The night of the masquerade ball finally came and not without its difficulties. Not only was the dress shop fully booked with orders, but also there seemed to be no way for new gowns to be made.
This, however, didn’t deter Lady Hendrickson. Instead, she bought bolts of fabric and insisted that Lady Louisa should work tirelessly to create a new gown for each lady. Many nights, Lady Louisa stayed up late, working on the garments.
Though Miss Mary wouldn’t dare to do so in her mother’s presence, after the others went to sleep, she too would often stay by Lady Louisa’s side and work to create the garments. It was a good thing too, for Lady Louisa was sure she would never have finished three dresses otherwise.
During their quiet nights together, Lady Louisa also learned many tidbits of information about her aunt. Not only was she choosing to live beyond her means, but this was also causing a problem for the two daughters. If Miss Elisabeth or Miss Mary were not to marry off well and quickly, they would be destitute until the year's end.
It was for this reason, and to be sure many others, that Miss Mary had kept her feelings about the Colonel a secret. Only when Lady Louisa brought up the matter, and after several minutes of denial, did Miss Mary admit that she did feel very fondly for the man and hoped he would ask her to marry him soon.
“I feel like such a deceiver,” Miss Mary said the night of the ball as they were both getting ready in Miss Mary’s room. “Colonel Jasper has no idea of my mother’s disapproval of him, or the fact that it is predominantly because she wishes me to marry a man that can take care of her acquired debt.”
“I know Colonel Jasper cares for you deeply as well. I don’t think it’s deceptive of you to keep your mother’s dislike for him a secret. Certainly, he can decipher her character. And of the debts, could the Colonel even help in such a situation?” Lady Louisa responded as she handed some pearls to Bess who was stringing them in Miss Mary’s hair.
“I don’t know, honestly. But even if he had the means, I would not want to ask such a thing of him. It doesn’t seem right to me.”
“Nor to me,” Lady Louisa agreed. “But perhaps if, after you are properly engaged, of course, you tell your mother he doesn’t have the means, she will be at peace and hopefully curtail her spending.”
“I can not bear to tell my mother things she will not like. You have only seen a small portion of how severe she can really become. My only hope, I hate to say, is if Elisabeth does secure the Duke tonight. If she is able to accomplish this task, my mother will not care who I marry knowing she will be secure with Elisabeth’s choice.”
Lady Louisa found the logical truth in Miss Mary’s words, but she still didn’t like it. No matter how much she rather detested the Duke’s methods and ideas for marriage, she still would not wish her cousin Elisabeth even on him.
Miss Elisabeth had been nothing short of insufferable the last two weeks. Twice she changed her choice of fabric, and once, she had insisted that Lady Louisa completely removed a hem of her skirt and redid it with smaller stitches. She had claimed it was nowhere near the quality that she was used to.
It was infuriating. But all the while that Lady Louisa worked, she did so with her mouth clamped shut. She would do all that she could to please her aunt and cousin. At the end of the ball, she would return home to London knowing that she had done everything in her power for the sake of her mother.
Now that the night of the ball was upon them, Lady Louisa couldn’t help but expel a sigh of relief that this whole ordeal would finally be over. She would be sad to leave Miss Mary and Mrs. Vance and the Colonel, but outside of those few new friends she had made, there was little that she would miss of her time in the country.
She was sure that if she were to live in her family’s London house the rest of her days, she would be more than satisfied. She had also considered the words of the solicitor about her brother. Perhaps he would stay in the Colonies permanently. If that was the case, then she would brave the wild ocean and join him there.
Traveling to the Americas was something she would have never considered in the past. The one great thing that came out of her time here in the Lake District, was all the things she had accomplished on her own. She rather thought of herself as a very independent woman now, and had little fear about crossing the ocean on her own.
“And now for the mask,” Bess said, waking Lady Louisa from her thoughts.
She lifted the white silk mask and placed it on Miss Mary’s face, weaving the ribbons through her hair for secure placement. Delicate white feathers and a black outline of swan eyes decorated the mask. She looked absolutely exquisite in her delicate matching white silk dress gathered and ruffled to match a swan’s plume.
“I would not be surprised if the Colonel proposed on the spot tonight when he first sets eyes on you,” Lady Louisa exclaimed.
“Do I really look alright?” Miss Mary asked as she spied herself skeptically in the looking glass.
“Mary, you look like an angel. Now hop on out of that chair so I can work my magic on Lady Louisa’s hair before you have to leave,” Bess said in a playful tone.
