A Family Affair (2 page)

More nervous during her entrance than ever in her life before, she nevertheless, according to her mother, succeeded. Officially, she was now accepted as a part of the
ton
. Fanny wasn’t sure what she had done rightly, but if her mother said she had done well, so be it. She had learnt the hard way never to disagree with her mother. Caroline Darling was a loving yet unyielding mother to her three children.

“You look disgruntled.” Sin interrupted her thoughts, and she woke from her stupor to find they were by themselves again.

“I was thinking about Mama.”

“Ah.”

She didn’t have to say more. Caroline Darling could drive anyone crazy with her loving parenting.

“Looks like Lord and Lady Easton are about to climb down from their thrones,” Sin said, as the crowd started to move toward the walls, leaving a space in the middle of the room empty.

“Do they always sit so pompously on a platform when receiving guests?”

Sin nodded. “It’s the same procedure every year. Everyone must be announced to them by their butler and walk past them as we did. Father says it’s as though they want to be treated like royalty and not merely the hosts of this ball.”

“Not very friendly of them,” Fanny mused, and Sin chuckled.

“Indeed. They prefer to patronize their guests instead of welcoming them heartily.”

Fanny looked at their hosts, now descending from the platform, and she couldn’t help but pity them.

“What small lives they must lead.”

Sin shrugged indifferently. “Lord Easton is a jolly enough chap. He is mostly quite amusing, although not the cleverest of men.”

“So it’s the wife?”

“Isn’t it always?” Sin grinned again, and once more a choir of sighs was heard around them.

It was starting to get a bit annoying, Fanny thought, as she glared ineffectively at the admirers. Not one of them saw her. They were all too caught up in gawking at her brother.

“Well, look at that.”

The awe in Sin’s voice was unmistakable, and Fanny gave his admirers one last frowning look before following his gaze.

In the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by dozens of beaus, stood Lad
y
Charmaine
de Vere in all her glory. Thick
blonde
curls
tumbled
over her shoulders and
down
her
back,
shimmering
all over
with
small
diamonds.
Her
lovely
blue
dress
matched
her
beautiful
eyes, and a
faint
smile
curled
her
pink
lips
as
she
let
her
group
of
beaus
compete
over
filling
her
dance
card.

“Oh, I do so hate her,” Fanny mumbled between her teeth.

“Come on.” Sin sent an appreciative glance across the ballroom. “You have to admit, my dear sister, the chit knows how to make an appearance.”

“She does not,” Fanny snarled, giving her brother a murderous glare. He merely grinned in reply.

“She does too. You’re just jealous.”

Fanny gasped. “I’m not!”

Sin chuckled affectionately. “You are so easy to bait, Fanny. Especially regarding your precious archenemy, Charmaine.”

“I can’t help it,” Fanny admitted and a telling blush crept over her soft cheeks. “We have never liked each other, not even when we were children. There is something between us that just don’t match.”

“Could it be you’re simply jealous of her beauty? She is an astounding young woman, after all, and you wouldn’t be the first to want to scratch her pretty eyes out.”

“Maybe.” Fanny giggled. “Especially as I should be grateful for my dowry, considering how homely I am.”

Sin arched an amused eyebrow, and Fanny sent him a sunny smile in response.

“Charmaine’s words, not mine. I think she meant to be nice.”

“It is unfortunate she has such a bad inside beneath the splendor. Her parents have done a very good job of spoiling her rotten, and now they have to live with her wanting everything her way.”

Fanny nodded in silent agreement. Charmaine would sell her own mother if she could gain something by it. She had been adored since the day she was born, thanks to her unusual beauty.

Her sister Penelope, only a year younger, wasn’t as beautiful, hence tragically ignored by her parents. Charmaine and Penelope were different as night and day, and as much as Fanny loathed the older sister she loved the younger, who was her best friend.

“What I can’t understand is why she isn’t taken.”

Sin ripped his gaze from the delicious Charmaine and looked down at his sister.

“What do you mean?”

“Most debutantes get married, or at least engaged, during their first season, even the ones who don’t look as good as Charmaine. So why is she back for a second season, and this time with Penelope in tow?”

“All debutantes don’t marry their first season.”

Fanny snorted, knowing her brother wasn’t the best source when it came to the unwritten rules of the
ton
. All debutantes wanted to land themselves a husband during their first year. It was harder for a young woman to find an interested eligible bachelor the second year and beyond, with new debutantes introduced every year.

This year Penelope had joined her family for her first season, but unfortunately for her, Charmaine was too exquisite for anyone to notice the not-as-beautiful younger de Vere daughter.

Penelope wasn’t ugly. In fact, she was prettier than most of the other unmarried young ladies in the
ton
, prettier than most of the married ladies, too. She was simply not as overwhelming as her older sister.

“I think I have an idea of why she remains unmarried, though.” Sin caught his sister’s attention.

“You do?”

“It’s not so hard to figure out. She is of course aiming as high as she possibly can. With no unmarried royalty available, she wants to become a duchess. And the richest and most sought after unmarried duke is Devlin Ross, the new Duke of Hereford.”

Fanny couldn’t stop the warmth of a blush that crept over her cheeks, and she cursed silently to herself. Why, after all these years, couldn’t she hear his name without turning red as a beet?

Sin, bless his heart, didn’t notice his sister’s change of color; instead he continued to ponder the mystery of the unmarried Charmaine.

“When Devlin returned from France at the end of last year’s social season, he quickly became the darling of the
ton
, with all the loving mamas fighting to have him at their little soirées, to introduce their daughters to him. Unfortunately for them, Devlin isn’t at all interested in marriage.”

“How can you be so sure of his disinterest?” Fanny tried not to sound too interested.

