Charming Them all
2185 Words
*Linnie*
With the maid in tow, I go down the stairs that lead into the kitchens. I inhale the familiar fragrance of flour, finding strength in it as I carry on through the shop. Once outside, I lock the door before turning toward the shining black coach and the waiting liveried servant. I feel rather like a princess being ushered to a ball. The castle isn’t that far away, and I’ve always simply used my legs to get there.
The servant bows slightly before opening the door. He hands me up. I nearly scream at the unexpected company waiting inside. “Dear Goddess, Marsden. What the devil are you doing skulking about in here?”
“I’m not skulking. I have a lantern burning.”
I settle onto the bench opposite him. “Why didn’t you come inside?”
“I didn’t want to endure your father’s lectures.”
“So you left me to face them alone?”
“Did he lecture you?” Marsden asks.
“Of course he did. He thinks you’re up to no good.”
Marsden grins. I love that smile. “We have more than a hundred guests at the castle. There will be eyes everywhere. I don’t see how we can get into trouble.”
“A hundred?” The one ball I’d looked in on had been crowded, but a hundred?
“It’s usually more, but the weather kept some away. Others like to be at home for Christmas. So most of the guests are young she-wolves hoping to snag a Prince, an Alpha, or a Beta. Or at the very least find a way to haunt us until the mating Season begins.”
“Your lot has odd courtship rituals. We commoners are a bit more forthright about it.”
Sarah eases in beside me. The servant closes the door, and in the next instant, the wheels are whirring, and the hooves pounding.
“Do you like the necklace?” he asks.
I close my fingers around the cool emerald. “I’m only borrowing it for the night. I’ll return it on the morrow.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s yours.” Irritation laces his voice.
“It’s too fine a gift, Marsden. You know that. A she-wolf of quality can’t accept something like this from a gentleman to whom she isn’t married.”
“You’re not a she-wolf of quality.”
My temper flares. I’m on the verge of ordering him to stop the coach when he says, “To me I mean, you’re my dearest friend.”
He’s always had a knack for dousing my anger. “Still, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“No one has to know. You can say your father gave it to you.”
“Oh, yes, because my father can afford something as fine as this. Besides, Sarah knows the truth of it.”
“She’s not going to say anything. Are you, Sarah?”
“Forgive me, my Prince, but I dunno what you’re talkin’ about.”
He looks as triumphant as he did when we were children and he bested me at something. “There. It’ll be our secret.”
“I’ll consider it. By the by, how in the devil did you convince your mother to invite me? In all the years you and I have been friends, I don’t think she and I have exchanged a dozen words.”
He looks out the window. “I merely had to ask her to include you among the guests.”
If it had been that simple, he’d still be looking me in the eye. “Marsden?”
“Leave off, Linnie.”
“I want to know what giving me tonight cost you.”
With a sigh, he brings his gaze back to bear on me. I rather wish he’d doused the flame in the lamp. Before he even speaks, I know the price is high.
“I promised to select a mate this evening.” Before I can comment on the unfairness of it, he holds up a hand. “Or at least decide which she-wolf I would make an effort to court next Season.” He shrugs. “Who knows? Perhaps the one I choose won’t have me.”
“She’d be a fool not to.”
He gives me a sad smile. “She-wolves likes the city… all the hustle and bustle of it. It can be quite lonely out on the moors. I prefer the moors.”
I don’t want to contemplate that I might not prefer the city either. I can’t remain here once he marries. “Still, you’ll take her to Blackrock city.”
“To keep her happy, I suppose I must.”
And he would seek to please her. I know instinctively that he would work to ensure the she-wolf never regretted marrying him.
“You might get lucky, Marsden. Surely you can find a she-wolf who prefers solitude or having all the time alone with her handsome husband that she can imagine.”
“You think me handsome?”
With his strong, square jaw, his sharp aquiline nose, and his brilliant green eyes, how could he not be? “You have your moments, now that your knees aren’t so knobby.”
He scowls. “It’s been years since I’ve worn short pants. You have no idea what my knees look like.”
“Are you saying they’re knobby?”
“Perhaps I’ll show them to you and let you judge.”
“That would be scandalous.”
“I doubt yours are knobby.”
“I’m not going to show you.”
He chuckles low. “If I could have conversations with other she-wolves as I have with you, I might not mind securing a mate.”
“I think you might be surprised what other she-wolves are willing to discuss.”
The coach rolls to a stop. Excitement and trepidation slice through me as the door opens. Marsden leaps out, then reaches back in, extending his gloved hand to me. I press my palm to his, feeling his fingers close firmly around mine. They might as well be encircling my heart. I’m a fool to come here, to place myself on the path to temptation. Still, I step down, walking toward the large castle, barely aware of the servant assisting Sarah. I’ve waited my entire life to be welcomed into this place. I’m going to make the most of it.
I feel the dampness on my cheeks and glance up. “It’s starting to snow.”
“Rest assured that I’ll see you safely home.”
