by Wendy Vella
“Please accept my apologies if I have insulted you in any way, Miss Braithwaite.”
He wasn't sorry at all, the scoundrel. His green eyes had a wicked glint. She squinted. Men did not like women who squinted, she had ascertained, as it meant she could not see them clearly.
“Oh, Miss Braithwaite thinks Lord Hingle a lackwit also, Lord Sinclair.”
“Yes, thank you, Miss Pillsworth.” Lilly gave the woman a sharp look, which did nothing to subdue her. They had spent many hours sitting on the edges of ballrooms, and Lilly had let her facade drop occasionally and shared a quip or two about some of the men of society. Now she wished she had held her tongue.
“I shall dance with the silly man should he arrive, Miss Braithwaite, while you dance with Lord Sinclair.”
“Excellent.” He held out his arm. “What a true friend you are, Miss Pillsworth.”
Lilly looked around her but rescue came from no quarter, and as there was no one to come to her aid anyway, there was little she could do but rise and place the tips of her gloved fingers on his forearm.
Neither spoke as they made their way onto the floor. They attracted plenty of glances, because it was no secret she was rarely asked to dance and he was highly sought-after.
Lilly was relieved as a quadrille started when they reached the floor. Not as bad as a waltz, but still he would remain close to her for most of it.
“Are you enjoying the season thus far, Miss Braithwaite?”
“Oh indeed,” she simpered. The breath seized in her throat as his large fingers clasped around hers. Even through their gloves she could do nothing to stop the shiver of awareness. She released it with a whoosh as he released her to take Lady Rumble's hand. The woman threw him a smoldering look.
Lilly had never understood women doing such things. But then she'd never understood the need to flirt either. Of course, that was because she had no wish to ever marry. Lilly couldn't marry; she had too many reasons not to, second of which was her children. No husband would allow his wife to do as she did.
She straightened her spine as Lord Sinclair returned to her side. Luckily he did not touch her.
“Do you not like the quadrille, Miss Braithwaite?”
His green eyes smiled, and Lilly hated the feeling of a hundred butterflies fluttering about in her stomach.
“Oh yes, indeed, Lord Sinclair, it is a most beauteous dance. Why do you ask?”
“You're frowning.”
Drat. Lilly immediately relaxed her face.
“I like to frown, I-I it gives the face a chance to relax.” Mother of God, had she just said those words? Think before you speak, Lilliana, she chided herself, this man is no fool. Try not to appear overly stupid.
“There is certainly a place for a frown, but one would not think that place was on the dance floor when one is meant to be enjoying oneself.”
“Oh yes, indeed,” she said for the third time. “La, I do believe this is my favorite dance. Do you know of its origins, Lord Sinclair?”
Lilly had a head full of silly facts. She had researched long and hard on just such things, because she had every intention of dissuading every man who might show an interest in her.
“Ah, no. However, I wish to discuss something else with you, Miss Braithwaite.”
“I knew you enjoyed our discussion on the gray shrike, my lord. Let me now tell you of the yellow wagtail.”
“What occurred the other night, Miss Braithwaite? Why were you out there, running down that street after that man and boy? What were you saving him from?”
Lilly missed a step, but as he was holding her, he took her weight, and they continued on as if nothing had happened.
“I, ah, have no idea what it is you refer to, Lord Sinclair.”
“Miss Braithwaite, please do not try to fob me off. I was there, I saw you, and I caught you and the boy as you fell. That bruise on your chin was the result. So don't play me for a fool, as it will not wash.”
“I have no wish to discuss it,” she trilled. “It was a silly, reckless moment. It has now passed, and will never happen again.”
“Try that again.”
He said the words as he left her side, and she had only a few seconds to find an answer. Her thoughts whirled but she could come up with nothing that would appease him and leave him none the wiser as to her actions, so she fell back on the ridiculous.
“I have recently started studying mice, Lord Sinclair. And a rare form of field mouse is found on that street at that time every year. It comes only in the summer, and I was there searching for it when I saw that man grab that boy.” Lilly was rather proud of her reply. It sounded like something the silly Miss Braithwaite would do. “I could not, in all conscience, let that man harm the child, and so I set off in pursuit, and that is when you found me. Your actions surely saved my life,” Lilly added dramatically. “I shall forever be indebted to you.”
“Impressive though that reply was, you don't seriously expect me to believe it, do you?”
“Why, are you suggesting I am telling an untruth, my lord? Shame on you.” Lilly gasped, then clutched her bosom for effect.
He took her hands as they walked in a small circle.
“I am unsure if you are an excellent actress, and if so, why? Or you are genuinely....”
“Simple-minded? Oh I assure you I am. ’Tis a constant concern for my family.”
He laughed, a deep booming sound that drew far too many eyes. Lilly did not like being the center of attention.
“Now then,” he said when they returned to their previous position. “How about we try that again? Why were you in that lane at such an hour, chasing that man, with a handful of children with whom you were obviously familiar?”
