to the eye. Some of the large, porcelain sculptures were brought in to give the appearance of grandeur, miniature crowns placed atop their heads to mark them as royal statues.
There was gold everywhere, and in the short amount of time that Georgina had to prepare for this ball, Elizabeth wasn't sure how she had been able to pull it off so well, but she had. The space was magnificent. The orchestra too was dressed in black-and-gold livery, as well as the footmen serving at the ball.
"This is amazing, Georgina. Tonight is certainly going to be the place to be and talked about for the remainder of the Season." Elizabeth clasped Georgina's hands, squeezing them. "How clever ye are."
Julia smiled, turning in a circle to take it all in. "I'm in awe, truly. Tonight is going to be so pleasurable. I can hardly wait."
"I'm glad ye like it," Georgina said, walking toward the orchestra and telling them that they may commence. "I wanted it to be magical, and I think I have succeeded." She turned back to them. "Ye both look striking. Lord Hastings and Lord Bridgman will not know what has hit them when they see ye two."
Julie blushed, and Elizabeth glanced down at her gown. As her friends had decreed, she was dressed as Peitho, the goddess of love and seduction. The robes she wore were certainly seductive, and when she'd first viewed the gown, a shiver of caution had run through her at how risqu茅 it appeared.
Her face was covered with a golden mask, disguised with paste diamonds. Elizabeth had painted her lips a deep red, and for the first time in all her life, she did not feel herself. The gown of black-and-gold silk left her feeling bold and seductive, just like the goddess, she supposed.
Georgiana joined her father as he entered the room and took their places near the door to welcome the guests who had started to trickle in. Elizabeth and Julia moved over by the terrace doors, pushed wide this evening to allow the guests to stroll on the terrace and gardens beyond.
"You look beautiful, Julia. Do you think you shall know Lord Bridgman when he arrives? For all that you deny the insinuation, I know that you like him."
Julia smiled, her eyes twinkling behind her black mask. "I do like him, and I like teasing him even more. I think I shall know him. He let it slip that he's coming as King Henry the 8th. The robes themselves, Tudor in design, will give him away if his features do not."
"Do you think there may be something between you beyond the Scottish Season?" Elizabeth asked, curious at her friend's thoughts. Julia was more private than she and Georgina were, not with her opinions, but certainly regarding her thoughts on love.
"Perhaps," she said, shrugging. "We shall have to see if Lord Bridgman's kisses are as wicked as his words have been. Until then, I will not make a decision."
Elizabeth chuckled, sipping her champagne. "I like Lord Hastings, more than I thought I would like an Englishman. The way he looks at me sometimes." Her heart beat fast at the memory of the look in his eye at last night's dinner. Determined came to mind, along with want. "I think I should like to kiss him too to decide on his suitability to me."
Julia laughed as more people flocked into the room. They spoke to anyone who came over to them, wishing them a pleasant evening, and it wasn't before too long the room was bursting at the seams with guests. The dancing had commenced, and the loud hum of conversations rent it almost impossible to hear each other speak.
The thought of seeing Lord Hastings again made nerves skitter across her skin. No man had ever made her feel such emotion, and while she liked the idea of his flirting with her, she could not help but worry that it wasn't genuine. She had been so unlucky in the past for herself that she could not shake the fear that it would be the same with his lordship. That another woman would waltz by and take his attention, and she would be forgotten in the crowd.
"Lord Hastings is headed this way, Elizabeth. I think that is him over by the Grecian statue." Julia nodded in the direction she meant, and Elizabeth turned to see if she was correct.
The breath in her lungs seized. Her mind scrambled for words. He was dressed in classic black, a