Chapter 3Despite any lingering anxiety on Letty’s part, as Jacob had assured her, their aunt agreed wholesale to the notion. She had an inevitable previous engagement on the evening of the dance but there was no objection to Jacob accompanying Letty to the soirée as her chaperon.
The day of the ball arrived quickly. Once they were ready, Aunt Harriette was still closeted with her dresser, en grand toilette for her evening out. They left the house quietly, escaping any fuss about having to hire a sedan chair or any other encumbrance. In this way, brother and sister made their way down the slope in the fading daylight to the less exclusive area of the resort town.
They walked past the grand buildings of South Parade to the Lower Assembly Rooms’ entrance. Aunt Harriette, a long-time Bath re
