dear; she had encouraged the man. If only he didn’t have quite so much hair. She imagined birthing a baby that looked more like a bear cub than a human.
On her other side, Mr. Parker-Bale’s foot had returned to its original position under the table. She glanced around, hoping her disturbance had been unnoticed, but found her father’s gaze on her. He had Lady Florence on one side and Rose Redcake on the other. Rose gave her a little smile and turned back to Victoria’s father. Victoria wondered how Rose had managed yet another invitation to dinner, given that she could distract the available men from the Gill daughters.
Thankfully, a footman removed her oysters and placed a clear soup before her.
She had learned to fill up on soup so that she was not too hungry when later, more voluptuous courses came along. Applauding herself when she was able to keep herself to one small bite of fried fish in a rich white sauce during the next course, she initially did not think anything of a sturdy foot nudging her own on the right. Instead, she tucked one slipper over the other and continued eating.
Next came potatoes, sweetbreads, vegetables, and, finally, one of the main courses, a stuffed game hen. She took one bite of the well-seasoned meat and closed her eyes. Heavenly . As she chewed her second bite, though, she found the tip of that interloping shoe on her ankle. She had no way to move unless she tilted her entire body toward Mr. Parker-Bale. Unfortunately, she had to speak to the man unless she wanted to visibly snub him, so she did just that, pasting a smile on her face as she slid as far to the left on her chair as she could.
His piercing blue gaze held no hint of either mischief or reproach, and they spoke cheerfully of the sights in Sussex until a vegetable salad was served. When he turned to his other partner, she scooted back to the middle of her chair, forgetting Mr. Dandy-Willow’s foot. But there it was, back again. When she attempted to give him a setting-down glare, he smiled with the innocence of a child, just as his cold shoe tip found a sensitive spot at the center of her calf.
“That’s quite enough!” She stood, dropping her napkin over her salad. Lady Barbara looked up at her, her blonde brows raised.
“I am indisposed,” Victoria hissed and stalked off, her shawl dropping to the floor behind her. She was too embarrassed to pick it up. Her shoulders slumped as a footman opened the double doors of the dining room for her. Surely she was too mature to react so to a mere tickle? But the dinner had been so uncomfortable, she couldn’t stand it.
If her father thought she would marry one of those two nodcocks he was a few pennies short of a pound himself. She knew a man who would woo by playing footsie under the table would be doing the same to some girl at a house party a few years hence, married or no. They weren’t worth having, their educations notwithstanding.
She wandered for a while, until she found herself in a corridor she didn’t recognize. Double doors were set into a recess in the middle and she opened them, hoping to find a library or some other place where she could compose herself. She turned a knob, hearing her fast breaths puffing against the door. How had those two suitors brought her to near hysteria? She pushed the door open, knowing it wasn’t the men but everything. Being back to where she’d started, forced onto the marriage mart again, when she had thought she was finally secure with a husband to please her father. Instead, she’d lost two years of her life with nothing to show for it. And now she had nothing to show for her bold attempts to lose her virginity with Lewis, either.
All of a sudden, her stays felt much too tight, a sensation that had become unfamiliar since her figure had reduced. She bent as much as the steel would allow.
“Who is there?” a man asked. “Madam, are you well?”
She felt a firm hand at her back and was led deeper into the room, which
On her other side, Mr. Parker-Bale’s foot had returned to its original position under the table. She glanced around, hoping her disturbance had been unnoticed, but found her father’s gaze on her. He had Lady Florence on one side and Rose Redcake on the other. Rose gave her a little smile and turned back to Victoria’s father. Victoria wondered how Rose had managed yet another invitation to dinner, given that she could distract the available men from the Gill daughters.
Thankfully, a footman removed her oysters and placed a clear soup before her.
She had learned to fill up on soup so that she was not too hungry when later, more voluptuous courses came along. Applauding herself when she was able to keep herself to one small bite of fried fish in a rich white sauce during the next course, she initially did not think anything of a sturdy foot nudging her own on the right. Instead, she tucked one slipper over the other and continued eating.
Next came potatoes, sweetbreads, vegetables, and, finally, one of the main courses, a stuffed game hen. She took one bite of the well-seasoned meat and closed her eyes. Heavenly . As she chewed her second bite, though, she found the tip of that interloping shoe on her ankle. She had no way to move unless she tilted her entire body toward Mr. Parker-Bale. Unfortunately, she had to speak to the man unless she wanted to visibly snub him, so she did just that, pasting a smile on her face as she slid as far to the left on her chair as she could.
His piercing blue gaze held no hint of either mischief or reproach, and they spoke cheerfully of the sights in Sussex until a vegetable salad was served. When he turned to his other partner, she scooted back to the middle of her chair, forgetting Mr. Dandy-Willow’s foot. But there it was, back again. When she attempted to give him a setting-down glare, he smiled with the innocence of a child, just as his cold shoe tip found a sensitive spot at the center of her calf.
“That’s quite enough!” She stood, dropping her napkin over her salad. Lady Barbara looked up at her, her blonde brows raised.
“I am indisposed,” Victoria hissed and stalked off, her shawl dropping to the floor behind her. She was too embarrassed to pick it up. Her shoulders slumped as a footman opened the double doors of the dining room for her. Surely she was too mature to react so to a mere tickle? But the dinner had been so uncomfortable, she couldn’t stand it.
If her father thought she would marry one of those two nodcocks he was a few pennies short of a pound himself. She knew a man who would woo by playing footsie under the table would be doing the same to some girl at a house party a few years hence, married or no. They weren’t worth having, their educations notwithstanding.
She wandered for a while, until she found herself in a corridor she didn’t recognize. Double doors were set into a recess in the middle and she opened them, hoping to find a library or some other place where she could compose herself. She turned a knob, hearing her fast breaths puffing against the door. How had those two suitors brought her to near hysteria? She pushed the door open, knowing it wasn’t the men but everything. Being back to where she’d started, forced onto the marriage mart again, when she had thought she was finally secure with a husband to please her father. Instead, she’d lost two years of her life with nothing to show for it. And now she had nothing to show for her bold attempts to lose her virginity with Lewis, either.
All of a sudden, her stays felt much too tight, a sensation that had become unfamiliar since her figure had reduced. She bent as much as the steel would allow.
“Who is there?” a man asked. “Madam, are you well?”
She felt a firm hand at her back and was led deeper into the room, which
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