chestnut in her hair. The girls all wore woollen cloaks to keep out the chill wind as the carriage was rather draughty.
Jeremy looked his handsome best in his military dress uniform, epauletted and ornamented, with shiny black dress shoes. There hadn’t been enough room in the carriage for everyone, so Mr and Mrs. Adshead, Monty and Michael, had gone ahead in a hired carriage. The dancing would begin at half past seven.
Hannah gasped when she saw the luxurious foyer of the newly built hotel. Large crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling, with marble pillars with what looked to be ivy wound around them. There were gilt trimmed floor to ceiling mirrors and shiny marble tiles on the floor.
The girls were directed to the Ladies’ Powder Room and Cloaks. The same theme of shininess was in there too, with chaise longues upholstered in a deep red velvet, and tiny hand basins and fluffy white towels for the patrons’ use.
After tidying their hair and adjusting their gowns, the chaperone lead the way to the ballroom. Here, there were even more sumptuous surroundings, with a pale peach silk canopy draped in folds which covered the entire ceiling, a mahogany wooden dance floor and long gilt mirrors again. There were recesses, which held elegant sofas and upholstered chairs and the dance floor was edged with a russet carpet, which ran the full length of each side of the room.
There was a long table groaning with food, and waiters in black formal dress, white waistcoats and white ties came to each guest with a glass of champagne or sherry, carried on a large silver tray.
The place was crowded with friends of the Adheads, military personnel from lieutenant up to a colonel. All belonged to the Chester regiment that Jeremy, Monty and Michael had recently joined.
The three young men were standing as part of a group, deep in conversation about their unit departing on Tuesday for Lucknow. There had been a mutiny in ‘57 and there was need of a peace keeping presence to guard the British missionaries there. The men were excited, like boys looking forward to Christmas. They had heard that the living was gracious, with punkah wallahs attending every whim. Their accommodation was the finest, with Gentleman’s clubs, tennis, and plenty of leisure time.
Jeremy was glancing over to Michael’s sister. His brown eyes seemed to follow her everywhere, especially as she danced with her first partner around the room. Jeremy was a tall, spare kind of a chap. He had light brown hair that flopped over his brow, with high cheekbones and an outdoor tan, as he liked riding to hounds and rowing on the River Dee.
“I say, Mikey, your sister is looking rather splendid this evening. I’ve a mind to ask her to marry me, that’s if she’s not already spoken for.”
Mikey’s heart sank for a moment, thinking of how his sister was an illegitimate. Was it fair to warn the fellow, or did his loyalty lie with his family? A scandal like that wouldn’t reflect very well on him if he spilt the beans to Jeremy. Having a sister related to the Adsheads could only further his own ambitions, he thought, so he smiled at his friend conspiratorially and said, “I can’t see why you shouldn’t pursue her. Why don’t you ask her if she has any dances left on her card?”
“Good idea. I’ll go straight over. You’re a lucky chap to have a sister such as her.”
Jeremy marched to where Hannah was sitting: she was breathless from her previous partner who hadn’t danced in the usual sedate fashion. She hoped the man that was coming over had attended a better dance academy than him.
“Hannah, my dear. I do hope you have something left for me on your dance card. Perhaps the last waltz if your card is full?”
“I have the one after supper free and of course you can have the last one, Jeremy. This is all very exciting, isn’t it? You all going off to India with your unit to a place that I can’t even dream of.”
“It’s the heat that will get to
Jeremy looked his handsome best in his military dress uniform, epauletted and ornamented, with shiny black dress shoes. There hadn’t been enough room in the carriage for everyone, so Mr and Mrs. Adshead, Monty and Michael, had gone ahead in a hired carriage. The dancing would begin at half past seven.
Hannah gasped when she saw the luxurious foyer of the newly built hotel. Large crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling, with marble pillars with what looked to be ivy wound around them. There were gilt trimmed floor to ceiling mirrors and shiny marble tiles on the floor.
The girls were directed to the Ladies’ Powder Room and Cloaks. The same theme of shininess was in there too, with chaise longues upholstered in a deep red velvet, and tiny hand basins and fluffy white towels for the patrons’ use.
After tidying their hair and adjusting their gowns, the chaperone lead the way to the ballroom. Here, there were even more sumptuous surroundings, with a pale peach silk canopy draped in folds which covered the entire ceiling, a mahogany wooden dance floor and long gilt mirrors again. There were recesses, which held elegant sofas and upholstered chairs and the dance floor was edged with a russet carpet, which ran the full length of each side of the room.
There was a long table groaning with food, and waiters in black formal dress, white waistcoats and white ties came to each guest with a glass of champagne or sherry, carried on a large silver tray.
The place was crowded with friends of the Adheads, military personnel from lieutenant up to a colonel. All belonged to the Chester regiment that Jeremy, Monty and Michael had recently joined.
The three young men were standing as part of a group, deep in conversation about their unit departing on Tuesday for Lucknow. There had been a mutiny in ‘57 and there was need of a peace keeping presence to guard the British missionaries there. The men were excited, like boys looking forward to Christmas. They had heard that the living was gracious, with punkah wallahs attending every whim. Their accommodation was the finest, with Gentleman’s clubs, tennis, and plenty of leisure time.
Jeremy was glancing over to Michael’s sister. His brown eyes seemed to follow her everywhere, especially as she danced with her first partner around the room. Jeremy was a tall, spare kind of a chap. He had light brown hair that flopped over his brow, with high cheekbones and an outdoor tan, as he liked riding to hounds and rowing on the River Dee.
“I say, Mikey, your sister is looking rather splendid this evening. I’ve a mind to ask her to marry me, that’s if she’s not already spoken for.”
Mikey’s heart sank for a moment, thinking of how his sister was an illegitimate. Was it fair to warn the fellow, or did his loyalty lie with his family? A scandal like that wouldn’t reflect very well on him if he spilt the beans to Jeremy. Having a sister related to the Adsheads could only further his own ambitions, he thought, so he smiled at his friend conspiratorially and said, “I can’t see why you shouldn’t pursue her. Why don’t you ask her if she has any dances left on her card?”
“Good idea. I’ll go straight over. You’re a lucky chap to have a sister such as her.”
Jeremy marched to where Hannah was sitting: she was breathless from her previous partner who hadn’t danced in the usual sedate fashion. She hoped the man that was coming over had attended a better dance academy than him.
“Hannah, my dear. I do hope you have something left for me on your dance card. Perhaps the last waltz if your card is full?”
“I have the one after supper free and of course you can have the last one, Jeremy. This is all very exciting, isn’t it? You all going off to India with your unit to a place that I can’t even dream of.”
“It’s the heat that will get to
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