Chapter 11: Happy New Year!

“Can you help me with the clasp of the necklace, Ellen? I don’t want to risk losing it.”

Ellen quickly stood behind Eleanor and fastened the clasp. It was a beautiful necklace, made from heavy sterling silver with emeralds that picked up the colour of Eleanor’s eyes. Lady Lambert had given it to her granddaughter and Eleanor loved it. Both young women were looking forward to this evening. Ellen for obvious reasons, and Eleanor because it would be her first soiree where she was playing a prominent role.

They were in a third floor spare bedroom in Lord Lambert’s house and adding the finishing touches to their appearances. Eleanor was wearing an emerald green dress with an almost daring neck line. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back through a heavy sterling silver ring. Ellen was wearing a dress with a very similar cut, but sapphire blue, contrasting beautifully with her long blond tresses. She wore her hair open, falling down in lush waves over her shoulders, with only her bangs tied back. They studied themselves in the tall mirror.

“You are every bit as beautiful as your mother, Eleanor,” Ellen complimented her friend who wagged her head.

“If it weren’t for those stupid freckles in summer,” she complained.

“Ssh, you look lovely. No mortal man deserves either of us, of course except for your brother. Oh, I guess that came out stupid.”

“Yes, it did. I certainly do not vie for Richard’s attention,” Eleanor laughed.

There was a knock on the door and Lady Carter stepped in. After critically surveying both girls she smiled.

“You look both exquisite. I am envious of you, Eleanor. I always wanted to have that necklace. Now I’m glad that mother gave it to you.”

“I love it too, mother,” Eleanor smiled.

“Let us join my mother downstairs. The guests should arrive any minute.”

The three women descended the stairs to the entry hall. Lord and Lady Lambert were already greeting the first guests, and Harriet, with Eleanor and Ellen joined them. Ellen held back since she was not yet part of the hosting family, but over the next hour she saw many acquaintances arrive and exchanged pleasantries with them. Sir Anthony had joined the reception party as well, and it was he who recognised the next arrivals.

“Doña Maria! What a pleasure! Your servant. And this is your son, Don Antonio? Welcome, Excellency! Doña Maria, you already know my wife. Don Antonio, this is my wife, Lady Carter. May I introduce our hosts, Lord and Lady Lambert? This is my son Richard and his future bride, Miss Ellen Wilkes. Oh, and this is my daughter Eleanor.”

Doña Maria greeted Harriet with friendly kisses on both cheeks while her son bowed deeply both to Harriet and her mother. Harriet marvelled at the good looks of the young man. His skin had a lighter complexion than his mother’s, and he was much taller than Harriet remembered his father to be. His face was very handsome, resembling his mother’s features in many ways. Harriet felt strongly drawn to the young man. He now shook hands with Richard and bowed to Ellen, clearly appreciating her beauty.

Eleanor smiled at the dark haired woman who addressed her in a lilting English. The son came next and he bowed mechanically to her curtsey. Only then did they both look up and into each other’s eyes. For a fraction of a second, the world stood still for both. Eleanor was lost in the dark eyes of the young man, his handsome features strangely appealing to her like no other man’s face ever had.

For his part, Don Antonio Ruiz de Costa had come to this reception as an act of consideration for his mother who wanted to meet old friends. Of course, he had heard how this gentleman in the resplendent Admiral’s uniform had once saved his mother from the incarceration in a monastery on Santo Domingo, and how this very act was responsible for the reconciliation of his parents and his own existence. He was pleasantly surprised at the friendly reception, and he found the son of Sir Anthony a very courteous young man. His bride was downright beautiful, Don Antonio thought. He had to revise his prejudices regarding English women.

Then he saw his mother greet a slim young woman. When she moved out of the way, he bowed with ingrained courtesy. Raising up, he could only stare into a lovely pale face framed by reddish blond curls. Her green eyes were staring into his as if reading his very soul. The rest of the room and the people around them blurred; all on which he could focus was that English girl’s face. With a Herculean effort, he tore his eyes away from her face to gather his thoughts. With great care he spoke to her.

“I am enchanted to meet you, Miss Eleanor. Would you do me the honour of a dance later?”

“With great pleasure, Don Antonio,” Eleanor gushed, a smile lighting up her features.

The smile cast another spell on the young man who gulped visibly.

