The Unthinkable Read Online Free PDF Page A

the white crepe gown was trimmed at her high waistline with a thin pink satin ribbon to match the delicate pink satin petticoat. A moderate train, which would be pinned later for dancing, fell in small gathers down the length of her back. A rounded neck, tight bodice, and short sleeves completed the fashionable Grecian-style gown. Genie and Lizzie had pored over the latest sketches from their aunts in London to achieve just the right design. Thrilled with the result, she twirled before the looking glass.
    “Oh Eugenia,” her mother exclaimed, her eyes misting with tears. “You are loveliness itself. You’ve always made your father and me so proud, always such a good, sensible girl. Now look at you, all grown up…” She trailed off, dabbing her eyes with a lace-trimmed piece of linen she’d pulled from her reticule.
    “Truly, I’ve never seen you look so beautiful, Genie. The men will be falling at your feet. I do wish I could be there to see you tonight,” Lizzie said from her forlorn perch on Genie’s bed. “It’s not fair. Why must I wait until I’m eighteen?” She scowled at their mother. “Susan is coming-out with Genie and she has only just turned seventeen.”
    Sly puss, Genie thought. Lizzie’s nagging magically lightened the sentimental mood.
    “That’s only because Mrs. Andrews can’t wait to catch a title,” Mrs. Prescott replied briskly. “Your father and I harbor no such ambition. Though I wish we had more for you girls.”
    Genie could hear the silent apology in her mother’s voice. Although her father’s advowson of seven hundred and fifty pounds a year under the patronage of the Marquess of Buckingham was considered substantial for a rector, after providing for her brothers and supporting her two maiden aunts there was not much left for the two girls.
    “But you are both beautiful and accomplished,” Mrs. Prescott continued firmly, convincing herself. “It will be enough.” She sighed. “Before I know it both my girls will be gone with homes and families of their own.”
    “That will be some time yet, Mother.”
    “Especially for me,” Lizzie piped in glumly.
    “It will be your turn soon enough, young miss.” Mrs. Prescott gazed at Lizzie thoughtfully. “Perhaps it is the bane of the youngest to always want to be the eldest.” Gently, she lifted Lizzie’s chin with her finger. “So impatient, always afraid that you’ll miss something.” Leaning down, she placed a light kiss on Lizzie’s cheek. “Try not to grow up too fast, my love.”
    Empathizing with her sister’s impatience—a feeling she understood only too well at the moment—Genie offered what consolation she could. “I promise to tell you everything, including every boring detail about the duke’s sons— if they deign to make an appearance.”
    “Boring?” Lizzie laughed. “You don’t fool me, Genie Prescott. You are as curious as I am. But I’ll hold you to your promise. I want to hear every detail.” She sighed dramatically. “I just know something wonderful is going to happen tonight.”
     
     
    Any trepidation Genie may have harbored vanished in the first few minutes after her arrival when she was immediately surrounded by a throng of very enthusiastic gentlemen vying for her introduction.
    Never had she had such fun. Dancing, laughing, even her first foray into a little innocent flirting. It was perfect. She wished the night would never end.
    Awaiting refreshment, Genie stood with her friend Caroline at the back of the large hall next to the wide doors that opened to the patio, fanning herself with the cool breeze of the starry summer night. Along with her first ball, she was also experiencing the unbearable heat of a crowded ballroom lit by hundreds of candles. Genie welcomed the rare moment of peace, content to merely observe the dancers for a while. A sea of white and pastel silk swirled by, the ladies’ gowns shimmering in the soft flickering candlelight.
    “It feels like I’ve been