Alanna Ellis Willsborough was, right from the moment she was born, a beauty. Her skin was alabaster, soft, and smooth. She had a slight figure, and her curly auburn hair turned fiery red with the hint of the sun. She had bright blue eyes, the same as the morning sky, and was filled with intelligence and kindness. She smiled a lot, her perfect set of pearly whites framed by rosy pink lips. She was the splitting image of her late mother, Lynn Ellis Willsborough, who died birthing her.
She was raised by her father, the Duke of Willsborough, James Ferdinand Willsborough, for two years, after which he married a childless widow, Dorothy Fieldstone. A year after their wedding, Dorothy gave birth to twins—a boy and a girl, James Junior Wesley Willsborough and Janet Elora Willsborough.
Dorothy was always kind to Alanna until she gave birth; then her attention, love, and care shifted to her own children, with little or nothing to spare for Alanna. Alanna tried to vie for Dorothy’s attention, but she couldn’t get it. She followed all her rules and obeyed her instructions, but she still couldn’t get Dorothy’s attention.
Alanna was separated from her siblings. Only James, her stepbrother, was kind to her. Janet always found a way to paint her bad to her father and Dorothy. Alanna was always the duke’s favorite and the splitting image of her late mother. She guessed that was why Dorothy disliked her—because she was a constant reminder of the duke’s first love.
The nannies and maids kept Alanna company as she grew up in their manor, and she never felt lonely. She always got the sweetest cakes and the most freshly baked biscuits, so she never felt like she lacked anything. Although at times she got sad when her stepmother did not come in to check in on her progress at her lessons like she did with James and Janet, and her father was always away on one business or another and rarely spent time at home. She fills up her spare time with reading and painting.
Alanna coped with everything with a smile on her face until she was eighteen and was about to make her debut in London society.
January, 1890.
‘Mother, I am going to my first ball, aren’t I?’, she asked as she ran to catch up with Dorothy, who was taking a leisurely walk in the garden on a hot Wednesday afternoon. ‘I am excited to see the dances, and I hope I get to meet the man of my dreams. We should go to the seamstress soon, Mother’, she chattered on and on.
‘Alanna?’, Dorothy called her name, stopping her short.
‘Yes, mother?’
‘You will not be going to London this year’, her stepmother said.
‘Oh! But why? Mother?’, Alanna asked with tears in her eyes.
‘You will not be going until the twins are of age. You all shall make your debut at the same time’, Dorothy said firmly.
‘But mother, I will be one and twenty by then. Surely, you must reconsider this, mother’, she pleaded.
‘My decision is final, Alanna. Nothing would change it’, Dorothy said firmly as she walked away, leaving Alanna behind.
Alanna was heartbroken. She cried herself to sleep that night. She couldn’t tell her father, as she didn’t want to be the reason for any disagreements between him and her stepmother. ‘She just needed to wait, right?’, she thought to herself.
Two weeks later, she was summoned to the library by her father. Knocking on the door to the study...
‘Alanna? Is that you, Alanna?’, her father called out.
‘Yes, father’, she replied.
‘Come in then’, he said.
Walking in, she gazed at her father, then darted her eyes around the library. Her father’s library boasted books from all around the world occupying the shelves built from floor to ceiling. The room smelled of wood polish used for the desk and the shelves; it was her favorite place in the entire manor. There was no dust anywhere, as a lot of time was dedicated to making the library clean and spotless.
‘I got a letter from your aunt, on your mother’s side, Lady Alice Shellby, the Viscountess of Shellby. I am not sure if you remember her. She was here for a few months after her sister, your mother, died’, he said.
‘No, father. I cannot recall, father’, Alanna replied.
‘She has invited you to join her in London for the season. She’s well aware that you are now of age, and she has offered to be your chaperone for the season’, her father told her.
‘This is wonderful news’, Alanna exclaimed as she clapped with excitement.
‘She’ll be arriving in a fortnight from now to prepare you for your debut’.
‘Thank you, father. I am filled with joy!’, she said.
Her father laughed, saying, 'I am sorry if you feel like I am uninterested in your well-being. I am aware of what your stepmother said to you’.
‘It is alright, father. I didn’t wish to bother you with such trivial matters’, Alanna said.
Her father dismissed her, and they bade each other goodnight. Alanna could only think about London until her aunt arrived.
Her aunt arrived in due time with her own daughter, Elena Shellby. They spent the next few weeks preparing for the season. They visited a lot of dress shops together and enjoyed time spent in each other’s company. It was one of the happiest moments in Alanna’s life.
The invitation to the first ball was delivered to the manor, set for a fortnight from the date it was delivered. It said:
“The Blue Ball
By
Duke and Duchess of Mayfair
In
Mayfair hall
on
Friday evening, 7pm, April 4, ’90”
RSVP
Alanna and Elena were filled with excitement for the upcoming event. They departed the manor for London in a week’s time.
London at this time was famous for catering to young ladies set to wed. As a young, eligible bachelorette or bachelor, the only decent place to make acquaintances of the opposite gender was at a ball. Everyone comes to London during this season in search of a partner. You will find the young men in their well-fitted tailcoats and laces and the young women in their beautiful dresses.
The day of the ball:
Alanna and Elena spent the entire day preparing. They bathed with goat milk and perfumed water. The maids were fawning over them, curling up their hair and figuring out whether to put it up or down to bring out their best features.
By 6 p.m., they were all dressed and proceeded to the carriage, accompanied by Lady Shellby.
Alanna dressed in a bright blue gown, which matched her striking eyes. Her hair was curled up to perfection, and she had a ready smile for everyone.
The Mayfair Hall was everything she had imagined and more. The walls were painted a bright yellow, with golden lamps lining the walls at every few paces, making the room appear even brighter. A chandelier hung delicately over the center of the room, casting its glow into every corner. There were flowers here and there, adding a bit of earthiness to the sophisticated room. The buffet table was placed at one end of the room. Despite arriving early, there were already a lot of people at the venue.
She and Elena were taken around the room to be introduced to other ladies of the court by Lady Shellby. There were so many names to remember. It was while doing this that she caught a pair of dark eyes tracing her all around the ballroom. Alanna looked back, and the person with the dark eyes winked at her. ‘He winked!’, she thought, becoming flushed.
Alanna asked her aunt about the gentleman who winked at her, and her aunt warned her to stay away from him as he didn’t have the sort of reputation befitting her status.
Alanna was surprised by this but said nothing else on the matter. It was about time for the first round of dancing, and he came over to meet them where they stood.
‘Good evening, Lady Shellby. How is the weather? You look mighty fine today’, he said with a smile.
‘Good evening, Lord Bolton. Great weather. I am relieved to find that it hasn’t rained yet’. Lady Shellby said it curtly, as she wanted to discard him as soon as possible.
‘Might I make acquaintance with these ladies?’, he asked. Lady Shelby was forced to introduce her daughter Elena and her niece, Alanna.
‘A pleasure to meet you both’. He turned to Alanna and said, ‘May I have your first dance?’
Alanna was surprised and decided to refuse, but she stared into his dark eyes for a split second, and she found herself saying yes. It was already too late to have a change of mind, as the band had already begun to play. She took his outstretched hand and proceeded to the dance floor.