Free When the Splendor Falls by Laurie McBain

she has been away at finishing school. “Naturally you will be wearing a new gown for your sixteenth birthday party,” she said matter-of-factly. “I seem to recall vaguely that I had a pink gown for mine,” she remembered with a slight frown of concentration, as if the event had occurred a century ago.
    “I’m going to wear a pale green silk with ruffles. I was fitted for it in Richmond just before I left, and Althea brought it with her when she arrived,” Blythe said, and thinking about her beautiful gown, she decided against another sausage roll.
    “Oh, la dee, how wonderful, Lucy. Green truly is your color,” Julia agreed. “Of course, I am rather more fortunate, because Simone says I can wear any color. ’Tis the fairness of my complexion and hair. I really do not think yellow would be a proper color for you.”
    “I suppose your cousin Justin Braedon will be arriving when Palmer William does?” Blythe asked, fiddling with a half-eaten stuffed egg.
    “Oh, la dee, I s’pose. Mama and Papa are expecting him, and his brother from the territories. I hardly remember him, but from what I’ve heard I am certain I shall not like him at all. I can tell you I am not looking forward to having to put him up, especially with Adam home too. It might be nice, though,” she said as a sudden thought struck her, “if Justin brought along a few of his cadet friends to stay over the weekend. Of course, I imagine that Matthew Wycliffe will be arriving shortly. He was invited, wasn’t he?”
    “I believe so. He is interested in some of our stock which will be auctioned on Saturday, and then the race is on Sunday. Many are betting on Sea Racer to win, and he came out of the Wycliffe stables,” Leigh told her.
    “Horses! Really, Leigh, is that all you can think about?” Julia demanded in exasperation. “Of course,” she continued in a different tone of voice, for she knew her friend, “he must truly love horses to have bred such fine stock and have such famous stables.”
    “He is a very fine rider,” Leigh agreed. “I’ve never seen him take his whip to his mount, nor has he ever lost his seat as far as I know,” she said, which was high praise indeed.
    Julia bit her lip in vexation. “Yes, that would seem to indicate he is very well-bred.”
    “He converses quite well,” Leigh added, taking a sip of the lemonade Blythe had retrieved from the stream and poured into the goblets.
    “Oh, yes, indeed,” Julia was quick to agree, although, privately, she thought Matthew Wycliffe’s conversation rather dull. “You do like him, then?” she asked hopefully.
    “Hmmm, I s’pose,” Leigh responded, glancing away for a moment, and only Blythe saw the smile that curved her lips.
    “Oh, Leigh! Please!” Julia cajoled, straining to catch sight of Leigh’s face, but when her friend looked back, her expression was one of innocence. “You know I won’t breathe a word of it. You are my very dearest friend, and I do mean that,” Julia said with great solemnity, and she did mean it, for she and Leigh had been friends since they had taken their first tentative steps out of the nursery.
    “Well,” Leigh said, relenting in her teasing of Julia, and knowing she could indeed trust her with any confidences, for although Julia could be exceedingly irritating at times, and rather silly, and selfish even, she was a trusted friend, and they’d stood together against many an adversary, “he is rather handsome.”
    “Oh, most certainly,” Julia agreed, nodding her blond head and licking a dab of crabmeat from the corner of her lips. “And…”
    “And very much a gentleman,” Leigh allowed.
    “Not a word spoken against him.” Julia was in complete agreement, for if Leigh married Matthew Wycliffe and went to live in Charleston, then, as Leigh’s very best friend, she would be invited to stay and would accompany Leigh and Matthew to every important party of the Season. “And…”
    “And he is very soft-spoken and he