Lilac Temptress (28 page)

Rosaline voiced with crushing
skepticism, “Sierra, my brother is brilliant. He is a man of many
talents, renowned and respected in these parts, and our family is
among the most influential in this city. Did he tell you this?” she
smugly lifted one eyebrow.

Sierra’s silence and uneasy shifting
in her chair indicated her frustration with the girl.

Ignoring Sierra’s discomfort, Rosaline
continued her speech. “Drake is an wealthy man. A successful
businessman, who can get anything he wants, though he hardly has to
try very hard. Women are constantly throwing themselves at his
feet. Believe me when I tell you that women of all sorts are drawn
to him. Do you blame me for not trusting you?”

Sierra wouldn’t allow
herself the insult. Rosaline was practically insinuating to her
face that she was nothing more than a scheming woman who sought
after Drake’s material wealth. “Where I come from I know very
little of your family name. In fact, I know nothing of Drake’s
influence, fortune or
women
. Kyle and I are just trying to
survive in New Orleans. That is the honest truth of it and I do not
wish to be your adversary. I only wish us to be friends. You are
dead set against the idea of friendship between us, are you not?”
Sierra wanted to stop pleading for Rosaline’s friendship. If
Rosaline would not accept her and Kyle, then Sierra decided that
she would not strive for her acceptance.

Rosaline eyed at her plate for a
moment, deep in thought, letting the silence linger a bit too long,
she realized. Drake would be disappointed with her if she did not
at least try to bare the burden of befriending Sierra. And she did
not wish to upset her beloved brother. Her concern over hurting him
compelled her to speak again.

“
My apologies, Sierra.
Drake likes you and Kyle, I can tell. I will not have him angry
with me for the way I am treating you. Besides, I need another
woman in the house I can speak with other than Jeanette. Even
though she’s cared for our family a long time, she is sometimes
insensitive in matters of the heart. Can we start over?”

“
I am willing to,” Sierra
said relieved, her somber mood brightened. She visibly relaxed, and
took a sip of the tempting orange juice from a pretty silver
goblet.

Rosaline smiled. “My brother would
really like you to attend the celebration. Really, you must come.
You owe him that much, don’t you?”

“
Actually, Drake has been
kind enough to free us of any obligation we might owe him, but if
he wishes me to attend, then I suppose I will,” Sierra
conceded.

“
Good. I am glad this is
settled. I told him I would help you become more familiar with our
customs. My advice may help you to better adjust. The people
attending this party are haughty and highborn and would ravish you
like vultures. I hope to teach you a few things. Like first
thing... is this. Can you tell me about this table setting? It is
very important to know the difference between buttering knives,
salad forks and soupspoons when the meal is served tomorrow night.
Last night, during dinner, you didn’t seem to know the difference,”
Rosaline pointed out.

“
Well... I really don’t
have a clue as to how table settings should look.” Sierra awkwardly
fidgeted in her chair with embarrassment.

Rosaline realized her task of readying
Sierra might prove to be as daunting as it would be challenging.
“First lesson. Never eat very quickly or overfill your mouth. Never
make any noises while you are eating.” Almost in one breath
Rosaline continued, “Never eat so much of one portion that you
attract attention, as some people do with butter or cheese. Never
hesitate to take the last piece of cake; there is probably
more.”

“
Lesson two,” Rosaline
coached.

“
That was lesson one?”
Sierra asked, perking up in her chair, eager to learn
more.

Sounding almost amused, Rosaline
lectured firmly with a twinkle in her eye. “Lesson two—never
introduce unpleasant topics for conversation.”

Sierra intently listened to Rosaline’s
every word and demonstration in the courtyard. The morning hours
stretched long into the afternoon as the young girl taught her the
proper way to greet people—ladies with a smile and gentlemen with a
curtsy.

“
Remember, boisterous
talking and laughing prove that you are of lower station. Never
stare at people, which is also evidence of poor manners. When you
make an entrance into any room you should not walk too quickly. It
is ungraceful,” Rosaline stressed.

