After delaying it as long as she could, Isabel Asturias is ready to make her debut onto the marriage market. Like every other mama in town, Lady Asturias hopes to gain an audience for her daughter with the season's most eligible bachelor, the Viscou...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are you nervous, my dear?"
Nervous didn't even begin to cover it. After delaying it for two years, Isabel Asturias was finally making her society debut. She had convinced her mother that she wanted to delay her debut to become more well-read and pick up more talents, but truthfully, she was terrified of the marriage market. It wasn't that she loathed the idea — she was afraid of being siphoned off to someone too unkind and being trapped in an unhappy, loveless marriage.
She shoved all this aside and said with a feigned smile, "A little, mama."
"Oh, Isa... I can tell when you're lying," her mother replied, coming closer to her daughter, who was sat at the vanity.
"What if I don't find anyone and end up a spinster? Or worse, what if I do and I find myself settling for someone I will abhor in a year's time? I just want to find the happiness that you and papa shared."
"Isa, you are the last person to settle for any man. Do not fret. You will find what you are looking for" Her mother turned her daughter around to face her. She cupped her cheek and gave her a warm smile which told Isabel that it truly was going to be alright.
"Okay." She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
Isabel stood up from the vanity and took her mother's hand. She focused her mind on perfecting each step down the staircase instead of all of the other thoughts swimming in the back of her mind.
Naturally, her anxieties resurfaced on the carriage ride to Lady Danbury's estate. She tried her best to enrapture herself with the sometimes familiar and sometimes not-so-familiar scenery that they passed. In the end, all she could do was breathe and let the dull rocking of the carriage assuage her nerves.
Soon enough, they stopped. Isabel marveled at the lively scene before her. Lady Danbury's home was tastefully adorned with crystals, flowers, and gold. Isabel had heard great things about Lady Danbury's balls, but she was amazed nonetheless.
"Just like we practiced," her mother told her in a quiet voice as Isabel stepped out of the carriage. Isabel was acutely aware that all eyes of the ton would be on her from this moment forward, which made each step that much more precarious.
"And remember to breathe, please," her mother said as she sensed her daughter clenching up.
"Yes, mama." Isabel let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding.
It seemed like ages before they finally made it through the glittering doorway and into the party. If Isabel had been impressed with the exterior, she was absolutely astonished by what lay inside. After all, it was her first ball, and Lady Danbury's made for one of the best of the ton.
Before she could even get a hold of her senses, Isabel found herself being whisked away by her mother.
