Page 11 of The Unfortunate Debutante
She groaned. “I am ruined.”
Dressed in a rose-colored gown, the blonde beauty, Lady Camden, stepped up next to her. “Hardly. My first husband was a villainous man who made many enemies, and the ton still embraced me,” Kate shared.
“But you were the daughter of a duke,” she pointed out. “I’m just a ward.”
Eliza wore a look of amusement on her features. “Trust me, being Luke’s ward means something. With your beauty and connections, you are the envy of the ton.”
A servant passed by with a tray holding several ornate glasses. He stopped in front of her and extended the tray to her. “Champagne, Miss Pearson?”
She put her hand up to refuse it, but Benedict accepted it and handed it to her. “You should drink this. It will calm your nerves.”
Accepting the glass, Emma sighed. “I am only allowed one glass of champagne for the evening.”
“Have you ever had champagne before?” Kate asked curiously.
She shook her head. “Never. Luke ordered me not to. He says that alcohol can lower your inhibitions.”
“Women should never drink to excess,” Eliza warned, “but an occasional glass of champagne at a ball is permissible.”
Emma brought the glass to her mouth and took a large sip, not anticipating that she wouldn’t enjoy it. She made herself remain still for a moment before starting to cough. And cough. “It is bubbly, but very bitter.”
“Bitter?” Adrien questioned, looking at her in surprise. “Do you mean sour?”
“Champagne can be an acquired taste,” Eliza pointed out.
The room grew quiet, and Emma saw Luke standing in the middle of the dance floor. “It will now be my honor to dance the opening set with my ward, Miss Emma Pearson.”
“Oh, bother,” Emma muttered under her breath as Kate took the glass from her hands.
She saw the crowds parting as Luke approached her and bowed. “Miss Pearson,” he said, extending his hand towards her, “may I have this dance?”
“I would be honored, Lord Downshire,” she replied with a curtsy.
As he started leading her towards the dance floor, she started feeling light-headed. It must just be nerves, she thought to herself. The room was filled with people, and they were all watching her. Luke gave her a reassuring smile as they stepped into the middle of the dance floor and the music began.
At first, Emma and Luke executed the minuet flawlessly. Their steps were in sync, and they were achieving an air of unaffected ease and nonchalance. They approached and withdrew from each other with grace, and she was grateful that Rachel had made them spend hours practicing together.
However, as the dance progressed, Emma found it increasingly difficult to focus on the intricate steps. Now, as they approached each other, she had to strain her eyes to focus on Luke. Something was wrong. She felt odd, weak. The room felt overly warm, and her steps began to falter.
“Are you all right, Emma?” Luke’s concerned voice asked from somewhere far away.
“Yes,” she managed to force the word out as she continued to dance.
The music began to change, indicating that the first set was over, and she would now choose another partner to finish the dance. It had already been decided that Luke’s younger brother, Lord Jonathon Beckett, would dance with her.
Emma began searching the crowd for Lord Jonathon, but all the faces were blurry and unrecognizable. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. Only this time, she felt the sudden urge to fall into a deep sleep. Just as she felt herself falling to the ground, she was scooped up into Luke’s arms. Then, everything went black.
Emma returnedto the conscious world in a cloud of pain. Her head ached something fierce, and the bright light in her room was making her regret the decision to open her eyes. What’s happened, she wondered, as she brought her hand up to her forehead.
“You’re awake,” her lady’s maid said in a cheerful voice next to the bed.
“Do I have to be?” she questioned, closing her eyes again. “Would you mind closing the drapes?”
Peggy immediately jumped up to do her bidding and closed the two sets of drapes, darkening the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful,” she remarked. “What happened?”
Coming to stand next to the bed, Peggy gave her a curious look. “You don’t remember?”
