It was a dress, she realized a second later. A long, sweeping dress with delicate ribbon and intricate white lace. The bodice of the dress was a pale cream with a touch of pink, which faded into a bright, stunning fuchsia at the skirts. It was paired with dainty capped sleeves in the same cream tone, and a slender white bow.
Aurora's haze swept over the dress, her eyes wide with delight. Oh, it wasstunning.There was a detail to the lace that she had never seen before, an intricacy that someone of her wealth could never afford. The colors melted together so perfectly, drawing the eye naturally towards the attractive bow.
"Oh," she said dumbly, "it's in the color of the angel's trumpet." Out of all of the beautiful color combinations, this had always been her favorite the flower had to offer.
Laughter rose in Elmore's throat; but he wasn't laughingat her,because his expression was gentle in a way that made her heart ache.
"I thought you would like it. It comes with a pink spencer jacket in the same pink. I went to the tailor's to have my own outfit fitted, and saw this in the window of the dress shop next door. It made me think of you."
Aurora was speechless. It didn't happen often — and it was never followed by this strange, delighted feeling deep in her chest. She wanted to jump forwards and hug Elmore, but nerves held her back. It was wonderful to think that he had bought this for her, such a rare and beautiful gift.
Although, it had a second meaning.I bought this for you, so you must go to the ball.
Aurora was too delighted to feel angry, however, and it only made her laugh.
Elmore's expression fumbled. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong?" she asked, and her grin only grew. "Oh. Nothing is wrong; it's just that you bought me something so lovely, and it will be wasted on me." She didn't want to admit it, but... "Who would want to dance with me? Even in a dress like this, nobody will give me a second look."
His frown matched her own. Disappointment, she thought, that she wasn't more overjoyed about the dress.
Yet it wasn't that she didn't like it — it was perfect, such a wonderful shade of pink that made her heart happy. It was only that it wastoo generous,and it wouldn't help her.
"Nobody will wish to dance with a woman of low standing. A pretty dress won't make it less obvious that I don't belong. And after, what will happen? I have nowhere else to wear something so expensive. I'm sorry, Elmore, but I can't accept this gift."
She expected frustration, and yet Elmore was nothing less than understanding. He smoothed out the skirt of the dress, letting its true color shine in the light of the hall windows.
"I know that you're nervous," he said kindly, "but I promise, you don't have to be. Your father and I will both be there, won't we? And it isn't about what the people in town think of us, it's about our project. Now what we look like or whether you're wealthy, but about what you can do. And you, Aurora Washam, are capable of so much."
Something fluttered deep in her chest, a smile tugging at her lips. It was a reluctant thing, because she was still so unsure.
"Do you mean that?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Absolutely."
She didn't feel quite so terrible now, but nor was she wholly convinced. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from blurting out some silly, childish fear. Instead, all she said was, "I still don't see how my presence will benefit the project."
"You're the project leader, aren't you?" Father asked from the doorway. She didn't even realize that he was there, assuming he was still in the study. Yet there he was, interjecting with his own support and a bright, reassuring smile.
"He's right," Elmore added. He was smiling too; with a little more shyness than Father maybe, but no less genuine.
It was strange for Aurora to think of herself as getting on with Elmore. They had spent so long arguing, mostly because of her, that anything else just felt impossible. Yet for once, Aurora felt no desire to argue; he had done something incredibly generous, with no prompting at all.
He was still talking too, reassuring her with his words. "People will want to know more about our project and what we hope to accomplish; I tried to put in a good word for you at the museum presentation, to get your name out there amongst the crowd. I hope that your presence will be a help to securing finances; and maybe it will inspire other young ladies like you to strive for what they wish to achieve."
Her cheeks warmed at the thought, laughter threatening to escape her lips. The thought ofAurorabeing an inspiration to others was ridiculous in her mind; she had never achieved anything, and her one good piece of research had been torn away by Christopher before she ever had the chance to use it.
But maybe it didn't have to be that way. If she was lucky,reallylucky, perhaps she could show other women what they were capable of.
The thought brought a flicker of hope into her chest, and she nodded.
"All right," she agreed finally. As she spoke, her eyes drifted to the beautiful pink dress, and she reached out to brush a hand across the soft fabric. "I'll go to the ball, but only because I know that the two of you will be there too. Although, Elmore, I think you may have to teach me some upper society etiquette."
His laugh was musical; deep and rumbling andbeautiful.She had never really thought about Elmore's laugh before, but now it seemed ridiculous to have never realized how good it sounded.
"I'll do what I can," he said, "although I'm a bit out of touch myself. The main thing, however, is that we advertise the angel's trumpet and try to secure new sponsors. So far, I have every faith in our abilities."
Aurora had to agree; at first, she had been disappointed that only Lord Foley had taken interest. Now, it felt like a much bigger opportunity just waiting to be discovered. How many people would be at a ball of this size? Large enough that there had to be a few interested Lords or other people of wealth.