The Disappearing Duchess by Anne Herries Page A

come dressed as a medieval knight. He grinned at Lucinda as he saw that she was wearing a green-and-white gown with fronds, which fluttered like leaves of silk, hanging from an embroidered band beneath her breasts. On her head she wore a tiny skullcap of gold threads.
    ‘I think you must be the Queen of the elves,’ he said.‘I am Sir Lancelot and I’ve come prepared to rescue any ladies in danger of being enchanted by these wicked wizards.’
    Lucinda laughed. ‘I am not sure that any ladies are in danger at the moment,’ she said. She glanced at her husband, who was wearing a green-velvet tunic that fitted into his waist and then flared out in little pleats, his tight-fitting hose in a matching shade. He had a little fringed cape of black silk and beads that fell in a point over one shoulder. Again it was the medieval style, but had something of an elfish look. ‘I am quite disappointed that no one dressed up as a troll to frighten us all.’
    ‘I doubt that anyone was certain of what a troll should look like,’ Andrew said. ‘I do not believe I have ever met one—what does a troll do, do you imagine?’
    ‘He or she lives under a bridge, eats rotten fruit, has exceedingly bad manners and is very aggressive,’ Lucinda replied laughingly.
    ‘Indeed?’ Andrew raised his right eyebrow. ‘I believe I have met one or two after all, but they do not appear to be here this evening. Clearly, you had the good sense not to invite them.’
    ‘Trolls need no invitation,’ Lucinda said. ‘Perhaps it is as well that they have decided to stay away.’
    The servants were circulating with trays and people helped themselves to glasses of champagne. To give the ball an atmosphere, Lucinda had asked the servants to hang banners of green-and-black silk, from which dangledlittle spiders, toads and black cats, which she had made herself from paper, ribbon and scraps of velvet. Justin had discovered a beautiful crystal ball, which had been set in the middle of a display of prickly holly, some white lilies and little dishes of biscuits in the shapes of witches, wizards, toads and black cats.
    Outside the ballroom there were lanterns hung in the trees and Lucinda had painted silhouettes of witches, wizards and black cats on the glass so that when it got dark they would throw shadows onto the lawns. There was to be a firework display at the end of the evening, which the gardeners had been busy setting up all day, and the guests would watch from the safety of the veranda.
    Lucinda and Justin opened the ball together. Everyone smiled and applauded them as they performed alone for a few minutes, then gradually other couples joined in and soon everyone was dancing. As soon as Justin released her, Lucinda was besieged by gentlemen wishing to dance with her.
    ‘This is a jolly fine evening, duchess,’ one rather portly gentleman told her. ‘These clothes are a deal more comfortable than the tight breeches they make us wear these days.’
    ‘You make an excellent wizard, Sir John,’ she said and smiled at her husband’s cousin. ‘I am so glad you are enjoying yourself.’
    ‘I can’t recall when I’ve enjoyed an evening more.Your decorations are enchanting—naïve and different. Justin tells me you did it all yourself?’
    ‘Yes, I thought it would be amusing. I copied the silhouettes from a children’s book I found in the nursery.’
    ‘Well, I like it better than some of these fancy affairs they hold in London where everything is so formal and professional—there is a bit of fun about what you’ve done, m’dear. Not enough of it about if you ask me. Justin is a lucky dog.’
    ‘How kind of you to say so, sir.’
    Since his remarks were more or less what everyone was saying, Lucinda felt relieved. She had not had time to send to London for professionally made decorations, but had enjoyed making them herself.
    ‘You were always good at drawing,’ Jane said when they spoke later. ‘I was thinking we might employ a