A Loving Spirit (23 page)

This was a gown in the style of the Restoration era, and, despite its obvious age, it was in beautiful condition. The pale blue satin was whole and un-faded, and the copious ruffles of white lace were only slightly yellowed. All the pearl beadwork on the bodice was intact.

Cassie unfolded it, spreading it over her lap. It was the most beautiful gown she had ever seen.

Antoinette reached out to touch some of the lace. "It looks like one of Louisa's gowns."

"Why would she take my shepherdess costume away and leave this?" Whatever the ghost's strange reasons, though, Cassie was glad she had done it. She would feel like a queen in this glorious satin.

Antoinette shrugged. "Maybe she wishes
she
could dance at the ball tonight. Here, let me help you put it on."

It fit perfectly once Antoinette had tightened Cassie's corset strings. The satin lay smooth against her, the ruffles frothing about her like the foam of the sea.

Cassie took her mother's pearl necklace out of the jewel case and clasped it around her throat. Now she felt absolutely perfect.

* * *

"Is it time now, Lady Lettice? Is the ball starting?" Angelo said excitedly, dancing about the East Tower until the bells sewn on his doublet jangled.

"Very nearly." Lettice peered closely at herself in the mirror, straightening her headdress atop her upswept red hair. The solidifying spell had worked beautifully, and Sir Belvedere and Louisa were off on their last-minute errands. Her plan was falling carefully into place. She should be satisfied and excited.

She felt nervous,, though, and almost—almost afraid.

Lettice had never been afraid in her life, or her death! But she was now. Fear hovered around the edges of her mind, and caused her high lace ruff to flutter with the force of her trembling.

Angelo paused at her side, peering up at her with his wizened little face. "What is wrong, Lady Lettice?" he asked, tugging at her skirts.

Lettice forced herself to smile carelessly. "Not a thing! Our plan is coming together."

Angelo smiled. "And soon we will be completely rid of Mr. Bates! Angelo can hardly wait."

Neither could Lettice. If she could just as easily rid herself of these fearful premonitions...

Chapter 23

"Remember, she is dressed as a shepherdess," Mr. Bates hissed. He and his cousin sat in the darkened recesses of their carriage, parked out of sight just inside the gates of Royce Castle.

For the first time, the languid Mr. Morland looked uncertain. He peered out the window as guests' horses and carriages processed through the gates and up the drive. "Will there not be many shepherdesses there? Ladies seem dashed fond of that sort of thing."

"None of them will have hair like hers," Mr. Bates muttered.

"Are you certain this is a good idea, Paul?"

Mr. Bates shot him a glare. "We have no choice! Are you turning coward on me now?"

"Of course not! It is just..."

"Just nothing. This is the plan. If you have no stomach for it, you can start walking back to our lodgings. And keep walking all the way to Jamaica. But don't expect to have a home with
me
when you get there."

Mr. Morland lapsed back into silence.

"Right," said Mr. Bates. "Well, I am off, then. You wait here and keep an eye out for my signal."

He drew the hood of his domino up over his head and slipped out of the carriage, blending in with the stream of guests heading toward the castle. Soon, very soon, Miss Richards and Lord Royce would be deeply sorry they had crossed him.

* * *

Cassie stood outside the ballroom doors, watching the dancers move through the patterns of the dance. Beneath the rich glow of the lights, they were a blur of many colors and many time periods. There were knights and their damsels, Harlequin and Columbine, Renaissance poets, Lucrezia Borgia, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Aphrodite, Marie Antoinette. And there were also several gentlemen who had obviously thought it beneath their dignity to wear a costume, and had appeared in evening dress and masks.

The rich fabrics and the ladies' jewels shimmered, and champagne sparkled in heavy crystal.

Cassie's foot tapped lightly to the bright music, and she felt a thrill of excitement as she examined the magical scene. It truly looked like a fairyland, an enchanted place. The perfect spot to announce her new happiness to all the world.

If only she could see her would-be betrothed!

She saw Antoinette-Cleopatra talking to the Lewishams over by the window, and Aunt Chat, in her deep green velvet Eleanor of Aquitaine gown, dancing. And Lady Royce was greeting her guests, looking magnificent in black satin and pearls as Queen Elizabeth.

From the corner of her eye, Cassie saw a flash of white. She turned her head to watch as Lady Lettice, with Angelo close behind her, made her majestic way across the room. Obviously other people saw her, too, as they made way for her wide white silk skirts. She paused to speak with a cluster of guests, peering close at their masked faces as they talked. Then she looked at Angelo, shook her head, and continued on to the next group.

Whatever was she about?

Cassie did not have long to puzzle over Lady Lettice, though. A gentle hand touched one of the lace ruffles of her sleeve, and she looked over her shoulder.

"Phillip!" she said happily, putting her arms around him in a quick embrace, after she ascertained that no one was paying any attention to them. "There you are. I couldn't see anyone in there who looked the least bit like you." She stepped back to examine his costume. "But why are you dressed like a monk, of all things?"

His long brown robe covered him from the top of his hooded head to his feet. He glanced quickly around, then whispered, "This is not actually my costume."

Cassie was puzzled. "It isn't? Then why are you wearing it?"

"To cover up my real costume, of course."

"Don't be silly! Let me see it."

"I think I would prefer to wear the robe."