“I will seek you out, I promise.”

Lady Lambert spoke to her butler in a low tone, all the while smiling at her granddaughter. The butler bowed and quickly went into the great hall.

“Eleanor, dear, why don’t you show Don Antonio and his mother to the hall? He is your table partner anyway.”

Eleanor swallowed, blushing furiously.

“With pleasure, grandmother,” she managed to respond.

Don Antonio offered his arms to his mother and to Eleanor, and they made their way to the large table. Eleanor was feeling giddy. She had been to sit beside some cousin of sorts and she had inwardly groaned at that prospect, but then she had caught the twinkle in her grandmother’s eyes. The old lady had reacted quickly and had tossed the lucky lot to her granddaughter.

“I am very pleezed to meet you, Miz Eleanor,” Doña Maria said in her accented English which was nevertheless easy to understand. “I owe your dear father my life and my happiness.”

“He told us the story a few days ago,” Eleanor answered. “It did not seem that dramatic.”

“Your father makes his achievements look small. He eez much too modest. But you, you look very much like your mother, and I mean it as a compliment.”

“Thank you, Doña Maria.”

“I was so happy to learn that your father and mother had found their way together again. He was, I should say, most unhappy over their rift. Your mother is such a wonderful woman.”

“Yes, she is,” Eleanor smiled. “I must congratulate you on your excellent English, Madam. Have you been to England before?”

“No, this eez my first visit. I learned a little as a child. We lived in Algeciras and we had some contact with the English in Gibraltar. Then, when my son learned English from a tutor, I listened in.”

“She made me learn English. At first I hated it. Now I am glad of course,” Don Antonio offered. “Do you speak a second language, Senorita Carter?”

Eleanor blushed. “Yes, I learned French, and some Latin of course.”

They were interrupted by the serving of the first course, smoked Scots salmon with scrambled eggs and toasted bread. Nadine must be in charge of the kitchen, Eleanor mused. She looked around. Almost all the invited guests had arrived and her grandmother’s dining hall was positively crammed.

Her parents with Richard were sitting to the right of Lord and Lady Lambert, whilst the left side was occupied by the Wilkes with Ellen. She could tell that her friend was not eating at all. She looked downright terrified and ready to bolt.

‘Who wouldn’t be?’ Eleanor thought.

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Clarence, heir apparent to the throne, and his wife, the Duchess Adelaide were sitting next to Ellen. This was the first time that young Eleanor was in the same room with Royalty, but she was sitting several places down the table. For Ellen it must be nerve wrecking. The Duke, although dubbed the ‘Pineapple Head’ by some, was a modest and charming man however, and Ellen’s beauty could not be lost on him. Eleanor could see that Ellen relaxed after a while, especially when Anita Heyworth included her in the conversation. Anita was sitting next to the Duchess, obviously well acquainted with her and the Duke.

“Shall we hear some important announcement today?” Donna Maria asked suddenly.

“Yes, Doña Maria,” Eleanor smiled, happy to have a topic for conversation. “My brother and Miss Wilkes will announce their engagement.”

“How wonderful!” Doña Maria smiled. “They are both so handsome. It will be a marriage of love, I suppose?” There was a wistful note in her voice Eleanor thought.

Eleanor nodded. “They were made for one another,” she said with conviction.

“Tell me, Senorita Eleanor,” Don Antonia asked, “is it just this family or are all the English women that beautiful?”

Eleanor blushed crimson and she did not know how to respond.

“Antonio, you have embarrassed her!” Doña Maria chided her son.

“Please forgive me,” Don Antonio begged. “I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. It is just that everybody told me that English women could not compare in beauty with Spanish or French women. Now that I have seen the ladies present, I find that to be a gross misrepresentation. It is not just your family. Who is the lady across from us, with the black hair?”

“That is Lady Brougham, Lord Brougham is over there,” Eleanor indicated, glad to divert attention from herself. “Her beauty is legendary.”

“She is so beautiful, a man would gladly die for her. And the Lady next to Her Royal Highness?”

Eleanor smiled. “That is Anita Heyworth. She is the most famous actress in all of England. She is one of my mother’s closest and oldest friends. She is wonderful! She will retire from the stage in a few weeks. You should try and get seats for her last performances. The theatre will not be the same without her.”