Esther tried not to let out a squeal. They were roughly the same size so she knew it would fit fine.
Perfect. Now she knew she had something to wear she just had to worry about everything else. Like how it would feel to be Cinderella at the ball...
* * *
Harry wasn’t quite sure he was playing this right. And those thoughts were strange to him, because he’d never really been in a relationship where he’d worried about things like that.
The issue was, the whole hospital assumed that he and Esther were a ‘thing.’ And to be honest, that didn’t bother him at all. Because he was only passing through.
Sure, he’d heard all the things about not mixing business with pleasure. But over the years he’d known lots of colleagues who’d had relationships with workmates. Some good, some bad.
As soon as he’d received that invitation he’d thought immediately about Esther. He’d driven over to her house, stuck a little note on it and put it through her door. She’d smiled at him the next day in NICU and said she’d be glad to come.
And that had been the point he’d realised he hadn’t really been thinking about Esther. He hadn’t thought that going to a charity ball with him might mean turning down an extra shift she could do, or that she would have to conjure up something suitable to wear. Part of him had wanted to go back and offer to buy her something. But somehow he knew Esther would find that completely insulting.
So, here he was, sitting outside her door, waiting to pick her up. He pulled at the sleeves of his jacket as he stepped outside the car and walked down the dark steps to her front door. She opened it on the first knock, a broad smile across her face.
A scent of orange blossom floated towards him and he wasn’t quite sure if it was coming from her, or the flat.
The room behind her was compact but immaculate. There was a large squishy red sofa, with a coffee table in front, perched on a colourful rug. The floor was the laminate that lots of people had now, and in the back of the room he could see a neat white kitchen.
Photos were everywhere. Adorning her mantelpiece, walls and tables. All of family, and even from here he could see that most of the photos had people with their arms wrapped around each other, laughing.
Something twisted deep inside. He couldn’t ever recall a moment in his life where he’d been at an event with his parents that resembled anything like this. The moment, the warmth, the adoration.
Never. His life had never replicated anything like that. For a split second all he could feel was envy. Envy for her simpler, and yet immensely fuller, life. He pushed those thoughts away.
His eyes went automatically back to Esther. ‘Wow,’ was the only word he could form.
She was wearing a long navy gown. The shoulders and cap sleeves of the dress were part-sheer, with sequins scattered across the top, then the middle was ruched, emphasizing her waist, then the sheer navy fabric fell in layers to the floor, making a light swishing sound whenever she moved. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head with a few tendrils escaping at the sides, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes, which were fixed directly on him. The effect was dazzling.
Esther beamed. Literally beamed—it was like a glow was coming off her. One that she clearly didn’t see herself.
‘Wow yourself,’ she said lightly. ‘It’s not every day I see you in a tux.’
He paused for a few seconds, taking in the full view of her.
Hospitals were odd places. He saw the same faces in virtually the same clothes. There were so many other things going on there that it frequently didn’t give anyone time to stop and really look at the people around them.
Now he could see it all. The shine of her hair, the bounce, even though it was tied up in some elaborate way on her head. The swoosh of her long skirts. The cinch of the fabric on her curves. He was looking at her with new eyes, just like the way she was looking at him.
He tugged at his collar, instantly self-conscious. ‘I definitely don’t wear this every day. But today is a special occasion.’
‘Yeah, it is,’ she whispered. His mouth was dry. For a second he wanted the world to stop. He wanted to stay and look at Esther the way she was looking at him. He wanted to forget about the ball. And forget about anything else. He wanted to close the door behind them and kiss her right now.
There was something about being in her company. Tonight was about tradition. About being a duke. Nothing in his life to do with his title had ever felt like fun. But tonight, going to the ball with Esther, was the first time he’d actually really, really looked forward to doing something. After a shaky start, she was beginning to become that person for him. The one he actually enjoyed spending time with. This part of his life—the duke stuff—had always been separate. His stomach coiled for him in an unusual way. She didn’t even know it, but she was opening up other doors in his mind. Places that had been closed for so long.
Esther blinked. Breaking the spell he was casting in his head.
She gave a thoughtful nod as he gestured to the stairs. ‘‘Ready to go? Your carriage awaits.’
They were in the car a few minutes later, crossing London towards Eglinton Hall.
‘Tell me about Lord and Lady Brackenridge,’ she said as she settled into the seat, ‘and tell me more about this charity ball.’
Harry gave a nod. It was only fair that he gave her some background to the event they were about to attend. It was one of the few things he’d continued to go to since the death of his father.
‘I’ve known them since I was a child. Their two daughters are just a few years younger than me. They had a son—Gavin—who died from neuroblastoma when we were all teenagers. It’s still rare, but even less was known about it then. They had their first charity ball a few years after Gavin died. They choose a different children’s charity to support every year, and I’ve always gone along.’ He paused, taking a breath for a moment. ‘Originally the invite was for my parents, but for the last ten years it’s come to me.’
‘You don’t have any siblings?’
Harry shook his head. ‘Nope. Just me. I think I was enough of an inconvenience to them.’
Esther’s head spun around in surprise. ‘What do you mean by that?’
He bristled, not quite sure how to answer the question. But it was his own fault. He shouldn’t have made that comment.
But it was too late. There was no point lying about it. ‘I don’t think they were really the parenting type.’
He could tell that Esther found that statement surprising. ‘Why’s that?’ she asked.
He gave a shrug. ‘It was probably more of a duty thing.’
There was a few moments’ silence. ‘Okay, I have to admit, I don’t get it. What do you mean?’
He snaked his way through the traffic, his hands gripping the steering wheel probably a lot harder than he needed to. ‘Duty,’ he sighed. ‘The duke title is inherited—passed down to the male heir. I’m quite sure they had me to ensure the title passed on.’
From the corner of his eye he could see Esther wrinkling her nose. ‘But what if they’d had a girl?’
He let out a low laugh. ‘She probably would have been treated as if she was worthless and they would have kept trying for a boy. Thankfully for everyone, that didn’t happen. My mother only had to go through a pregnancy once, and when I was born she made it very clear to everyone she had no intention of ever doing it again.’
‘Wow,’ said Esther softly. ‘It sounds kind of medieval.’
Harry nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s about the size of it. Children should be seen and not heard was very much the mantra in my family. I had a nanny until I was five. Then I spent the rest of my time at boarding school—often during the holidays too—and then at university.’
Esther’s head shook. ‘I just can’t imagine a life like that.’ Then her hand shot up to her mouth as she realised how that might s
ound. ‘Oh no, I—’
He stopped her by putting his hand on her leg. ‘It’s fine, Esther. It is what it is. I had a roof over my head, food in my stomach at all times. I know plenty of kids who had a far worse upbringing than me. These people tonight, Lord and Lady Brackenridge? They were probably the only adults I met who showed any warmth towards me.’ He pulled a face. ‘Of course, I didn’t realise at the time they were trying to match me to one of their daughters.’
Esther let out a gasp. ‘This is like a blooming TV show.’