Sierra was tired of holding all the
information inside her head and wished she had a pen and ink to
take notes. “How do you know so much of such things?”

“
Like all debutantes
attending finishing school, I was made to study the
Rules of Civility and Decent
Behaviour
,
Rules
of etiquette and home culture
, and
Hill’s Manual of Social and Business
Forms
, sensibly written books about the
proper etiquette that our Society adheres to. I ran away from
debutante school three times to escape to Newhaven and ride my
horses, but I did learn something of it all.” Rosaline giggled. She
knew her words must by now sound like perpetual rambling to
Sierra’s ears.

“
Every action in company
ought to be a sign of respect to those present. In the presence of
others, don’t sing to yourself or drum your fingers or feet. Speak
not when others speak, and sit not when others stand. Most of all
gaze not at the blemishes of others, and ask not how they
came.”

Sierra succumbed to laughter at that
bit of instruction. Following these arduous rules of etiquette
seemed pointless and unnatural. No wonder Rosaline had fled
debutante school three times, Sierra thought agreeably.

“
It may all sound humorous
to you but it is all very, very important.”

“
And all too exhausting,”
Sierra remarked, wondering how she would ever remember every detail
tomorrow night. Intermixed with all the fluffery that Rosaline was
teaching her, was a dose of common sense. The problem was that she
wasn’t sure which was what.

Rosaline, promising never to leave her
unattended, even described to her whom she should avoid—or risk
being bored senseless, and whom she should make discourse with for
amusing tales—Daniel Jouvin’s name being on the later list.
Rosaline told her about cigar rooms which were reserved for
gentleman and areas of the house deemed appropriate for ladies to
interact.

Rosaline, as Sierra’s partner, showed
her a few popular dances: the minuet, waltz, and tango, among
others. Those were the easiest lessons for Sierra, and even
Rosaline noticed her natural dancing ability. Sierra didn’t bother
telling her where she had learned to dance when Rosaline asked her.
And to Sierra’s surprise, she had to admit that she was having
fun.

“
Now you must learn how to
walk correctly,” Rosaline commented as the lessons meandered on. “I
used to spend hours practicing how to glide across the room. You
must know how to sweep your dress in order not to become entangled
in the fabric. You must never lose your balance, fall over, or trip
on your gown. We shall practice with a table linen, for it is long
enough.” Rosaline motioned to a servant standing nearby waiting for
orders. The servant arrived quickly with the cloth and Rosaline
wrapped it around Sierra’s waist, teaching her the correct way to
walk.

“
Final bit of advice.”
Rosaline’s voice became very grave as lines creased in her
forehead. “Great care should be taken by a lady who has refused to
dance with a gentleman. After refusing, she should not accept
another invitation for the same dance—doing so might deprive the
gentleman you refused of his confidence to ask another lady.”
Rosaline folded her arms across her chest, nodding her head
confirming that they were finished. Her job of telling Sierra
everything she needed to know was complete. She could only hope it
was enough.

“
Thank you,” Sierra said
gratefully, though her entire body felt limp with exhaustion.
Rosaline certainly knew how to sap the strength out of her. And
though, Rosaline had turned out not to be the insolent brat Sierra
originally thought she might be, Rosaline still had a knack for
pushing Sierra to her limits. However, Sierra actually started to
like Rosaline a little and she wondered if Kyle would ever begin to
like Rosaline as well.

Sierra didn’t want Rosaline to be
Kyle’s big reason for leaving Newhaven all too soon. Kyle was
already apprehensive enough just thinking about what it might cost
them to stay there and Sierra knew he wouldn’t accept Drake’s
generosity for nothing in return.

Sierra cleared her voice, hoping to
sound convincing to Rosaline. “He’s not so bad you know—Kyle, that
is. You might even come to like him. He shares some of your love
for riding. I, for one, have never felt comfortable on a horse.”
Sierra lifted her nose conveying her dislike for riding.

