Cecilia felt that if this damn whalebone corset was tightened even half an inch, her ribs would break on the spot and pierce her heart directly.
"Dear Cecilia, you are as beautiful as a morning rose tonight."
The greasy compliments of her fiancé, Earl Charles, reached her ears. He was wearing a velvet dress studded with gold threads and holding champagne, but his eyes were like looking at a fine work of art waiting to be sold.