“Do not worry yourself too much. If you can make it half as beautiful as last time, that would be sufficient for me,” Lady Louisa said as she took Miss Mary’s place in front of the looking glass.
Lady Louisa hadn’t had much time to prepare herself for the ball. For that reason, she had chosen to wear the same golden yellow dress that she wore to Bassen on her last visit. She quickly created a mask by covering it in feathers dipped in golden paint.
She didn’t care much to stand out at large parties or events, and was sure she would be the least dressed up guest of the night, but she was quite alright with that. Her only wish was to enjoy the night and the final ball before she returned home to London.
Finally, she was ready. Bess had performed her magic yet again, and had wrapped a length of white linen fabric with a gold print of fleur de lis in her hair. Between the material and the golden mask, Lady Louisa could scarcely recognize her own self.
Both ladies came downstairs and waited for just a moment before they were joined by Lady Hendrickson and Miss Elisabeth.
Though Lady Hendrickson was technically still in mourning, she had chosen to wear a cream silk dress with green silk embroidered ivy all along the front of it. Lady Louisa’s fingers tingled as she looked at each intricate embroidery stitch she had used to make the gown. Her mask was a compilation of green and blue ribbons folded to look like leaves.
Behind her, Miss Elisabeth stole the focus of the whole room with her dress. It was made of the most elegant blue and green and purple silks all layered and ruffled on top of each other. Around her lace trimmed neckline, was an array of ostrich feathers, encircling her like a halo.
Her mask was all gold, and unlike the others who couldn’t remove theirs, hers was on a stick for her to hold to her face when desired. She wanted to make certain that the Duke would single her out and know for a surety that it was Miss Elisabeth Hendrickson that would be taking his breath away this night. Along with the gold mask and stick was another plum of ostrich feathers she held in her hand to complete the look.
“Before we leave, let us all have a sherry. I fear my nerves are quite unraveled from the stress of all this preparation for tonight,” Lady Hendrickson announced.
Mr. Johnson quickly appeared with four small glasses of sherry wine and each was taken in turn.
“A wonderful idea, Mother,” Elisabeth said. “I am so nervous, I have been shaking like a leaf,” she added.
Lady Hendrickson, who stood between Miss Elisabeth and Lady Louisa, leaned over to her daughter to give her a pat of comfort with her hand. While doing this, she ever so subtly reached out her glass in the opposite direction and tipped it down the front of Lady Louisa’s dress.
Lady Louisa, who hadn’t noticed the movement, jumped and gasped as the cold, red liquid ran down the front of her, soaking and staining her yellow dress.
“Oh, my dear, I am so sorry,” Lady Hendrickson said, righting her cup again as if she had not noticed the motion while comforting her daughter. “Please do forgive me. As I said, my nerves are just all over the place. I am beside myself.”
Immediately Mr. Johnson reappeared with a wet rag.
“That won't do at all,” Lady Hendrickson said. “Your dress seems to be stained.”
“We can wait while Louisa changes,” Miss Mary chimed in almost completely sure it was not an accident.
Her mother had no desire for Lady Louisa to attend this ball and contend with the Hendrickson daughters for eligible bachelors.
“I am afraid the carriage is already waiting. We can’t be late. The night is far too important. I’m sorry, Louisa,” Lady Hendrickson said. “I suppose you can’t go.”
“We can give her just a few minutes to change, Mother,” Miss Mary insisted.
“How can you be so selfish,” Miss Elisabeth accused her sister. “This could very well be the most important night of my life, and you wish to ruin it?”
“Forgive me, your ladyship,” Mr. Johnson, who still held the rag, said. “Perhaps I could take Lady Louisa in the cart once she is ready.”
He turned to Lady Louisa.
“I know it would not be a fine carriage, but it would do the job of getting you there,” he added humbly.
Lady Hendrickson opened and closed her mouth a few times, having not anticipated her own staff turning against her plan.
“Do whatever you want,” she said, handing over her now empty cup to the butler and waving for her daughters to follow her.
“Hurry and change,” Miss Mary said in a whisper. “I have plenty of dresses in my room to choose from if you didn’t bring any more. You may have your pick of them,” she reached forward and gingerly hugged her cousin without their dresses touching.
Lady Louisa, though still shocked by it all, was at least a little relieved to have Miss Mary there and the butler to fight on her behalf. She couldn’t imagine having gone through all the work these past two weeks to prepare for the ball, given up so many of her trips to the village to help any sick in need, all to not be able to go to the masquerade herself.