Marie began to take the stairs up to the room where her sisters were talking and laughing. She wished she could get in on the fun but had felt like the odd girl out since the beginning. She had one younger sister, and her four other sisters were older than she. They were all beautiful girls, with slender bodies and pretty smiles. They wore the nicest clothes their father, the Earl of Weatherton, could supply. He had offered her the same opportunities, but she had chosen more practical wear and was less enthusiastic about the Season when it came around. She had found no interesting men to come courting her and would rather have played the piano and sang for the guests than dance with them.
Her father had given her permission to do just that before the Season started. It was her second time around, and she had spent several miserable weeks during the first one being forced to fill up her card every time she went to a ball and dance with some decent and some hideous men.
She reached out and turned to the knob to enter the room where her sisters were readying themselves for the ball.
“I suppose we will all have to dance with Duke Arlington and that deplorable Earl George.” She heard Angela saying.
“George Wright?” Lucinda asked, pulling on the ties to Angela’s corset to tighten them.
“Yes, that’s just who I mean,” Angela confirmed.
“He’s not a bad sort.” Lucinda continued. “I won’t mind dancing with him. At least, he doesn’t step on your toes!”
“It’s simply amazing how many men have no clue about dancing!” Another sister, Caroline, standing by the window looking out, said to no one in particular.
Marie took her spot in the corner, where her dress was hanging. She pulled it down from the hook and held it out in front of her to scan it. It was new, something her father had picked up for her while abroad in the Americas. He had picked up similar dresses for each of her sisters and had each of them styled slightly differently so they would have their own unique look.
She liked hers. It was a deep, rich purple that offset the color of her eyes, which had a slight purple tint mixed in with the blue. Her pale skin and indigo eyes were in sharp contrast with her almost-black hair. She felt like it made her look like a ghost.
Her younger sister, Jenny, was watching her and approached from a few feet away. “Do you like the dress papa bought for you, Marie?”
Marie looked up at her. Jenny was smiling at her, which prompted her to smile back. “I do.” Marie nodded. “I like it very much. It’s very pretty.”
“It is pretty.” Jenny reached out and stroked the fabric. “Papa always picks the best fabrics for us, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does.”
A voice from behind her made Marie turn. “I don’t know why he bought you a dress at all.” It was her second-to-oldest sister, Madeline. Madeline was due to be married off this year. If she weren't soon, she would be considered a spinster, not just to the masses but in her own mind. Marie was aware that Madeline was unhappy about that situation and confused as to why it was happening at all. Marie wasn’t surprised. Madeline had the personality of a coiled snake about to strike. She had learned nothing in finishing school and insisted that everything be her way or no way. That didn’t go over well with the men that Marie had met so far.
“Why would you say that?” Jenny asked before Marie could say anything. Not that Marie would say anything. She was used to Madeline’s word jabs.
“Because all she’s going to do is sit behind the piano and play, making eyes at all the men around her instead of actually dancing with them and attracting one.”
“I don’t think you are one to talk about attracting men, Maddie.” Jenny took a step so that she was in between Madeline and Marie. “You have not been very successful at that yourself.”
Madeline huffed and put her nose in the air before turning to pull on a small waist jacket. “At least, I put some effort into it.”
“Marie has plenty of time. She doesn’t have to choose quickly and get it over with. It’s an important decision and must be made wisely.”
Madeline had turned her back to Jenny, fastening the small buttons on the jacket.
Jenny turned back to Marie and reached out to help her pull the gown over her head. “You don’t listen to a word Maddie says, Marie. You know what you’re worth. Don’t settle for anything less.”
Marie nodded, looking at Jenny with a soft smile. “I won’t.”
Jenny was a year younger than Marie but wiser in many ways. She had already found the man she wanted to marry but was too shy to tell her father. At just 17, she knew he wouldn’t approve of her choices and especially when he knew who it was – Jonathan Bligh, a nearby farmer who was just now trying to put his father’s farm back on its feet. Jonathan was 20, his father had died only months before, and Jonathan was working his fingers to the bone to save the only home he knew.
Jenny had been in love with Jonathan for as long as she could remember and they had made a pact to get married as soon as she turned 18. Now it was only a few months away, and she was anxious. She was a wise girl, and Marie approved of Jonathan. She hoped their father would, as well, when the time came.
“Somebody needs to tell Duke Arlington what he’s worth,” Madeline said, joining their sister, Caroline, at the window, where they both looked out over the grounds and at the bright blue sky dotted with just a few white clouds.