The attendees were charmed, mostly by the expense. Their hosts had installed a marvellous floating chandelier that looked like hundreds of tiny well-lit dirigibles wafting about the room. This particular ball did not need her help.
The widely held theory was that Lady Akeldama would become the party were the party to be lifeless, invaded by undead, or otherwise sub-par. This was another reason she was so often invited to private balls. Rue possessed precisely the kind of personality to make her own amusement out of intimacy, especially when a gathering proved limited in scope. “Both of you smallish, roundish, and sweetly wholesome, like perfectly exquisite dinner rolls.” “Thank you for my part,” was Rue’s acerbic reply to the poor sot, “but if I must be a baked good, at least make me a hot cross bun.” They made a damnably appealing pair, as one smitten admirer put it, in his cups or he would have known better than to put it to Rue herself. Rue only grinned at Primrose’s rebuke – a very unrefined grin. Prim made elegant eyes at a young officer near the punch. She was wearing an exquisite dress of iridescent ivory taffeta with rust-coloured velvet flowers about the bodice to which the officer gave due appreciation. Admittedly, these days they both smelled a good deal better. She had started when they were both in nappies and had never bothered to alter a pattern of some twenty-odd years.
Do try for a tone of disinterested refinement.” Prim had spent her whole life trailing behind Rue and was unfussed by this role. Rue was busy drifting around the room with Primrose trailing obligingly after her, the smell of expensive rose perfume following them both. “Private balls are so much more diverting than public ones.” Rue, unaware of the dread, chirruped in delight to her dearest friend, the Honourable Miss Primrose Tunstell. Dread had such an agreeable effect on society’s upper crust. It was one of the reasons she was always at the top of all invitation lists. She inspired, at even the best balls, a sensation of immanent dread. The evening, unfortunately, did not feel the same about Lady Prudence. Lady Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama was enjoying her evening exceedingly.
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