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. 。・゜・✫ II. OLD ACQUAINTANCES ✫・゜・。. " it would be my honor if you saved me a dance. "
Even though the Harrisons lived only a few homes down from the Laffertys, Rosina ordered a carriage for the baron, baroness, and their eldest daughter to take to the ball. In the back of her mind, Bex found the carriage ride unnecessary, but given the fact that her corset threatened to suffocate her with each breath, she wasn't sure if walking to the party was a good idea, even though she could see the Harrisons' home from her bedroom window.
Besides, if Fred was to actually make the whole night, he couldn't exert himself anymore than was absolutely necessary.
"Are you excited, Elizabeth?" Rosina asked as the family settled into the carriage seats. Rosina had long given up calling her eldest daughter by her preferred nickname, one given to her by Fred as an infant. It was fine for a child, Rosina said, but entirely inappropriate for a lady. Still, anyone who truly knew Bex called her just that — Bex.
"I'm not sure excited is the correct word, Mother," Bex muttered, fanning herself as she peered out the window. It wasn't even that hot out, but between the layers of clothes she was wearing and her nerves, Bex felt as if she'd melt into a pool of sweat at any moment.
"Well, you look beautiful, darling," Rosina said, smiling proudly at her daughter.
Bex supposed she should have been glad she didn't have to parade in front of Queen Charlotte again. She'd done that once, when she first came out into society, but she didn't have to do it again, even though this was the year she was actually looking for a husband. She'd see the queen of course, at different events throughout the season, but she doubted the monarch would attend the Harrisons' party.
It took only a few minutes to get to the Harrisons', and before she knew it, Bex was out of the carriage, walking in the doors of their grand home.
Montgomery and Georgia Harrison were long-time acquaintances of her parents. Bex remembered playing with their daughter Maggie as a child, though Maggie had married a wealthy American businessman and hadn't been seen in London since.
Their eldest, Samuel, was set to inherit Monty's estate and title, and the middle child, Peter, was galavanting through Europe, last Bex had heard. Bex was jealous of Peter's freedom — he wasn't the oldest, so he didn't have to worry about taking over his father's position, and he was a man, so he didn't have to worry about marriage. He came from a wealthy family, so he could essentially do anything he dreamed of. Bex couldn't fathom such freedom. A world without responsibility.
She followed her parents to the ballroom, where they stopped in front of the door so they could be introduced to the rest of the guests. It was a silly tradition, one that occurred at each party they went to. As if the people in that room hadn't known each other since they were children.
