Free The Duchess by Bertrice Small Page A

hurried to her own rooms where her maid, Honor, was sitting, sewing the hem on a gown that had been torn. “What shall we wear tonight?” Allegra said as she entered.
    “Is it important?” Honor asked her mistress.
    “Yes,” Allegra said, “I believe it is.”
    “Ohh, miss, tell me, do!” Honor begged.
    “Not yet,” Allegra said, “but soon, Honor.”
    Putting her sewing aside, the maid arose. “There is a lovely gown you haven't yet worn.” She ran to the wardrobe, and drew a garment out. “Here it is!” She held it out for Allegra's perusal.
    Allegra nodded her approval. The high-waisted gown was striped with broad bands of pink and cream watered silk. The elbow-length sleeves dripped lace. The rounded neckline was fashionably low.
    “We can pick some of them beautiful pink roses from the garden for your hair, miss,” Honor said. “And you can wear that sweet pink cameo on the gold chain your pa just bought you, and pearl earbobs.”
    “I will want a bath,” Allegra replied.
    “Is it true Lady Sirena is marrying that handsome viscount she's been keeping company with all season?” Honor hung the gown out.
    “How do you servants learn all the gossip so quickly?” Allegra laughed. “That has always fascinated me.”
    “Damaris was there when Lady Sirena and her beau come up to her mother's rooms,” Honor said. “She came to tell me right away. To brag was more likely,” Honor told her mistress a trifle sourly. “She sometimes gets above herself, does Damaris.”
    “I'll make you proud soon enough,” Allegra promised her maid.
    They left for Almack's Assembly Rooms in King Street just before ten o'clock that evening. As Allegra had noted earlier the rooms were not particularly distinguished, but Almack's was considered the place to be and be seen in London society. Founded in 1765 by Mr. McCall, exclusivity was its trademark. Balls were held each Wednesday during the season. Low-level gambling was allowed.
    One did not simply go to Almack's. Its patronesses issued vouchers to the chosen, and that voucher allowed one to purchase a ticket into the social heaven. Rank and wealth were important, but not a guarantee of acceptance by the patronesses, of whom Lady Bellingham was currently one.
    It was at the Bellingham ball that the season's crop of young ladies were observed by the patronesses. They then met to decide who would be allowed into Almack's that season and who would not. It was a near thing for Allegra despite her father's wealth, for the patronesses had noted she danced only one dance. The last dance. Gaining their sworn agreement that they would not tell the tale, Lady Bellingham explained that the Duke of Sedgwick had been the first to ask Allegra for a dance, and shy, she had said her card was full, when indeed it was not. The duke, however, had seen the empty card, and played a wicked trick on poor Miss Morgan, for he had taken umbrage at her refusal.
    “Poor child,” Lady Markham, one of the other patronesses said sympathetically. “Sedgwick is as handsome as the devil himself, but overproud. Of course an inexperienced girl would have been terrified.”
    The other ladies murmured in agreement as Lady Bellingham continued her story. And when she had finished they all assented that dear Miss Morgan must certainly be issued a voucher, along with her pretty little cousin, Lady Sirena Abbott. Olympia Abbott knew that it was thanks to her friend that both her daughter and her niece were admitted to the sacred circle that Almack's was acknowledged to be. She was quite deeply in Lady Bellingham's debt now.
    The dances deemed acceptable by the patronesses of Almack's were English country dances, Scotch reels, the contredanse, the écossaise, the cotillion, and the minuet.While the popularity of the minuet had waned in France with the revolution, each ball at Almack's opened and closed with one. And after each dance, the young lady was promptly returned to her mama or her chaperone by her