strength.”
“Hmm, I suppose so, but the offer’s there, love. Bear it in mind.” She put her brush aside and stood back. “There now, what do you think?”
Nia, distracted by their conversation, had not been watching Sophia’s progress in the glass. She did so now, and let out a startled oh . Sophia truly hadn’t forgotten any of the tricks of a former trade that required her to know how to make the best of her looks. She had certainly transformed Nia’s hair by fashioning her rebellious locks into a neat chignon, leaving coppery-gold curls cascading about her face. She actually looked rather fetching.
“I didn’t know I could look like that,” she said with a wry smile.
“When did you last take the time to put your hair up?”
“If I try, it just falls down again, so it’s a waste of time. Thank you, Sophia. At least I don’t have to apologise for my appearance, for once.”
Sophia laughed. “You never have to, especially in that gown.”
Nia stood up and critically examined her full-length reflection; something else she almost never bothered to do. The sprigged muslin walking dress was a relic from better days, purchased for her by her grandfather when they were still in Paris. The feel of the delicate petticoats whispering around her ankles reminded Nia that she had lived all over Europe, attended a lot of sophisticated salons where she had been introduced to princes, counts and royalty of every persuasion. She was perfectly equal to meeting a duchess, and a duke, and…well, whoever else happened to be in attendance. Lord Vincent’s opinion did not matter in the slightest. Of course it did not. She had made this effort, not to impress him, but to ensure she did not disgrace her family. She looked forward to seeing Frankie again and hearing all her news, and trusted to luck that the boys would be sufficiently awed by their surroundings to behave themselves.
She picked up her decorated straw bonnet, carefully fitted it over Sophia’s handiwork and tied the ribbons beneath her chin.
“Well,” she said. “Hopefully Hannah will have succeeded in scrubbing the boys clean and making them look presentable. Not that I expect that situation to endure, but stranger things have been known to happen.”
“You look a picture, sweetheart,” Sophia said, hugging her. “Your Lord Vincent will be enchanted.”
“Sophia!”
“There’s nothing you can teach me about animal attraction,” Sophia replied with another throaty chuckle. “And Lord Vincent is attracted to you; you just mark my words. I kept my distance, of course, when I realised who your handsome caller was. Wouldn’t want to shock him by having a courtesan brought to his notice—”
“I am not ashamed of you, Sophia,” Nia replied indignantly. “And if Lord Vincent is offended by your presence then he can go hang himself. The boys will soon get over their disappointment and we will be better off not knowing such a bigot.”
“There was a time when Lord Vincent would have enjoyed my company,” Sophia said with one of her wicked little smiles. “I would have made sure of that. Course, I was much younger then, and those days are now long gone.”
“You will never be old, Sophia,” Nia cried, impulsively hugging her friend.
“Come on now, love, time’s a ’wasting.” Sophia squeezed Nia’s shoulders. “Have a lovely time and make sure you tell me all about it when you get back. I want to know all the details, mind. Who was there, who said what to whom, what the ladies wore; every little thing. You know how I thrive on gossip, and I miss being at the heart of things.”
“You still could be if you didn’t insist upon spending all your time with Grandpapa.”
“Where else would I want to be?”
“Very well then, I promise to tell you everything. Now, let’s go and find those boys.”
Nia groaned when she found Mr. Drake loitering in the vestibule and Miss Tilling fussing around Hannah, as though she wasn’t
“Hmm, I suppose so, but the offer’s there, love. Bear it in mind.” She put her brush aside and stood back. “There now, what do you think?”
Nia, distracted by their conversation, had not been watching Sophia’s progress in the glass. She did so now, and let out a startled oh . Sophia truly hadn’t forgotten any of the tricks of a former trade that required her to know how to make the best of her looks. She had certainly transformed Nia’s hair by fashioning her rebellious locks into a neat chignon, leaving coppery-gold curls cascading about her face. She actually looked rather fetching.
“I didn’t know I could look like that,” she said with a wry smile.
“When did you last take the time to put your hair up?”
“If I try, it just falls down again, so it’s a waste of time. Thank you, Sophia. At least I don’t have to apologise for my appearance, for once.”
Sophia laughed. “You never have to, especially in that gown.”
Nia stood up and critically examined her full-length reflection; something else she almost never bothered to do. The sprigged muslin walking dress was a relic from better days, purchased for her by her grandfather when they were still in Paris. The feel of the delicate petticoats whispering around her ankles reminded Nia that she had lived all over Europe, attended a lot of sophisticated salons where she had been introduced to princes, counts and royalty of every persuasion. She was perfectly equal to meeting a duchess, and a duke, and…well, whoever else happened to be in attendance. Lord Vincent’s opinion did not matter in the slightest. Of course it did not. She had made this effort, not to impress him, but to ensure she did not disgrace her family. She looked forward to seeing Frankie again and hearing all her news, and trusted to luck that the boys would be sufficiently awed by their surroundings to behave themselves.
She picked up her decorated straw bonnet, carefully fitted it over Sophia’s handiwork and tied the ribbons beneath her chin.
“Well,” she said. “Hopefully Hannah will have succeeded in scrubbing the boys clean and making them look presentable. Not that I expect that situation to endure, but stranger things have been known to happen.”
“You look a picture, sweetheart,” Sophia said, hugging her. “Your Lord Vincent will be enchanted.”
“Sophia!”
“There’s nothing you can teach me about animal attraction,” Sophia replied with another throaty chuckle. “And Lord Vincent is attracted to you; you just mark my words. I kept my distance, of course, when I realised who your handsome caller was. Wouldn’t want to shock him by having a courtesan brought to his notice—”
“I am not ashamed of you, Sophia,” Nia replied indignantly. “And if Lord Vincent is offended by your presence then he can go hang himself. The boys will soon get over their disappointment and we will be better off not knowing such a bigot.”
“There was a time when Lord Vincent would have enjoyed my company,” Sophia said with one of her wicked little smiles. “I would have made sure of that. Course, I was much younger then, and those days are now long gone.”
“You will never be old, Sophia,” Nia cried, impulsively hugging her friend.
“Come on now, love, time’s a ’wasting.” Sophia squeezed Nia’s shoulders. “Have a lovely time and make sure you tell me all about it when you get back. I want to know all the details, mind. Who was there, who said what to whom, what the ladies wore; every little thing. You know how I thrive on gossip, and I miss being at the heart of things.”
“You still could be if you didn’t insist upon spending all your time with Grandpapa.”
“Where else would I want to be?”
“Very well then, I promise to tell you everything. Now, let’s go and find those boys.”
Nia groaned when she found Mr. Drake loitering in the vestibule and Miss Tilling fussing around Hannah, as though she wasn’t
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