He leads me up the steps and through the huge doorway into the cavernous and impressive foyer, with its marble floor and crystal chandelier. A servant takes my wrap and Marsden’s coat and hat.
Glancing around, I say, “It makes me feel so small.”
When my comment is met with silence, I face him, surprised to see him staring at me as though he’s never seen me before. “Good Goddess, what’s wrong? Have my fastenings come undone?”
His gaze sweeps over me, and he shakes his head. “You’re gorgeous.”
He is as well, decked out in his evening attire. She-wolves no doubt trip over themselves hoping to gain his attention. Still, his words cause heat to warm my cheeks. I scoff, laughing self-consciously. “Don’t be silly. It’s just a fancy frock.”
“It’s more than the frock.” He shrugs, smiles. “I don’t know what it is. It’s as though this house has been waiting for you or you’ve been waiting to step into this residence. You fairly shine, Linnie.”
“That’s a fanciful thought. You’re not usually prone to fanciful thoughts.”
“No, I’m not. I suppose we should get to the ball. Most people are staying here. They’re probably already in the ballroom.” He offers his crooked elbow.
I wind my arm around his. We begin wandering down a wide hallway. “I’ve always wondered how your home looked. I don’t suppose you could show me some of it later.”
“You know what the ballroom looks like. I caught you peering in through the window.”
“I was all of fourteen, and I barely remember it.” I do remember catching glimpses of him waltzing with a young she-wolf. At the time, I’d been certain he’d marry before I could catch up to him. Now I’m old enough to marry, but not posh enough for him and his place in the world.
“The cold and the snow will stop us from taking a turn about the garden,” he says, “so perhaps we shall take a turn about the house. I’m certain people will be strolling through the portrait gallery.”
I want to see more than just a glimpse. I want to see everything so that years from now, I can imagine him here, with his family, enjoying himself. I truly want him to have a good life.
We begin ascending the stairs, and I can hear the music filtering through the walls. My nervousness ratchets up a notch. “I don’t know how to dance, Marsden,” I admit.
“It’s the gentleman’s role to lead you. You’ll do fine,” he reassures me.
At the top of the stairs, we step into a grand salon and stand on a landing that leads down to the dance floor. The tall walls are covered in mirrors, and the crystal chandeliers sparkle brilliantly. Even in the dead of winter, flowers adorn decorative tables. Seeing it all from the inside is so much better than viewing it from the outside. The grandeur is something I’ll never forget, but I can’t imagine living with it. It’s something to be appreciated on occasion, but certainly not something that would create happiness for me.
Marsden steps away, speaks to a servant standing at the edge of the landing, then returns to my side.
“Miss Madeline Piletree!” the man bellows in a deep voice that echoes through the room, and my heart kicks against my ribs.
Marsden once again offers his arm. As I place my hand on it, I ask, “Why isn’t he announcing you?”
“Because I’m the host. Everyone should know who I am,” he explains.
Based on the way people are staring, I have a feeling a good many know who I am. Or at least what I am. Still, I hold my head high and descend with all the grace I can muster. In a wink, I find myself standing before the formidable Luna Princess.
“Mother, allow me the honor of introducing Miss Madeline Piletree,” he says, as though I’ve never met his mother before. Although to be fair, we’ve never been formally introduced.
I drop into a deep curtsy. “I’m truly honored to have received your kind invitation, My princess.”
The Luna princess does a very good imitation of a surprised chicken. “You don’t speak like a commoner.”
I rise gracefully. “Your son gets the credit for that. He was always correcting my articulation when we were younger.” Which I thought would serve me well when I moved to the city and wanted to meet with bankers or businessmen.
“I see.” She glances over at her son as though she suspects him of engaging in something nefarious. “Well, I hope you’ll enjoy the ball.”
“I’m certain I will. I’ve never seen such gaiety. It speaks well of your skill at putting people at ease. It’s the sign of a grand princess.”
If his mother stood any straighter, I think her back might c***k. “I am known for being an exceptional hostess.”
“I immediately can see the reason for it,” I say sincerely.
I’m aware of the music drifting into silence.
“If you’ll excuse us, Mother, another tune will be starting up shortly and Miss Piletree has promised me her first dance,” Marsden interjects smoothly.
“Yes, of course. It was a pleasure, Miss Piletree,” she says.
Her tone almost has me believing her. “The pleasure was all mine, my princess.”
Then, thank goodness, Marsden leads me away from the tigress as another tune indeed begins to fill the air.
“Well done,” he whispers near my ear.
“All good tavern wenches know that flattering the gents might earn them an extra coin. I didn’t think your mother would be immune to flattery,” I reply with a chuckle.
“Indeed, she is not,” he agrees.
We reach the area where couples are gliding over the floor, the she-wolf held in the man’s arms. It's not at all the sort of dancing that goes on at the village festival.
“A waltz,” Marsden says. “Want to give it a try?”
I smile up at him. “I do.”
And then he sweeps me into the fray.
- Writer
