Seduced

Chapter 1 Lady Antonia Lamb stood before the oval cheval glass, a worried frown marring her lovely brow. She was classically beautiful with black-fringed, wide green eyes above delicately sculpted cheekbones and full, generous mouth. With impatient hands she swept the cloud of dark hair that fell past her waist back over her shoulders to reveal high, young breasts thrusting up from her lacy corset. "They're so small!" she lamented. Her maternal grandmother, Lady Rosalind Randolph, put down her chocolate cup and said dryly, "It isn't size that counts, it's firmness. The champagne glass was molded from Marie Antoinette's small breast, which was declared perfection. Much good perfection will do her with the rabble of Paris," Roz added irreverently. Her eyes assessed the tall, slim figure of her granddaughter, noting with satisfaction the nineteen-inch waist and the lovely long legs. It brought back memories of her own debut when she had been sixteen. "The men will be at your feet, Antonia, you haven't a thing to worry about. The last ball I attended looked like a competition for hideousness. Lady Denham, who's as thin as a damned lat, wore an exaggerated bosom of stuck-out gauze. She looked exactly like a pouter pigeon and had the absurd idea it was becoming. The Duchess of Bedford was aiming, I think, to copy the Navy's new colors of blue and white, but her gown was a screaming shade I can only describe aswoad. Fortunately no one noticed because they couldn't take their eyes off her blue, powdered hair, replete with battleship. Damned woman held court for an hour repeating the unedifying eloquence of her hairdresser, Legros, no pun intended." Roz struck a pose to mimic: "Three weeks is as long as a head can go well in the summer without being opened." Antonia's eyes brimmed with laughter. She flicked a snowy curl on the creation sitting on her dressing table, made a pretty moue with her mouth, and said, "Oh, Roz, I was so looking forward to wearing my first wig, but you've quite put me off." "Good! They are nothing but monstrous germ gatherers of horsehair, hemp-wool, and powder. I shall thank God when they go out of style, for daytime wear at least." "I suspect you are trying to build my confidence. The Duchess of Devonshire is such a renowned beauty and I know her preseason ball next week will overflow with beautifully gowned and bejeweled ladies." Antonia had little confidence in her looks, in fact she had no idea she was beautiful. All her life whenever anyone had met her they had said things like "How unfortunate you don't have your mother's coloring," or "You are tall as your brother, yet I remember your mother being dainty as a kitten." "Not all of them are ladies, darling," Roz drawled dryly. "Least of all Georgiana herself! Besides, it isn't the women you'll have to compete with, it's the men. 'Skiffy' Skeffington's face was painted with white lead, he reeked of civet cat, and the raffish Carlton House set wore red high-heels to a man." "Skiffy, what a preposterous name," Antonia said, "I can't wait to see him." "Not nearly as preposterous as his real name, poor devil. It's Lumley," Roz confided. "I swear he carried a snuffbox, sword stick, handkerchief, fan, head scratcher, patch box, and a muff. He resembled an internal juggler from the circus!" "You're exaggerating again. IRHenley, Virginia is the author of 'Seduced' with ISBN 9780440211358 and ISBN 0440211352.