“I-I—please forget the entire incident, Lord Sinclair.” Lilly gave up trying to concoct a more elaborate story. This man would not be fooled, or deterred, it seemed.
“I don't think that will be possible, Miss Braithwaite.”
“Why? My actions do not concern you.”
“And yet I was there, as were you. The woman I saw that night, for a brief moment, vastly differed from the one I believed I knew. My curiosity is roused.”
Oh no, no, no. This was not good at all. Lilly could not afford to have someone like Lord Sinclair poking his nose into her affairs. Her family had no idea what she did, and she liked it that way. Miss Braithwaite was important to no one. Therefore no one cared about her actions... until now.
“No, you were right in your earlier assessment of my character. I am extremely silly. Why, just yesterday I told Lord Howe that very thing, and he agreed with me.”
“And yet, that leads me no closer to what I want to know.”
“I am distressed by your line of questioning, Lord Sinclair.” Lilly forced herself to trill the words in her usual high-pitched tone. “I have no wish to further our acquaintance, or indeed dance with you again.”
She felt his eyes on her, and then he had left her side once more, and Lilly wanted to flee. Pick up her skirts and run as fast as she could, and not stop.
“Had you said those words to me last week, I would have believed them, Miss Braithwaite. Yet now, tonight, I am having trouble doing so. You see, the woman I watched kneel in that filthy London street to talk with children I suspect live their lives upon them, was not extremely silly. So you see my dilemma, Miss Braithwaite,” he said in a calm voice that made Lilly want to shriek at him. “You have become something of a conundrum to me.”
“I don't want to be your conundrum,” Lilly said quickly. “I am no one worth your time, and I wish for things to go back as they were. You ignoring me, and me ignoring you, Lord Sinclair.”
Please.
“I think not, but as you will not enlighten me, perhaps your family can.”
No, dear God, no.
“Do not question them!” Lilly looked to where her aunt stood. Dear Lord, she would lock Lilly's bedroom door and never let her leave if she knew what she got up to. Dear, sweet Aunt Vi. She would
be horrified to realize her niece was out on that street with only a footman for protection.
“I will not, of course, if you do not wish it. However, I would like answers to my questions.”
“You will not get them.” Her voice was tight with worry, but she cared not. She must somehow dissuade this man from further questioning. If that did not work, then she would make sure to evade him. She could fake an illness—that would give her some time, then perhaps an injury to a leg....
“I shall look forward to conversing with you once more, Miss Braithwaite.”
Lilly did not speak again as the dance thankfully ended, and let him lead her back to where her aunt stood with her brother. The entire journey was spent trying to come up with a way to stall him from further questioning her. The only idea she could come up with as they reached her aunt was to run and hide until the evening was over.
Dev released Miss Braithwaite as they reached her aunt's side. He acknowledged Lady James and ignored Lord Braithwaite, her brother. The man had had a hand in attempting to sink Cam further into the depths of depravity when first the Sinclair family arrived in London, and Dev did not forget such things, especially when they involved people he loved.
“Lady James.” He bowed before the elderly woman.
“Lord Sinclair, how lovely to see you, and dancing with my darling niece.”
Dev studied the older woman. Her dress was in the latest style and the color a deep burgundy. Why then did she allow her niece to dress like a dowdy, color-blind field mouse?
“I believe the Duke and Duchess are from London at this time, Lord Sinclair.”
“Indeed they are, Lady James. My sister is at Raven Castle, but due to return shortly. My aunt and uncle are keeping them company.”
“How lovely.” Her smile was sweet. He knew the woman had many friends and was popular, also unlike her niece.
The puzzle that was Miss Braithwaite grew by the minute.
“If you will allow me the supper dance, Miss Braithwaite?”
“Oh no, my lord. It would not do to—”
“My niece will be delighted to dance with you again, Lord Sinclair.”
He bowed then, deciding that now was as good a time as any to leave, because Lady James may be happy he was singling her niece out, but her niece and nephew were not.
“Good evening, Sinclair.”
He did not look at Nicholas Braithwaite as he spoke. Turning on his heel, Dev walked away.
The woman had piqued his interest, and when that happened there was little to be done but follow that interest until he had answers to all the questions currently swirling inside his head.
Dev thought about her as he danced with others. He thought about her as he talked with friends and acquaintances. He then returned to partner her for the supper dance. However, it seemed she had fled.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dev walked around the room, until he was sure he had covered every inch, and still he could not find her. Tempted as he was to change his vision, he was not foolish enough to risk it, and would only resort to that in a dire situation.
Finding Essie, he tapped her shoulder, and his sister detached herself from a group of women.
“Essie, have you seen Miss Braithwaite?”
“Why?”
“We were engaged for the supper waltz.”
Essie frowned.
“But haven't you already danced with her?”
“Yes,” Dev said, not liking where this was going and wishing he had kept his mouth closed and continued searching on his own.
“Then why are you dancing with her again?”
“People can dance more than once, surely?”
“Not you and her.”
No one could annoy him quite like a sibling.
“I am attempting to be nice, is there a problem with that?” Frustrated, he ended the sentence on a growl.