Cassie laughed. "It is absolutely drab! And that fabric is scratchy. How can we dance if you keep scratching me?"

"You are most persuasive, my dear. If I have to take it off in order to dance with you, then I shall." He looked around once more, then loosened his rope belt and pulled the garment off.

Beneath it, he wore the most amazing thing Cassie had ever seen. She clapped her hand to her mouth to hold her giggles in. They would not be contained, though; they burst forth in a merry torrent. "Oh, Phillip! You look—incredible."

His Greek chiton fell in white silk folds almost to his knees and was trimmed in gold embroidery worked in a Greek key pattern, and held in with a gold sash. The gold sandals on his feet laced up to meet the hem. Even behind his gold mask he looked most disgruntled.

"Incredibly foolish, you mean," he muttered, tugging the embroidered hem lower. "I never should have listened to my mother when she suggested I wear a Grecian costume."

"Not foolish at all," Cassie said, going up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You look very handsome. The most handsome gentleman at the ball, I would vow."

He smiled down at her. "And you are the most beautiful lady. This is an exquisite gown. But I thought you were meant to be a shepherdess."

Cassie preened for him in her blue satin. "I was, but someone took that costume and left this in its place."

"Someone?"

"I suspect Louisa. This looks like one of her gowns." She paused, remembering Lady Lettice and Angelo walking about the ballroom. "Speaking of ghosts..."

Phillip gave a long-suffering sigh. "What about the ghosts? What mischief have they done now? I swear, my life was far easier before I believed in them."

"They have done no mischief that I know of—yet. But I just saw Lady Lettice and Angelo mingling among the guests. And where they are, Louisa and Sir Belvedere are sure to follow."

Phillip peered past her into the ballroom, his gaze searching through the company. His expression was wary and surprised. "The guests could see them, then?"

Cassie took her white satin half mask out of her reticule and tied it over her face. "Oh, yes. She was talking to them and everything. You are not angry, are you?"

Phillip laughed. "Of course not! Surprised, perhaps. I find it so strange and amazing that they have been a part of my life all these years and I am only now seeing them. But I would imagine they get rather bored. A masked ball is the perfect opportunity for them to get out; no one will think their clothes odd at all."

"Exactly! I am sure they are up to no mischief at all." But Cassie bit her lip uncertainly.

"I think my mother has seen us. Are you ready to go in?"

"More than ready."

She took his arm, and swept into the ballroom to join the swirl of color, music, and excitement.

* * *

Louisa twirled about in the middle of Cassie's bedroom floor, enjoying the way her skirts belled out around her ankles. It had been decades since she had changed her gown, and the shepherdess costume was very different from her usual heavy satin and silk skirts. It was made of light muslin, with a yellow-and-blue-striped skirt, and a bodice and panniers of blue flowers on a yellow background.

She straightened the blue satin bow at the low, square neckline and smoothed the ruffles of the elbow-length sleeves. It was very fortunate that she and Cassie were almost the same size, and that she was able to change clothes at all. She hadn't been certain she could solidify, having never tried it before, but the spell Lady Lettice had taught her worked. But she knew that it would not last long, and that she would be very tired when it was all over.

The dress looked quite fetching, and she was rather fond of the adorable little shepherd's crook, with its cluster of blue and yellow ribbons. But the hair was all wrong. Louisa twisted one of her ringlets around her finger, examining its silvery-blond color. Cassie's hair was as dark as night.

She would just have to try to will it to change. She had never done that before, either. If solidifying would leave her exhausted, she had no idea what a change of hair color would do.

Ah, well. There was only one way to find out. Louisa closed her eyes, clutched the ringlet tightly in her fist, and filled her mind with the color black.

When she opened her eyes, the curl she held out was coal-colored. She pulled the thick mass of her hair over her shoulder, and saw that it had all turned brunette.

"Oh, I
am
good!" she cried, doing a happy little dance.

Lady Lettice came into the room then, opening the door and closing it behind her like a real human being. "Are you ready yet, Louisa? I think..." She paused, tilting her head back to examine Louisa. "Oh! You look just like Cassie with that dark hair."

"Thank you," Louisa said, and reached for the yellow half mask with blue ribbons. "Is Mr. Bates here yet?"

"Not at present. I looked at every guest in that ballroom, and none of them looked like Mr. Bates or his cousin. I left Angelo there to keep a sharp eye on things—if he can tear himself away from staring at the refreshments." Lady Lettice peered into the dressing table mirror and straightened her jeweled headdress with its long white and silver veil.

"I am ready," Louisa said, picking up Cassie's bonnet and the shepherd's crook.

"I do hope Mr. Bates appears soon. We can remain in this solid state for only a few hours."

"Oh, we will be done with this business long before that," Louisa answered confidently. "We will even have time for dancing after!"

* * *

"That is my costume!" Cassie whispered in Phillip's ear as they waltzed around the dance floor. She looked over his shoulder at the edge of the ballroom, where a slender figure in a blue-and-yellow shepherdess costume stood. The figure waved the crook at Cassie, then turned and disappeared back into the crowd, dark curls bouncing.

"Someone else is wearing your costume?" Phillip asked, spinning her jauntily around a corner.

"The shepherdess one I told you about. I think it is Louisa, but she has black hair now. She looks just like me!"