A Shameful Secret Read Online Free Page A

hair seemed to have reddish tones, which were not always noticeable in daylight.
    “Charming, my dear,” Charlotte said when Hester came downstairs. “I was sure that my Maudie would know what to do. She has given you a new touch, Hester.”
    “My hair looks very nice, but I am not sure that Mama would approve of my gown. I know it is all the rage, but do you not think it a little revealing?” The expensive silk clung to her like another skin, moulding her curves in a way that was both fashionable and revealing.
    Charlotte laughed affectionately. “We are in Bath now, my love, and not the wilds of Norfolk. You would not have everyone think you a dowdy. No, no, do not blush. You look delightful, and you have perfect manners. You will do me credit this evening, Hester.”
    “Thank you, cousin. I fear I am just a little nervous.”
    “Which is only to be expected in the circumstances. You have been treated shamefully these past years. Your father was too harsh, and Araminta let him have his own way.”
    “Father was very forceful,” Hester said, a flicker of pain in her eyes. In fact, he had been a harsh bully who had treated his wife as if she were a featherhead. “Mama was not strong enough to stand up to him. None of us were. Even Robert was afraid of him.” Yet, despite knowing his faults, she had cared for her father, had longed for the forgiveness that never came. It was like a shadow that hung over her, haunting her thoughts both waking and sleeping.
    “Well, he is no longer with us,” Charlotte said. “And I believe you deserve a little happiness. So shall we forget the past and look to the future?” She gathered up her fan and reticule, smiling at her protégée. “Come along, Hester. I believe the carriage is waiting.”
    Hester followed obediently in her wake. Believing she was actually here in Bath and on her way to a dance at the Assembly Rooms was almost impossible. She had long given up all expectation of such pleasures, but now that her cousin had taken charge of her life, it seemed that anything was possible.
    The light from the chandeliers were dazzling as it picked out the fabulous jewels worn by both the ladies and some of the gentlemen. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires flashed in the light of a myriad of candles, and long mirrors set at intervals along the wall reflected the peacock colors of the rich fabrics worn by the wealthy gathered to pleasure themselves that night.
    That Charlotte had many friends present was obvious. Their progress through the congested rooms was slow, for they were accosted by both ladies and gentlemen at every step. Hester was an object of curiosity, for she had been so long absent from polite company that no one remembered the friendly, pretty and talkative girl of seventeen she had once been. And the woman she was now, a little reserved, serious, but prone to smile suddenly, provoked more than usual interest.
    “Lady Blackwater.” Charlotte smiled at a woman of middle years gowned in crimson and purple and wearing a fearful turban on her head, which had a large white feather stemming from a diamond clip. “Have you met my cousin Miss Hester Weston? She has kindly agreed to bear me company for a while.”
    “Miss Weston,” the lady said, offering the tips of her fingers and looking down her long nose. “I do not believe we have met before?”
    “No, indeed, ma’am, for I should have recalled it,” Hester said politely. “I have been living very quietly at home with Mama.”
    “Hester’s health was not all it might have been, but she is perfectly well now, are you not, my love?” Charlotte said, thinking Hester’s statement needed some explanation.
    “Yes, perfectly well.” A glint of reproof flickered in Hester’s eyes for the briefest time. She had always been well, but people would wonder why she had not been given at least one season in London unless some such excuse was made. Yet, it went against the grain with her to lie.
    “It is a