Free Before the Storm by Melanie Clegg Page A

forgot to mention that he has an elder brother?’ She turned back to them with a grin. ‘An unmarried elder brother.’
    ‘But what about religion?’ Phoebe asked as they all exchanged looks. ‘Aren’t they all Catholic in France?’
    Venetia shrugged and turned back to the mirror. ‘That isn’t a problem,’ she said hesitantly, curling one of her long scarlet ringlets around her finger and watching it spring back into shape. ‘I am a Catholic too. Not a very good one, obviously but Mama is one and insisted that I should be baptised too.’ She sighed. ‘I love Jules so much though that I’d willingly convert so that we could be together.’
    ‘I would too,’ Eliza said, surprising everyone. ‘Why not? If I wanted to marry a man, I wouldn’t let something like religion stand in my way.’
    ‘How ruthless you are,’ Venetia remarked with a lazy smile over her shoulder at her friend. ‘You shall have to come and visit me in France and we’ll put it to the test!’
    Any reply that Eliza might have made was postponed by a timid looking little maid entering the room bearing a silver tray laden with tea things and cake, which she placed on a table in front of the window. ‘Fresh walnut cake,’ she said shortly with a hasty curtsey. ‘Cook just baked it.’ She backed quickly out of the room before anyone could reply.
    ‘When is the wedding?’ Clementine asked as she clumsily but proudly poured tea from a silver pot into delicate floral patterned china cups. ‘Will it be soon?’ She handed Venetia a cup then began slicing into the cake, which was deliciously moist.
    ‘Next month,’ said Venetia, cramming cake into her mouth. ‘Mama is furious as it doesn’t leave her much time to organise my trousseau but we just couldn’t bear to wait. I’ve told her that it doesn’t matter and I’ll buy everything that I need in Paris once I am there, but she won’t listen.’ She laughed. ‘It’s almost as though she doesn’t think they have shops there.’
    There was a knock on the door and Sidonie slipped into the room, dressed in her usual neat grey cotton dress. ‘It’s time for your lessons, Clementine,’ she said with a friendly nod to the other girls.
    Clementine gave a groan but obediently put down her cup and went to her governess. ‘Have you heard Venetia’s news?’ she asked, her eyes still shining. ‘She and Jules are to be married next month!’ she turned to Venetia. ‘Can Miss Roche see your ring?’
    ‘Of course!’ Venetia obligingly came forward with her hand outstretched so that Sidonie could admire the diamond. ‘Isn’t it beautiful? He bought it from the Prince Regent’s favourite jeweller.’  
    Sidonie smiled dutifully as she examined the ring. ‘Congratulations,’ she murmured politely. ‘What a lovely ring.’
    Venetia gave a little jump. ‘Oh, but I almost forgot the best bit!’ she exclaimed, turning to the others with wide eyes. ‘There’s going to be a ball! Can you imagine? A ball for me!’ She did a little dance as Eliza and Phoebe both clapped their hands with delight. ‘Jules is great friends with all sorts of people and one of them, Lady D’Eversley has said that she wants to hold a masked ball for us before we go to Paris! Isn’t that kind of her? I’ve never met her before in my life and now she wants to hold a ball for me!’
    ‘A ball!’ Eliza breathed, already imagining what she would wear. She’d seen the perfect dress in the window of a fashionable Bond Street modiste only the previous day - pale dove grey silk covered with silvery gauze and silver stars embroidered on the bodice. ‘Really?’
    ‘Yes, really!’ Venetia hugged Eliza. ‘Jules says that the Duchess Georgiana herself will be there! Oh, I could die, I am so excited! I have never met her but apparently he has known her ever since he was a little boy.’ They all gasped at this - the gorgeous Duchess of Devonshire was the the adored idol of England and like most other girls