Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story (19 page)

“
My uncle's carriage!” When he opened the door and peered into the interior, the door squeaked. “It's not good enough for her.”

And it was true. His uncle's rickety post chaise was hardly suitable for an earl's daughter, but it was the only vehicle they had at their disposal.

“
As long as it can get her to Ridgeley Manor, the state of the carriage isn't a concern.” In the corner of her eye, Edith superciliously eyed the ramshackle vehicle. As old as it was, it looked like it was a gust of wind away from total dilapidation. “Are you certain it actually moves?”

“
Of course it moves! How do you think it got here?”

“
Well, I--”

Edith's response was interrupted by the arrival of Cynthia, who emerged from the servants' entrance looking like a cherub. Her honey blonde hair had been swept into an immaculate style. Golden ringlets, like an angel's feathers, framed her ivory face. Her pale pink dress was trimmed in lace, and on her neck, she wore a simple teardrop diamond. From head to toe, she was a vision of loveliness. Not even Robert could tear his eyes away from her.

“
Oh, Cynthia!” Edith's hand flew to her heart. “You are so beautiful!”

A shy smile tipped the younger woman's lips. “You think so?”

“
Oh yes! I've never seen you look more beautiful!” Edith pulled her forward, into a welcome embrace. “I am more excited for you than you can imagine!”

“
You are too kind, Edith. I only hope I will make you proud.” In the back of her mind, Cynthia was terrified—terrified that Lord Charmington would choose someone else, terrified that he would completely overlook her. And she doubted she could hide herself from Jemima and Georgiana for the entire night. Lord Charmington's ball was either going to be miraculous or disastrous.

When their embrace ended, Cynthia stepped away from Edith and turned her attention to Robert, whose eyes wandered down the length of her body. “She
is
beautiful,” he quietly agreed.

“
Was that a compliment?” Cynthia gasped. “A genuine compliment?! From Robert?!”

“
Well, I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard a thousand times. Of course you're beautiful! I'm sure you're used to having men fall at your feet... what's another compliment from your old friend Robert?”

“
It means a lot, coming from you.” Cynthia reached for Robert, who handed her into the carriage. When she was inside, she realized she had one more person to acknowledge. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. As she stared at the words, her eyes filled with tears.

I LOVE YOU

“
Wish me luck, Father,” she whispered to herself.

Not one to mind his own business, Robert stuck his head through the carriage window and asked, “What's that?”

“
It is a letter... from my father.” As she spoke, Cynthia held up the paper so he could see it. “They were the last words he ever wrote.”

“
Aww. That's touching.”

Cynthia pouted at him. “
Please
don't mock me, Robert. I don't need you teasing me about this as well!”

“
What?!” Robert's hands flew to his hips. “I'm not teasing, Princess! I'm being completely genuine! I'm sincerely touched by your father's last words!”

Cynthia folded the note and returned it to her reticule. “So you say.”

As Robert climbed into the driver's seat—and mumbled about feeling “wounded”—Edith stepped up to the window. “Good luck, dearest sister!” she exclaimed.

“
How can I ever thank you enough, Edith? I am forever in your debt!”

“
To see you eternally happy would be all the thanks I would need!”

Robert flicked the horses into motion. As the carriage pulled away, Cynthia hanged her head out the window and kept Edith in view as long as she could. Even if Charmington chose someone else, even if the night
was
a disaster, Cynthia knew she had much for which to be grateful.

She had the most wonderful friends in the world.

* * *

“
DAMN!”

When the carriage stopped, and she heard him cursing, Cynthia knew there was something amiss. Robert's foul language left something to be desired, but she expected no less from him. He never seemed too concerned by the fact that he was in the presence of a lady.

With a piercing squeak, the carriage door swung open. When she saw Robert's face, he looked more frustrated than she had ever seen him.

“
I'm sorry to say,” Robert cleared this throat, “the carriage is broken.”

“
Broken?!”

“
Unfortunately, yes.” When Robert looked at the broken wheel, he had to resist the temptation to give it a swift kick.

“
Is it something you can fix?!”

Robert swept his dirty cloth hat from his head and twisted it between his hands. He shook his head, which made his messy brown curls tumble comically. “Alas, no. It's not something I would be able to fix within a reasonable time frame.”

“
H-How much further do we have to go?!”

“
Two miles. Give or take.” Robert slammed the hat onto his head and offered Cynthia his hand. “Come on. Step down.” Cynthia reluctantly accepted his proffered hand and alighted from the carriage. When he saw her wrinkle her nose, he had to chuckle. “What's with that face?! You don't trust me?”

“
No.” Cynthia looked down at his hand, in which he was still holding hers. “I was wondering about the cleanliness of your hands.”

“
Are you serious?!” His chuckle turned into a roar of laughter. “I'll have you know, I've been taking
very
good care of my hands! Even my fingernails are sparkling!” He let go of her and wiggled his hand in front of her face. “Now, we need to get you to that ball! Unless you have another suggestion, I'm going to unhitch one of the horses and--”

“
Now I'll be arriving on horseback!? I could have done that on my own!” Cynthia sighed. “Well, I suppose that's one way to make an entrance...”

