"Perfect," I muttered, adjusting the arrangement of roses in the silver centerpiece. The dining room gleamed with polished silver and crystal, a testament to hours of frantic preparation.
Tonight was everything. My salvation. Our family's return to respectability. I smoothed down the front of my best gown—pale blue silk that Mother insisted brought out my eyes—and tried to calm my racing heart.
Marquess Lucian Fairchild would arrive for dinner in less than an hour. Mother was convinced he intended to propose marriage. After the scandal of Father's disgrace and death, this alliance would restore the Beaumont name and secure our future.
"Clara!" Mother's sharp voice made me flinch. Lady Beatrix Beaumont swept into the dining room, her critical gaze taking inventory of my work. "The crystal glasses are smudged. Have them polished again immediately."
I bit back a sigh. "Yes, Mother."