Rosaline looked at Sierra
momentarily, who waited intently on her response. So, what if there
was common ground between her and Kyle? she thought. Kyle still had
no manners about him and acted as if he were raised by a pack of
wild wolves. He was in no way sophisticated or dignified. His
arrogance and pride had resonated at dinner last night upon their
second meeting. Despite all her misgivings, she was tempted to try
to see him as his loving sister did. Rosaline realized that
she
did
feel a
peculiar excitement at Kyle’s presence. However, she refused to
explore the bizarre feeling that she reluctantly admitted to
herself, and she quickly discounted that the feeling might be
mutual.

Kyle was one of the first
men she had met who didn’t show any admiration for her at all. In
fact it didn’t seem that he even cared that she existed one way or
another. No, first impressions were often right, she told
herself.
Better to consider Kyle as
nothing more than an oaf and a pig and have nothing to do with
him.

“
Come now, Sierra, let’s go
upstairs and rummage through your closet to see what you might have
to wear for the ball,” Rosaline said, mentally dismissing any
further thought of Sierra’s arrogant brother.

Rosaline’s response, or lack thereof
concerning Kyle was not what Sierra had hoped to hear, but she
decided it was best to let the matter rest and guide Rosaline into
the house, and up the stairs to her bedroom.

“
Oh splendid—this is one of
my favorite rooms in the house, other than the guest quarters I
chose for myself.” Rosaline’s eyes lit up upon entering the room.
Sierra watched her as she approached the huge walk-in closet.
Seeing it not even a quarter-full, Rosaline turned back, dismay
flashing across her face, to look at Sierra who stared at her
wide-eyed. “Is this all you’ve brought with you?” Rosaline
inquired, not very happy with the small collection of clothing that
hung before her. Sierra confirmed with a headshake.

“
Oh, these dresses will
never do!” Rosaline said in exasperation as she shook her head
side-to-side. She stared at Sierra for a moment, looking her up and
down to size her up. “We have no time to go into the city today to
look for the proper dress for you. It will be evening soon. And
tomorrow it will take most of the day just to ready ourselves,” she
said in frustration.

“
Why would it take so long?
For the stage I could prepare...” Sierra caught her words in her
throat, letting them trail off. She mentally chastised herself. She
must be more cautious in the future, she told herself.

Like a cat that caught a canary,
Rosaline pressed her for more information. “For the stage you could
prepare what?”

“
For staging myself as a
noble-born I could prepare swiftly enough.” Sierra recovered
hurriedly, hoping that Rosaline believed her story.

“
Sierra, don’t see it as a
stage performance. You must prepare yourself for this role. It is
the first of many on your path to a new life... Now, let’s see—you
and I are about the same size.”

Rosaline held her hands up into the
air as if she were making a clay mold of Sierra. Sierra was bit
bustier than her, curvier and a few inches taller, she surmised. “I
may have something for you yet.” Rosaline unexpectedly reached
toward Sierra, grabbing her hands, and all but dragged her out of
the bedroom, along the hall and down the staircase.

“
Where are we going,
Rosaline?” Sierra followed with haste, lest she lose her entire arm
to Rosaline’s tight grip.

“
We are going to my room,
of course. I have dresses I have not yet worn that still need to be
taken in, but any one of them might be a perfect fit for you. Now
we must find Jeanette so that she can help us. And don’t let me
forget to remind her to have your measurements delivered to our
seamstress right away. You are going to need a much more sufficient
wardrobe if you wish to fit in here.”

Sierra was amused with
Rosaline’s remarks. She certainly didn’t know if she was going to
be
here
long
enough to fit in, but she would not insult Rosaline by telling her
that.

* * *

Drake motioned toward two of his
servants as he entered the foyer. “Please see to it that these
things are taken to Kyle’s room. There is more in the coach. Ben
will direct you.”