“He told Uncle Rake, who told me. Devlin is a true libertine. He prefers mistresses rather than a wife. He did notice Charmaine, though, as she is rather hard to miss, but anything more than an occasional flirt on the dance floor wasn’t in his mind.”

“Of course, Charmaine thinks a little too much of herself to have any notion he might not want her for a wife.” Fanny giggled, and Sin chuckled along with her.

As if she knew they were talking about her, Charmaine looked their way, and her eyes narrowed to vivid blue almonds. Fanny gave her archenemy a bright smile, which Charmaine answered with a sneer before she turned her back to them.

“Devlin never plays with unmarried ladies,” Sin said as an afterthought. “And I have a feeling the poor fellow will be trapped into an engagement before the end of this season, one way or another. We all know Charmaine has no conscience, and I’m afraid she will probably make something up if he doesn’t propose to her. Many marriages have started with an innocent meeting on a balcony or in some other lonely place. All she has to do is make sure someone finds them alone, unchaperoned.”

“I guess her parents gladly would volunteer,” Fanny mused, knowing most families in the
ton
would do even worse things if it meant they could have the Duke of Hereford as a son-in-law.

It would put them on top of all lists, and put any creditors at ease, as the Ross family was one of the richest families in England and could cover any family’s debts with pocket money.

Sin’s chuckle interrupted his sister’s thoughts. “You know, Uncle Rake told me Devlin didn’t find her attractive at all, when he met Charmaine for the first time last season. Apparently Devlin thought there was something cold and dead about her.”

“Like a fish,” Fanny squealed, not able to hide how amusing she found Sin’s words. “We can call her Fishy!”

“You should try to be more subtle,” Sin said.

His sister ignored him, losing her mirth as she continued, “I feel bad for poor Penelope, though. Her awful parents have decided to spend all the money on Charmaine this year again, so Penelope has to wear her sister’s old gowns. One would think they should put their money on Penelope this year, since it’s her first season, but no, Charmaine must have all new dresses, because she can’t wear her old ones.”

“I can’t imagine any lady doing something so dreadful as to wear the same dress twice.” Sin winked, but his sister didn’t take his bait this time. She was too occupied with thinking about her best friend’s situation.

“How can you give one child everything and the other child nothing? It’s so unfair. Penelope is just as beautiful. And more importantly, she is a wonderfully nice person.”

“I really don’t know,” Sin replied thoughtfully. “There is certainly nothing wrong with Penelope.”

Just then Sebastian, the younger of Fanny’s two brothers, brought his little sister a refreshing glass of lemonade. He patted her shoulder in a brotherly way, to show affection, and succeeded in jostling her enough to spill some of the drink on the front of her dress.

The look she gave him was nearly as sour as the lemonade.

Almost.

“Don’t you worry, my dear,” Sebastian announced cheerfully. “When Charmaine gets older, all her sins, selfishness, and evil thoughts will turn her hair gray and her face all wrinkly and spotty.”

“Spotty?” Sin said, arching an eyebrow in a very Darling way.

Sebastian gave his older brother a smile worthy of a saint. Not an easy task for him.

“Why, yes!”

“Spotty?” Fanny had a hard time staying angry at her silly brother, even though he’d just ruined her white debutante dress. She could never stay angry with Sebastian; he was such a happy, loveable clown. And now, thanks to him, she wouldn’t have to wear this horrid dress again.

“It is common knowledge among those who know things; old age catches everybody, and no one can escape, not even celebrated young ladies. Especially the mean-hearted ones.”

“Like Charmaine,” Fanny laughed.

“That’s right, sweet pea. Especially ogres like Charmaine.”

The three siblings smiled wickedly at each other, unaware of their parents’ approach until their father’s voice cut through their snickering.

“What on earth are you three up to now?”

“Papa.” Fanny threw herself into her father’s waiting arms, ignoring outraged gasps from bystanders. With her father, Fanny was always a little girl. She loved the way he made her feel secure and cherished.

“Fanny, for goodness’ sake,” Caroline Sinclair Darling, Marchioness of Newbury, murmured between her teeth, and Fanny reluctantly brought her arms down from around her father’s neck. Her father gave her a little peck on her faintly freckled nose before he put his wife’s hand in the crook of his arm again.

“Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?” Caroline inquired, and Fanny nodded with a delighted smile.

“I love it,” she declared passionately. “It is more than I ever could have imagined. The people are so fashionable, and everyone looks quite elegant. Thank you so much for bringing me to London.”

“It’s all your grandmother’s doing,” the marquess told his daughter. “I still can hardly believe your Grand-Papa let you leave Chester Park, especially since he kept ranting about the loss of common sense among the
ton.
My
father has a somewhat hostile opinion of the Season.”

“If it weren’t for Francesca being the first girl to be born in the Berkeley family for centuries and he’s unable to say no to her, Hannibal probably would have locked her in one of the towers and thrown away the key.”

“True, true,” George agreed with his wife. “But he is too proud of her not to let her attend.”

They were the best parents imaginable, Fanny thought as she watched them chat away. The love and respect they bestowed on her was endless, lifting her high. They were the solid foundation of her life.

She had not been an easy child, all curiosity and adventurousness and with no common sense at all. But her parents had managed to find a wobbly path for leading her, one that in the end had worked. Their patience and undeniable love for her and for each other had formed her, until she had become the much calmer person she was today. She liked to think she had gained a little common sense, too, even though her brothers kept telling her she hadn’t.

“Fanny.” Caroline interrupted her thoughts. “Do you want me to go with you and see if we could remove some of that lemonade your brother so nicely poured over your dress?”

“It was an accident…” A glare from his mother silenced Sebastian.