This was good news to take home to Mrs Creevey. It gave Creevey a better opinion of the Duke's understanding, too, and made him feel that in spite of every disquieting rumour from the frontier there was no need to fly for safety yet.
There were plenty of rumours, of course, but people had been alarmed so many times to no purpose that they were beginning to take only a fleeting interest in the news that came from France. It was said that everywhere on the road from Paris to the frontier -reparations were being made for the movements of troops in carriages. It was said that Bonaparte was expected to be at Laon on June 6th; on June 10th report placed him at Maubeuge, but the Duke had certain intelligence of his being still in Paris, and issued invitations for a ball he was giving later in the month.
He was always giving balls, informal little affairs got up on the spur of the moment, but this was to be a splendid function, outdoing all the others which had been held in Brussels. There would be so many Royalties present that the Duchess of Richmond declared that there would be no room for a mere commoner. The Dutch King and Queen were coming; the Prince of Orange, and Prince Frederick; the Duke of Brunswick; the Prince of Nassau; Prince Bernhard of de-Weimar, who commanded the 2nd Dutch-Belgic Brigade under General Perponcher; and of course the Duc de Berri, with his entourage of exalted personages.There was much laughing rivalry between his Lordship and the Duchess of Richmond over this question of balls. The best hostess in Brussels was not to be outdone by his lordship, and whipped in before him with her gilt-edged invitations for the night of Jun 15th. His lordship acknowledged himself to have been outmanoeuvred, and was obliged to postpone his own ball until later in the month. "Honours are even however," said Georgiana. "For though Mama has the better date, the Duke has the King and Queen!"
"Pooh!" said her Grace. "They will make the part very stiff and stupid. It will be all pretension, Duke! I promise you, my ball will be the success of the season!
"No such thing! It will be forgotten in the success of mine."
"It will be too hot for dancing by that time. Have you thought of that?"
"We will take this young woman's ruling on the point. Is it ever too hot for dancing, Georgy.." demanded his lordship, pinching her chin.
"No, never!" responded Georgiana. "Mama, consider if you provoke the Duke, perhaps he won't come to our party, and then we shall be undone!"
"That would be too infamous!" said the Duchess. "I will not believe him capable of such dastardly behaviour."
"No, no, I shall be there!" promised his lordship.