“What did you say to her?”
“What?”
Essie placed her fingers on his arm, then nodded, which Dev guessed meant she wanted to walk. Not an easy task, surrounded by hundreds of people.
“You must have said something to her, if she has disappeared.”
“I asked if she would dance the supper dance with me, and her aunt accepted, and now I cannot find her.”
“Why would she have fled when she knew you were to dance with her, if you said nothing to upset her?”
“All right, I may have asked her about the other night, which was perfectly acceptable considering the circumstances,” he defended himself.
“I thought I was going to find out more about her, and then you would talk with her?”
“I don't remember us discussing that.”
“It was what I gathered from our discussion. But as you have now frightened her off, then you shall have to find her and apologize. “
She spoke out the side of her mouth.
“I'm your brother. Shouldn't you be on my side?” he groused.
“I can't help you with her if you don't tell me what happened,” Essie said in her calm, rational voice.
“How do you know I need help?”
“You're strung tighter than a piano wire.”
“Lord, I wish I had kept my mouth shut,” he groaned.
He watched the sweetest of the Sinclair siblings narrow her eyes in a calculating manner.
“If you will alert me when Sir Richard Kimpton is heading in my direction, I shall tell you where I last saw her.”
“I thought we were not using our senses in public?” This time Dev looked smug.
“That's the deal, brother. I cannot abide that windbag Kimpton, and his breath is quite foul.”
“Shall I warn him off you, sister?” Dev looked around the room and found Kimpton several feet away, fast approaching.
“No indeed, I can do that. But it would be easier if I had warning and could duck out of sight.”
“Deal.”
“Miss Braithwaite left the room through that door,” she pointed over Dev's shoulder, “ten minutes ago.”
“Kimpton is approaching fast on your left.”
“Love you, brother.”
“And you, sister.”
They parted. Dev headed for the door and slipped through. Switching his vision now that he was away from several hundred brightly clad people, he began walking the halls.
He saw colors behind doors, some extremely close to each other, which suggested more than just chatting was taking place. Continuing on, he found a set of stairs and descended; at the bottom he found another door, and this one led to a conservatory.
The smell of flowers and trees, both citrus and garden variety, hit him. Cam would love this place. He found Lilliana Braithwaite at the rear, tucked behind a large statue of a Roman gentleman wearing a brief loincloth.
“Hide-and-seek is a particular favorite of my family. Perhaps you would care to join us one day for a game?” Dev said, blocking her escape route.
“Lord Sinclair!”
“The very person.”
“What are you doing here?”
She was attempting to appear calm and find that blank look and insipid smile she usually had on her face when he saw her. However, this time, he could see nerves were making that difficult.
“I was looking for my dance partner, Miss Braithwaite.”
“Oh well, yes, of course. Good Lord, is it that time already? I had simply hoped for a short respite from the ballroom, and had not realized the hour had advanced so.”
As far as lies went it was a good one, yet a lie nonetheless. Dev was slowly coming to the conclusion that the woman was very good at hiding behind what she wanted people to believe she was, when in fact she was far different.
“Do you wear those to see near or far?”
His question about her spectacles threw her off her stride further.
“I—ah... both.”
Dev bent closer and looked through them. He saw the glass was plain, just like his bedroom window. The glasses were part o
f her disguise.
“They do not appear overly strong.”
“Th-they are strong enough.”
She snatched them from her face and cleaned them furiously with her gloved fingers.
“Oh dear.”
“What?” She looked up at him quickly, and he was able to see her eyes clearly once more. Dev felt something settle heavily in his chest as he studied her delicate features.
“Your eyes are an unusual color.”
“I-I am happy with them.”
“Yes, they are lovely.” She really was beautiful, right down to the sweet bow of her upper lip. How the hell had she fooled them all for so long?
“If you will not dance with me, will you come out from behind that statue and tell me what it was that I stumbled across two nights ago?”
“No. However, I would be happy to give you a tour of the conservatory. There is a splendid display of orchids, some quite rare. There is one that is over—”
“I will not be deterred, Miss Braithwaite, so you had best come clean.”
“I have no wish to talk of that matter, as I told you earlier, Lord Sinclair.”
“Then it appears we are at an impasse. I wish to know and you will not tell me. You wish me gone from here; I wish to stay.”
“I overheard your sisters once telling someone that you were a good and fair man.”
“That was nice of them.”
“They said no woman would ever have anything to fear from you.”
“I am trying very hard to imagine what conversation prompted those particular compliments from my sisters. I can only suspect that such nice words were from Essex, and surely I had done something wonderful to get into her good graces.”
Her lips pursed, and he saw that she was getting angry but fighting hard to stay in character.
“The point I am trying to make, Lord Sinclair, is that I have no wish to tell you what you want to know, and if you are the gentleman your sisters believe, then you should not force me.”
She was clever; he'd give her that.
“Were my sisters the ones walking about London streets at such an hour, chasing men with dubious intentions and rescuing a child I suspect lives on those streets, I assure you I would be questioning them the same way.”