Miss Lacey's Last Fling (A Regency Romance) Read Online Free PDF

wearing such a dress in public and would likely have been frightened to death at the prospect of meeting friends of her notorious aunt. The new Rosie was looking forward to it. Perhaps she would meet more rakish gentlemen such as Mr. Davenant.
    Tonight would be the true beginning of her adventure. She was attending her first Society event, wearing an elegant and sophisticated gown, and feeling ready to take on the world.
    The new dress and hairstyle acted almost as a disguise. Or perhaps costume was a more accurate term, for donning it gave her the courage to act a part. At least for the short time she would be in London, she would not be the shy, plain, selfless older sister from Devon. She would play a new role: an elegant, sophisticated woman of the world. No longer Rosie, but Rosalind.
    And Rosalind was ready for the curtain to rise on the first act.
    She had never been to a rout and wasn't even quite sure what one was, but Fanny had assured her it was the best sort of gathering to begin her foray into Society. Rosie had been shown the invitation, which had simply said that Lord and Lady Wadsworth would be at home on Tuesday evening. It all sounded quite informal, and she worried that her dress was both too formal and too immodest for what sounded like a small gathering. Fanny had only laughed and told her she had a lot to learn about London Society.
    She did indeed. She was astonished to discover that a rout was neither informal nor intimate.
    It took them almost an hour to reach the Wadsworth townhouse, though it was only a handful of streets away from Fanny's residence on Berkeley Square. There was an incredible crowd of carriages queuing up before the house. Every window of the palatial building was uncovered by either shutter or curtain to reveal a blaze of light within and what appeared to be a great assembly of people milling about.
    Though it would have been easier to disembark and walk the few steps to the entrance, apparently that was simply not done. One waited one's turn and only left the carriage when it had reached the entrance.
    Rosie's amazement continued once they had finally entered the house and mounted the grand staircase. It seemed that every room had been stripped bare of furniture, making room for a teeming crowd of beautifully dressed people. After being greeted by Lady Wadsworth, Rosie had stayed by Fanny's side as she made her slow way through the series of apartments.
    No one sat. There were no cards, no music, no dancing, and no food, though liveried waiters made their way through the crowds balancing trays of drinks. It was altogether a very odd affair, as far as Rosie was concerned. But oddly enjoyable.
    Fanny introduced Rosie to more people than she could begin to remember, a great majority of them gentlemen. She could not help but notice an appreciative gleam in more than one gentleman's eye. It was surely the gown, with its scandalously low neckline and the modish shorter hem that revealed more than a hint of ankle. Or perhaps it was her new cropped hairstyle with the profusion of curls framing her face, confined by a demiturban hardly wider than a ribbon.
    Whatever it was that brought so many approving glances, Miss Rosalind Lacey had become a center of attention. It was a heady experience for one who had never thought herself more than passably handsome.
    She had done the right thing in coming to Aunt Fanny. Even if the disease took her tomorrow, it would have all been worth it.
     
    *          *          *
     
    Max moved through the crowd like an automaton. Every move, every look, every word had been performed a thousand times before. It was almost ritualistic in its sameness, but without the spiritual nourishment of ritual. In fact, it was all rather numbing to the spirit.
    Sheer, unadulterated boredom.
    One might ask why a man who so hated these wretched events continued to attend them. But Max had no need to ask himself such a question. Unfortunately, the answer was