Sarah winked at him, and Christopher again fought to keep himself from smiling. Maybe they were not as different as he’d originally supposed. His heart lightened at the thought. His formal education was sparse, but he’d traveled a great deal. “I also know a phrase or two in French and Italian that I learned from dockworkers—none of them, I believe, are appropriate for mixed company.”
She laughed the light, bell-like sound that he was growing to love. “Perhaps do not speak them at Almack’s assemblies.”
“Shall I receive a voucher?”
Shaking her head, Sarah touched her neck. “Christopher, Christopher, Christopher, you will have to tie your cravat, which I see has come undone, and possibly shave off your handsome beard, but yes, you will receive a voucher. I am an intimate friend of all the patronesses, as was my mother. They would never dream of snubbing you, or me through you. I am closely related to too many powerful people.”
He sighed, dropping his shoulders. He hadn’t shaved off his mustache and beard since they’d first grown in. If he looked carefully in the mirror, he could see the scars behind the hair. Henever wanted his wife to see them. “If I were to go, I would stand out like a sore thumb. A goat amongst the sheep.”
“Not if I had the dressing of you.”
Christopher’s neck felt hot again.
A slight pink stole into Sarah’s cheeks. “What I mean to say is that with a few alterations to your wardrobe, you could take your place amongst the pinks of theton.”
“And the tulips of the turf?”
“You would outshine the out and outers.”
Resting his elbow on the table, he leaned his chin against his hand. “You could make me into a Bond Street Beau?”
Sarah smiled. “I could make a Bond Street Beau envious of the way you tie your cravat, the cut of your coat, and the style of your boots. Society is truly a silly bunch of people trying to outdo one another. Once you realize this, you can manipulate the game to your own advantage.”
Christopher exhaled in relief. He was rather good at business games. “When do we start?”
She elegantly rose to her feet, and Christopher stood as well. “First, let us go to your room. I will need a freshly starched cravat if I am to tie it in a fashionable style. And, if you do not mind, I should like to go through your wardrobe with your valet.”
He fiddled with his shirtsleeve. “I have a batman.”
“I daresay he will do just as well.”
Rubbing his beard, he said, “But I won’t shave.”
“Brava! You are a clever pupil. You are already starting a new fashion.”
Christopher smiled as he followed her into his own room.
Chapter 10
The batman, a Mr. Harris,was a young man probably closer to Margaret’s age than Sarah’s. He appeared to be a sharp and intelligent young man, as well as patient. Sarah insisted on seeing every article of clothing that Christopher owned. The linens were in good condition; she merely instructed Harris to starch the collars with a recipe she’d learned from her friend Beau Brummell. Some dandies’ collars were so high that they were unable to turn their heads from side to side. Such ostentatiousness, she knew intuitively, would make Christopher uncomfortable. But he could be stylish without being extreme.
She also showed Harris how to tie Christopher’s cravat in the style of the scholar. Her mother had tied her father’s cravats, and after she went missing, Sarah had taken over for Mama until Papa had left for London. The tying of neckcloths was an art.
“Before the Season, we will have to come up with a unique style of your own, Christopher. All the dandies will then ask you what it is called, and we can invent a name, or you can simply reply in a haughty voice, ‘I call it a style of my own.’”
Harris chuckled and then clapped a hand over his mouth. The edges of Christopher’s reluctant lips quirked up. For a handsome man, he was entirely too serious, and smiles softened his rather rugged features.
Her new husband was not smiling when Sarah insisted that he try on all of his waistcoats and coats. The waistcoats fit well, and Sarah only suggested switching around which coats they were paired with. The coats, however, were too loose on his muscular frame. A fashionable man’s jacket was contoured purposely to his figure, and he would not be able to take it off by himself because it fit so precisely. Christopher could easily shrug himselfout of his coats, which would not do at all. A man of high birth could get away with a great deal in regard to fashion, but Sarah’s husband had to be careful. Too ornate and he would be mocked for trying to ape his betters. Not stylish enough and he would be scorned for his common background. Thetondelighted in tearing one another down. She would give them no opportunity to treat Christopher poorly. Or his little sisters. Another reason to put off bringing Deborah out into London Society. Her connection to Sarah and her fortune would give her one chance—not more than one—and Sarah couldn’t be certain that her new sister-in-law would not squander it with her headstrong and obstinate behavior.
“Harris, will you bring Miss Mills up to us and have her fetch my sewing kit? I believe a few well-placed darts would suffice to make Mr. Moulton’s coat presentable until a tailor can be hired to bring them all in.”
Christopher easily pulled off his jacket. “Must I wear my coats like a second skin?”
Raising her eyebrows, she shook her head slightly. “If poor Mr. Harris is not yanking for all he is worth, your coat is not fitting well enough.”
Her bridegroom made a pouty face, and she chuckled as Harris left the room to get Nelly. Her friend and lady’s maid helped Sarah sew the darts into Christopher’s coat. They were both excellent seamstresses. Sarah couldn’t resist adding a couple of furbelows to the garment as well, from her sewing collection. She’d learned that these extra little touches made the garment unique, and other people assumed she’d spent a great deal of money on her original wardrobe.
Harris helped Christopher tug on the newly tailored coat. Sarah walked around him and smoothed out the material over his shoulders. A warmth formed in her belly as she touchedhis muscles. Her husband was a very handsome man. And even more attractive when dressed to the nines.