Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed Read Free Book Online

She swept into her curtsy to Queen Mary as elegantly as she knew how, and allowed the tide to pull her on into the ballroom.
    Ahead of her, Lord Westlake said to his wife in an undertone, “I hope to see Rose dancing tonight, my dear.”
    Rose knew that the polite words masked a bitter conflict. The countess resented having to accompany her husband’s illegitimate daughter, child of his housekeeper.
    “Of course,” the countess replied, raising her eyebrows as if surprised at the comment. “If anyone asks her, she is welcome to dance.”
    Rose knew that was the end of it. The countess always made sure to keep her out of the way of any dance partners. She sighed as the countess led them toward the chairs where Lady Gertrude and Lady Cynthia were already sitting with their chaperones. The orchestra was in full swing, but it was hard to enjoy the music, knowing that she wouldn’t be dancing.
    Ada slipped a hand under her arm as they went. “You must promise me you won’t hang back tonight, Rose,” Ada said softly. “You have as much right as anyone to be here. You are an Averley.”
    Rose smiled back, thinking how beautiful her sister looked. Her dress was shell-pink net over cloudy-gray silk, and pink pearls edged the neckline and the hem giving it a languorous, sensual weight. A diamond star nestled in her hair.
    “I will try,” she replied. Ahead of them the crowd parted to reveal the glistening sweep of the dance floor, couples moving back and forth across it like blossoms swaying in the wind.
    Before Ada could answer, Fintan came up to them, smiling, and Rose knew that was the end of their private conversation for the evening.
    “Will you dance, Ada?” he said.
    Ada glanced at Rose, who quickly said, “Please do, I will be quite safe here.”
    “I—” Ada hesitated.
    Rose mustered up her brightest smile and urged Ada toward Fintan. “Please, I wouldn’t be happy if you sat out on my behalf,” she said firmly, and turned away to join Charlotte, Gertrude, and Cynthia on the chairs.
    Ada gave Rose a reassuring smile as they moved away, elegantly gliding as if on water.
    Rose sat down, aware that the women were staring at her.
    “Such an interesting dress,” Lady Gertrude remarked, addressing her directly for the first time. Rose knew that interesting was no compliment. She glanced surreptitiously around, noting the other debutantes’ dresses. Her heart sank. All were in pastels, soft and muted. The blue she had thought so beautiful in the haberdasher’s, the shade of a painting of the Mediterranean sea she had once seen hanging on the drawing room wall at Somerton—and, according to Céline, the precise shade of her eyes—seemed to glow in contrast.
    Rose felt the color flow into her cheeks.
    “Yes, quite unconventional.” Lady Cynthia covered a smile with her fan.
    Rose tried to twitch the opera cloak over the velvet ribbons that were all that covered her shoulders. Others around them were staring and whispering. How could Céline have let her pick out that color? She should have realized there was a way to do things, and that to be different would only result in more ridicule.
    “Rose is , though, isn’t she?” Charlotte yawned.
    Lady Emily twitched her fan like a cat twitching its tail. “I think it’s delightfully daring,” she murmured. Rose gave her a grateful glance, but Emily was looking over her shoulder, toward the crowd.
    A moment later Lady Cynthia hissed, “There he is!”
    Rose didn’t have to look around to know who she was talking about. There was only one man who could make Lady Cynthia sound quite so much like an excitable viper. Charlotte snapped open her Spanish fan, and held it before her face, eyes moving above it to follow the Duke of Huntleigh as he crossed the room—mothers sticking to him like burrs to a jacket.
    “Oh, do look, how unfair, Ethel Berridge is practically glued to his arm,” whispered Lady Gertrude to Lady Cynthia.
    “It’s simply