Chapter One
A true lady never displays her emotions in public.
Quoted from A Lady's Guide to Proper Etiquette,
written by Lady Cassandra Abbott
London, England
May 1836
"That corset needs to be tighter."
Cassandra Abbott felt the muscles between her shoulder blades knot at the sound
of her mother's voice.
Lady Darwood swept into the bedchamber, moving to stand in front of her
daughter. "If you are going to fit into your gown, Cassandra, you must
cooperate, my dear."
"But I am," Cassandra protested lightly, unable to draw a deep breath with the
binding garment entrapping her body. "I don't believe the corset can be any
tighter."
"Nonsense." Waving two fingers, her mother instructed, "Now exhale deeply."
Ignoring the throbbing in her head, Cassandra obeyed her mother. Tightening her
hold upon the bedpost, Cassandra released her breath as the maid cinched the
corset in another precious inch.
Lady Darwood nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect!"
Perhaps she looked perfect, but Cassandra serio ... read full excerpt from A Proper Affair ebook