Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington

Chapter Eight

"I find it more than a little unnerving and more than a little inconvenient," Hope muttered, wondering how much Noelle really cared about her opinion.

"Well, stranger things have happened, I suppose." Then pushing her musings aside, she continued, "Now, where shall we begin?" She tapped one finger thoughtfully against her cheek.

"I suppose we should start with dancing, for I know not a single thing about it. I feel much more confident in the other areas, having been your lady's maid long enough to have a fairly good understanding of the other components of being a lady. I'm almost positive I could work my way through a multi-course meal, and I am as versed in the social proprieties as you are, but I have never had the occasion to learn to dance, never needing to know how."

"Perfect, let's begin there. I suppose I will have to act as the gentleman and the orchestra, seeing as how we have no music." She thought for a minute, "I guess I will just have to hum a tune and hope you can pick up on the rhythm of the dance."

Oh dear, she hoped this would work, for dancing was an integral part of being a lady. She knew that masquerading as Lady Noelle would require her to attend multiple balls a week and that there was no way she could get away with not dancing at every single one of those balls. Both girls worked to move a few stray pieces of furniture out of the way, clearing a space for the lessons.

"The first dance we will start with is a country dance. You'll just have to imagine there are more couples dancing along with us."

Noelle began humming a lively tune as she led Hope in the steps of the dance. There was much fumbling and stepping on toes, but Noelle was persistent and insisted that they try again and again. Eventually, that persistence paid off and Hope felt as if she could satisfactorily dance a country dance. She was glad that she was a quick learner and fairly agile.

After taking a break to rest their feet, Noelle stood once more and gestured for Hope to do the same. "Next we will work on waltzing." Noelle stood directly in front of Hope and placed one hand on her back before taking her other hand in her own. "Now I've noticed you are rather good at following my lead so if you can continue to do that, this should come quite easily for you. First, step back with your right foot."

Hope kept her gaze down as she struggled to watch their feet amidst the billowing skirt of her gown, trying to get in rhythm. She stumbled on Noelle's toes frequently, and finally, she figured Noelle had had enough of it when she decided once more that it was time to rest.

"I'm not sure I can learn to waltz. Is there any chance that I can avoid this particular dance?" she asked, hopefully.

"Hardly, it is all the rage, and I am sure the duke will insist upon waltzing with you." The thought of being in a man's arms, stumbling around a ballroom, unnerved her. She knew if she were ever going to pull off this charade, she would need to master the waltz, and so after a few minutes of rest, they were practicing once more. And so the remainder of the day went, practicing one dance after another until Hope's feet ached from wearing the unfamiliar ball slippers.

Finally, Noelle called it a day, much to Hope's relief, and sat down with a huff, "I must confess, dancing with you is more tiresome than dancing with half the ton and not nearly as pleasant." She reached down and pulled off one slipper and began rubbing her toes adding, "and much more painful." Hope grimaced, her confidence not at all bolstered by the comments.

"Let's hope we can improve your dancing abilities drastically in the next few days, or we could be in trouble. Now, we have to discuss how this will all work out. I hate to have to tarnish your name but we have to come up with a credible story for your sudden and impromptu departure, and it won't reflect well on you, I am certain."

Hope already knew that and offered a suggestion, "Why don't we stick as close to the truth as possible. Let's just tell your father that I left a note behind saying that I have run away with a gentleman I have fallen in love with and plan to flee the country. Please, no more lies if we can help it."

"Perfect. He will be perturbed and insist on getting you a new lady's maid post haste, but there should be no further ramifications and this way Hope Hillburn can just disappear into the unknown, indefinitely."

Hope flinched at the casual way Noelle talked about her demise as if it would have no effect on her life whatsoever. Maybe it wouldn't but it was certainly affecting Hope's own life to vast extremes. The thought of putting her identity completely in the past made her feel sick to her stomach. She just hoped that she could retain a part of who she was and not lose herself completely in this new life she was embarking on.

Suddenly, it all weighed her down and felt like more than she could bear: saying her final goodbyes to her mother, having to dress in fancy clothes, having to learn to dance, and worst of all, having to eventually become a duchess.

She rose quickly. "Please unhook my dress, I suddenly feel fatigued and need to lie down for a bit...it was a long night." An understatement if there ever was one. All she knew was that she wanted to get back into her own familiar clothes and away from Noelle where she could enjoy whatever she could of her final days as plain old Hope Hillburn from Shepard's Bush.

The minute the bronze satin gown fell to the floor and her corset was unlaced, she insisted that Noelle remove her gown so she could redress before stealing away to her own quarters to be alone, where she could write and transport herself away into another world---a world that would always be there for her, a world where she could imagine anything she pleased, be anything she chose.