Their futures were now tied together.
Chapter 9
The Marlowe Castle annual Yuletide ball started in less than an hour. Angelica hadn’t moved for fifteen minutes.
She stood in front of her wardrobe, willing it to contain something other than six identical day dresses, two identical church dresses, and one tired evening gown.
Because she had spent most of the last seven years at her worktable, there had not been many appearances in ballrooms. Only during Yuletide, in fact, when her relatives came up from London.
They teased Angelica relentlessly for her uninspired wardrobe. Even though Luther knew his sister preferred to use her brain only for important decisions, he still loved to intimate that perhaps Angelica really did only own two dresses, and always offered to buy her one more just to “liven” her up.
Tonight was the first time she wished she’d let him.
She wouldn’t have touched it until now, making it something new she could wear, just for Jonathan. Who would be here in... She glanced at the clock upon the mantel. Twenty minutes.
Well, she’d be ready in plenty of time. There was only one thing to wear.
She pulled on the same evening gown she wore every Christmas. Before, her sartorial restraint had always seemed practical. Now that she would be attending a ball with a gentleman who dressed like a literal fashion plate, her worn, mint-and-white gown looked hopelessly out of style.
It didn’t matter. Even if she designed the most stunning lover’s lockets Britain had ever seen… Even if the Duke of Nottingvale was so overcome by her vision and artistry that he was moved to personally endorse her creation… Even if Jonathan’s business partner didn’t bat an eye at paying a complete stranger fifteen percent of profits made on a locket said stranger designed… Even if every item in the catalogue was a runaway success, making them all famous, and wealthier—and England itself, dressier—than ever before...
There would still be no reason to believe she would see Jonathan again after he left Cressmouth.
Angelica could send her designs by post—and indeed, would more likely be working directly with the artisans creating the products than corresponding with them through a third-party investor. There was no reason for anxiety.
Jonathan would only see her in tonight’s uninspired gown once. She would get over the embarrassment and forget it ever happened, just as he would forget about her once he moved on to the next town, the next lonely woman he happened to meet.
They would both move on.
None of that stopped her from splashing rose water on her wrists and taking extra time with her hair. Tonight, she parted the front of her hair down the middle, using her fingers to create side-twists to frame her face. The rest of her hair, she pulled twisted back into a chignon, which she decorated with two gold-and-pearl hair combs.
The same ones she hadn’t let Jonathan purchase the day they’d met.
When the knock came on her front door, her heart skipped giddily. Although her home shared a common wall with her shop, she was rarely in it except to bathe and sleep. She certainly was unaccustomed to gentleman callers arriving to accompany her to a ball.
Until today.
She rolled her shoulders and lifted her pelisse and bonnet from the rack. Like her gown, there was only one of each. Jonathan had already seen them both any number of times. It was a good thing she wasn’t trying to impress him.
Before she could lose her nerve, she flung open the door.
He looked magnificent as always. Shiny black boots. Formal black knee breeches. Perfectly tailored overcoat. Floppy brown hair that fell boyishly over his pale forehead. Strong jaw and firm lips. Sapphire eyes that sparkled wickedly, as though he knew very well how handsome he looked, and enjoyed catching her peeking.
“I brought you something.” He pulled his hand out from behind his back.
Angelica stared at the item dangling from his fingers. It was not some romantic trinket, but rather an ordinary beige bonnet she could have sworn came from the same local milliner that had sold her hers. In fact...
“That bonnet looks exactly like mine,” she said, her voice tight with suspicion.
“It is exactly like yours,” he replied cheerfully. “With one big difference: this one is from me.” He placed her old bonnet back on the rack and tied the new one beneath her chin. “You hate making clothing decisions. I wanted to give you a gift that didn’t add to your worries. There.” He stepped back and admired her with satisfaction.
She pressed her fingers to her chest as though her touch could calm her racing heart. It was a perfect gift. Something new to let her know he was thinking of her, without trying to change her in the least. He liked her just as she was, and wanted to be certain she knew it.
He offered his arm.
She held on tighter than necessary, as though she could imprint the memory of him into each of her fingertips, to keep for later.
He doffed his hat and ducked beneath the brim of her new-old bonnet to steal a quick kiss before escorting her outside and up the snow-packed road to the castle.
They were not alone. Though the air was cold, the atmosphere was festive. Most of Cressmouth regularly turned out for the community’s myriad Christmas activities, but the assembly was a particular favorite. Food, drink, music, dancing... and this year, thanks to Noelle, the village’s first annual indoor tree decorating. With luck, the custom would catch on.
Volunteers like Jonathan had been out all afternoon, clearing the walking path to the castle. The snow had finally stopped that morning, but it would be days before the roads between neighboring villages were clear enough for travel.
It no longer felt like she and Jonathan were stuck together because of bad weather. It felt more like they’d been drawn together
