Part of her was surprised her mother had even permitted her attendance tonight. The fact she'd been the past two years was probably her saving grace when she'd argued she could come even if she didn't walk the stairs with the rest of the girls. A bitter spike of rage had shot through her as she watched her classmates. She should've been up there, not down here mentally preparing to be shipped off and locked up for another year at 'Finishing School'. At least she'd wiggled out of going to France of all places.

But tonight? Tonight was the first night of her last three months of freedom and while she might not be out, she had every intention of taking advantage of it. Which started with donning a dress of dark burgundy velvet. She looked horrible in pastels, so if she wasn't a debutante then there was absolutely no reason to dress like one when it would be so very unflattering.

"She probably thinks she can avoid drawing attention to herself," Rachel drawled, turning her eyes away from the spectacle and onto her friend. "And the gentleman is either oblivious or well..." hoping for a show. Though she did leave the second part more implied than said, at least in the general public and the nagging suspicion her mother was somehow lurking and listening to every word she said. She at least was mildly interested to see what exactly was going to happen from the safety of her distant observation point. She certainly wasn't going to step in to help.