Robert unhitched a brown mare and mounted up. “Chin up! It isn't as if we'll be riding into the ballroom on horseback! Although... I am sure it would make quite an impression if we did!” The next time he took Cynthia's hand, he pulled her onto the horse in front of him.

When Robert wrapped his arms around her, the strangest thing happened.

Cynthia's heart fluttered.

* * *

Lord Charmington was having a miserable time, but it was to be expected. He had danced with practically every young lady in the room. Many of them were pretty, and most of them were exceedingly polite, but none of them stirred his emotions like a particular stunning maid. How had he lost his heart to a servant, of all things? How could he possibly open his heart to anyone else when all he could think about was
her
?

The worst part of the day was when he was forced to dance with Georgiana, who batted her eyelashes at him the entire time. To make matters worse, she was trying to sell herself in a way that was borderline inappropriate.

“
Are you truly going to propose to someone
tonight
, my lord?” Georgiana asked him. “You know, I believe I would have all the qualities of an amazing wife. I would be honest and faithful … dutiful and true. I am a pleasant companion, and I would treat you with respect. More than anything, I believe a husband deserves to be respected! It should be a wife's duty, first and foremost, to make her husband feel comfortable and appreciated. I would always support you, I would never be a nag...”

Georgiana wasn't subtle in the slightest. As soon as the dance ended, he led her back to her mother; he could not be rid of her quickly enough.

After his dance with Georgiana, he found himself in the company of a Miss Harwell, who flitted her fan and pursed her lips in a way that was obnoxiously coquettish. Miss Harwell prattled on and on about her cats, how much she loved them, and how they all had wonderful, distinct personalities. As Miss Harwell droned about cats, Lord Charmington's gaze wandered around the room.

And that's when he saw her. Cynthia—
his
Cynthia—was standing at the ballroom's entrance. With her golden hair and glowing skin, she was the purest beauty in the room. She was an Incomparable, an enchanting vision, a sight to behold. As soon as James' eyes landed on her, he knew his gaze would never wander for the rest of the night.

“
Excuse me, Miss Harwell...” he curtly excused himself. As he made his way toward Cynthia, the cat-loving young miss glared at his fleeing backside.

Almost as soon as she entered the room, Cynthia saw Lord Charmington making his way toward her. The ball was a crush; however, even in the crowded room, it was as if they were drawn to one another. Several seconds later, the man of her dreams was standing in front of her, and he regarded her with the warmest, most adoring smile in the world. At the first sight of his dimples, Cynthia swore she could feel her knees melting.

“
Cynthia...” he whispered her name.

“
My lord.” Cynthia bobbed a curtsy, like a proper lady would. “I hope you don't mind... I came.”

“
Of course I don't mind. I'm absolutely
thrilled
to see you here!” Lord Charmington pulled her hand to his face and kissed her knuckles. “Although, I must admit... it
is
a bit surprising.”

“
I--”

Before she could utter another word, Lord Charmington had to say, “You take my breath away.” He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone, and resisted the temptation to touch her lips as well. Ever since they met, he had been dying to kiss her. If he had one taste of those lips, he knew he would lose his heart to her forever. “Will you dance with me?”

“
I... don't know.” Cynthia tore her eyes away from James and scanned the room for Jemima and Georgiana. If they spotted her, she knew her fairy tale with Lord Charmington would come to an abrupt and immediate end.

“
Please
dance with me,” he insisted. “I've danced with so many women already... but the only one I want to dance with is standing right in front of me. The fact that you're here is something of a miracle. Your presence is proof of a higher power, because someone must have answered my prayers.”

“
Then... I would love to dance with you, my lord.”

James took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, where couples were lining up for the quadrille. Now that she was dancing with Lord Charmington, Cynthia knew it would be impossible to evade the notice of her stepmother and stepsister. Somewhere in the room, they would surely be glaring at her. Fortunately, she could rest assured they would not risk making a scene in front of the earl.

“
You dance beautifully,” he complimented her. “I wonder... when did you have time to practice? How did you learn?”

“
I... learned the steps on my own,” Cynthia lied. More than anything, she wanted to end the charade and confess her true identity. She was waiting for the right moment to reveal everything.

“
You learned to read on your own...” Lord Charmington said. “You learned to dance on your own. My dear, you are definitely an enigma!”

When the steps of the dance separated them, Cynthia's eyes probed her surroundings. When she spotted Jemima and Georgiana, her body went rigid with fear. They were standing together at the far end of the ballroom, and they didn't look happy.

As soon as Lord Charmington returned, she asked, “M-my lord... do you think it would be possible for us to step outside for a bit of fresh air? I'm feeling a bit peaked.”

“
Are you alright? Are you ill?”

“
I am fine. I believe I might be unaccustomed to the crowd.”

The dance ended, so Lord Charmington took her by the arm and led her outside. From the garden terrace, they could still hear the music, and the sounds of laughter from nearby revelers.