The carriage ride from Mayfair to Hamilton House was not long, but to Lady Celine Farrington, it felt like a journey to a different world.
She sat on the plush velvet seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She was wearing her best visiting dress, a pale rose muslin that made her look like a fresh bloom in a garden.
Her bonnet was tied with silk ribbons that fluttered every time she turned her head.
And she was turning her head often.
"Oh, Mama," Celine breathed, pressing her gloved hand against the glass window. "I can't believe we're going to the Hamilton house. I'm so excited. I get to meet his family. His aunt, his sister... it feels so official."
She turned back to her mother, her blue eyes shining with pure, unadulterated joy.
"Do you think they will like me?" Celine asked. "I practiced the piano this morning just in case they ask me to play. And I re-read the chapter on crop rotation, just in case the Duke wants to discuss farming again."
