.
“You look stunning,” she said. “You will have your choice of dance partners tonight.”
Her words were meant to excite me but had the opposite effect. I did not wish to dance with anyone but Oliver.
“Or ... perhaps you do not like to dance?” she said.
“I enjoy dancing very much. It’s only ...”
“If you are nervous about remembering the steps,” Hannah said when my sentence stalled, “I have dance cards. We could practice before tonight.”
“You’re kind to offer, but I had quite an exacting dance tutor. I doubt I could forget the forms even if I wanted to.”
“You are lucky. I once went to a ball and could not remember the steps to a quadrille. Damon was the only reason I got through the dance without thoroughly embarrassing myself.” She smiled to herself as if reliving a pleasant memory.
I fidgeted with the fingers of my gloves, unused to wearing them.
“Do you feel unsafe?” Hannah asked.
“I feel safe,” I said, and I did. Charlie and my hosts had been most diligent in protecting me.
“Especially since I will be wearing a mask tonight. It’s only .
..” How much should I say? I knew only the smallest sliver of her history with Oliver.
“I do not know if I will wish to dance with anyone.”
“Oh,” she said, suddenly serious. “I must apologize. After what you’ve been through, of course you wouldn’t want to—”
“I don’t want to dance with anyone who will be in attendance,” I clarified.
“Oh. Oh! ” Her eyes lit with understanding. “You do not wish to dance with anyone tonight because you wish only to dance with Oliver.”
My face warmed. “It’s silly, I know. We knew each other for only a short time.”
Hannah shook her head. “Oliver is easy to love. I should know, seeing as I spent half my life in love with him.”
Love. Oliver hadn’t told me they’d been in love.
Hannah was a lovely person, though, as pretty to look upon as she was kind.
I could understand why he’d felt that way toward her, even if I didn’t want to think about it.
“He mentioned you were friends growing up,” I hedged, hoping she might say more.
“We were,” she said. “Close friends. So close that I thought we would marry someday.”
I’d seen firsthand how happily married she was to Lord Jennings. Her words had not been said to inspire jealousy, but there was a whole history between the three of them that I did not know, and I could not help feeling envious. “Oh,” I said, surprised.
“But our feelings never aligned. When Ollie proposed—”
“Oliver asked you to marry him?” The jealousy sprang up inside me like a sudden storm. He’d proposed marriage ? He’d never said. He’d never even hinted.
“He did ask,” Hannah said slowly, taking in my shock. “But he did not love me, at least not as anything more than a friend. I think he knew it even then but felt that marrying me was his duty.”
I furrowed my brow. “How was it you came to marry Lord Jennings?”
“That story is long enough to fill a book.” She smiled.
“Damon is the match of my heart; he always was. It simply took me a while to see him. My only regret is that my decision to marry Damon deepened the division that already existed between the brothers.” She worried her lower lip.
“I’ve upset you,” she said. “I am sorry. I thought you knew.”
“You have no need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. There is just so much I don’t know about Oliver. So much I will never know.” I would likely never even see him again. The sooner I accepted that, the happier I might be.
“I wish there were something more I could do to change your circumstances.”
“You already are doing so much. You’ve taken me into your home and are helping me find a new place to live. I am so grateful to you and Lord Jennings. I just miss Oliver terribly.”
Hannah set her hand on my shoulder. “Sometimes, things have a way of working out.”
“And sometimes, at least in my case, they don’t.”
A knock came at the door. It was Lady Winfield, and she was holding both babies, one on each hip. “Oh, Kate. You look so beautiful.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Hannah,” she said. “Would you like to look over the ballroom with me one last time to ensure everything is prepared before the guests arrive?”
“I would,” Hannah said. “Will you excuse me, Kate? I’ll be right back, and then we can style your hair.”
“Of course,” I said, and they excused themselves.
Alone, I sat at my vanity table and took a deep breath. So much had changed in such a short time. Most of it, for the better. But, oh, how I missed Oliver!