Waltz With a Stranger by Pamela Sherwood Read Free Book Online

electrical lamps. More than a thousand of them, Amy had said. She spared a moment to hope her scar wasn’t too visible in this light, then she made herself put the thought aside. She was meeting Amy’s intended tonight; that was the important thing.
    All the same, she’d dressed with care in a Worth creation of violet satin with glittering silver trim; her earrings—dangling twists of silver wire and tiny amethysts—had been chosen to complement the gown. Like her new coiffure, the earrings drew the eye down and away from her cheek; another trick Claudine had taught her. Despite her resolve, she’d felt a flutter of apprehension in her midriff before they left the house, but the sight of her reflection and the delighted approval of her mother, godmother, and twin had reassured her. She did look well; more importantly, she felt well—and quite determined to enjoy the evening.
    A knock on the door of their box brought Amy to her feet, her peach silk gown rustling around her. “That must be Trevenan,” she said, going to answer it.
    “Oh, good. You’re here,” Aurelia heard her say as she opened the door. “Do come in, my lord, and meet the rest of my family.” She stood aside, smiling, to admit her fiancé. “Mother, Aurelia—may I introduce the Earl of Trevenan?”
    Aurelia caught her breath as a tall man in evening dress stepped into the light.
    Dark hair, dark eyes in a strongly handsome face, and the scent of citrus and cloves…
    The only thing missing was the sound of waltz music.

Five
    I do desire we may be better strangers.
    —William Shakespeare, As You Like It
    Aurelia froze in her chair, unable to do more than stare as Amy’s betrothed came forward to take her hand and raise it to his lips before turning to greet the other ladies.
    Mr. Trelawney. The newly made Earl of Trevenan. The first man to make her feel alive in four years was engaged to her sister—to Amy, whom she loved with every beat of her heart. She didn’t even have the consolation of hating her rival.
    A voice inside of her howled at the injustice of it: Not fair, not fair—I met him first! Another voice, quieter and more insidious, murmured, Of course he would choose the whole twin . The one who was perfect and unscarred.
    Aurelia swallowed, feeling her hard-won confidence crumble into dust. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to rise and flee from the box. Then, like a dash of cold water in the face, rational thought came flooding back.
    No one was to blame for this situation. Amy and—Lord Trevenan had not become engaged to hurt her. How could they have done so, when neither of them knew what she’d felt that night at the Talbots’ ball? She had never spoken a word to Amy about that secret waltz, and, despite her nebulous hopes, she could not be certain of seeing Mr. Trelawney—as she’d known him—again. Nor did she have any reason to believe that their private dance in the conservatory had meant anything to him beyond a stray charitable impulse. He’d been kind to her—that was all. An act of chivalry, if not the pity she’d dreaded.
    “And this is my sister, Aurelia.” Amy’s voice penetrated the fog in her head.
    And now the earl was turning to her , having already greeted Mother and Aunt Caroline. She swallowed again, feeling the panic rise in her throat.
    Dear heaven, what would Claudine do in a situation like this?
    Mercifully, some of her friend’s words flashed into her mind. “When in public, you must not let anything appear to vex or distress you,” Claudine had counseled. “You must cultivate le sangfroid —the cold blood. The English, they are famous for it.”
    “I’m not English,” Aurelia had pointed out.
    “But you will be living among them, n’est-ce pas ? So, in England, do as the English do.”
    “Cold blood.” Aurelia had rather doubted her ability to master that quality. But she had to admit that it had its uses just now—and so did nearly twenty-one years of lessons in