Dora shook her head and slid the jacket off her shoulders, offering it back out to Albert. She had a hunch that it would cause her trouble to go home with it. “Thank you for the offer,” she said, “but please do take it back. I barely feel the cold, in any case.”
Albert took the jacket back reluctantly and gave her a bow. “Until the ball then,” he said. “It was a pleasure.”
Dora watched after Albert as he headed out to rejoin the Lord Sorcier. I do hope Vanessa doesn’t intend to try and marry the Lord Sorcier, she thought. Albert seems much kinder. I shall have to dissuade her, as soon as I am able.
“You have my deepest apologies, miss,” the man behind the counter said with a sigh, interrupting her thoughts. “A man in my business really cannot turn away the Lord Sorcier, you understand, however abhorrent his behaviour.”
“Oh yes,” Dora said distractedly. “Of course, I understand.”
“Please, allow me to help you,” he said, by way of changing the subject. “Was there something in particular for which you were looking?”
Dora turned back towards him, pursing her lips. I do believe this is a magic shop, she thought. How fortunate. “Perhaps there is,” she said. “I’m afraid I only have a bit of pin money. But if you happened to have a book of faerie peerage on your shelves, I would be most obliged.”
Chapter 3
Dora returned to the countess’ townhouse shortly afterwards, well before dark. If anyone had noticed her strange departure, no one thought it relevant enough to mention. The next day, however, she was budged from bed by a maid, who told her that she was expected at breakfast with the family.
“Dora, my dear,” Auntie Frances said, as she entered the room. “The countess has received a most peculiar letter. Lady Carroway has personally begged your presence at her ball, along with that of your cousin. I’m quite certain that she must have mixed you up with someone else, given that you have no connection of which I’m aware, but I thought I might ask if you knew anything about this.”
The countess and Vanessa were both sitting at the table along with Auntie Frances. For her part, Vanessa looked somewhat miserable, though she was wearing a brand-new gown in the latest style, and her hair was put up with a number of beautiful, opalescent butterfly pins. Vanessa’s face brightened as she looked over at Dora’s entrance, however, and she hurried to pull out the chair directly next to her.
“Oh yes,” Dora said, since she expected that any sort of lie would eventually come undone anyway. “I met her son, Mr Albert Lowe, in a shop on Berkeley Square. He was ever-so-polite. I offered to introduce Vanessa to him, since Lady Hayworth had been speaking of how suitable Lady Carroway’s sons were.”
Auntie Frances blinked at Dora, as she walked over to take her seat next to Vanessa. That Dora had dared to venture out on her own, without any sort of proper escort, seemed to vex and astound her. But Auntie Frances could not possibly deny the usefulness of having such a personal invitation, and so she carefully limited her reply. “I was not aware that you had gone out, Dora,” she said. “I am sure you know that you shouldn’t have done that. But since you have done, it seems that we shall need to dress you up appropriately for Lady Carroway’s ball.”
“I’m quite fine with the pink muslin,” Dora assured her aunt. “No one in London has ever seen it before, and it fits me very well.”
“Yes, well.” Auntie Frances cleared her throat. “We shall at least see that it is taken in for you more nicely. Perhaps we can sneak you into the shop today, in spite of the short notice.”
Lady Hayworth frowned lightly at Dora. “Did you say Mr Albert Lowe?” she asked. “Oh dear. Yes, I can see how Lady Carroway would be enthused at your interest. I’m afraid that Albert is the least suitable of her sons, and she has been having trouble finding him a wife.”
“Is he?” Dora asked, knitting her brow. “I cannot imagine why. He served against Napoleon with the Lord Sorcier, I’m told, and he is very charming.”
The countess sighed. “Yes dear,” she said patiently. “But he is not a whole man. He is missing an arm, for goodness’ sake. You cannot have failed to notice.” She narrowed her eyes in thought.
“Still,” the countess continued slowly. “I hear that Albert is a physician, which is more respectable than can be said of most third sons. And this is fortunate in its own way. It was Dora who received the personal invitation, so we shall have her set her cap for Albert. Lady Carroway will be pleasantly-inclined towards the family after that, I am sure, and we can aim to snare her oldest son for Vanessa.” Lady Hayworth beamed at this bit of logic. “Why, you could be a viscountess, Vanessa, and the next Lady Carroway. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”
Vanessa set her lips into an unhappy line. But she was not prone to disobeying authority figures, and so she nodded silently, rather than contradicting the countess. She glanced over at Dora from beneath her eyelashes. “You said that Mr Albert Lowe served with the Lord Sorcier?” Vanessa murmured. “I shall have to see if he is inclined to arrange a meeting.”
Dora frowned vaguely at that. “I have met the Lord Sorcier,” she told her cousin. “He was there with Albert that day. Lady Hayworth is right, Vanessa—Lord Elias Wilder is quite terrible. You must forget him, please.”
For once, Auntie Frances nodded her head in agreement with Dora. “You see, Vanessa?” she said. “If even Dora can feel distaste for the man, then he is to be avoided. Please put the thought from your head. We have a chance to position you well with the next Lord
