Striding forward, he pasted a smile on his face and bowed as Lady Jeweliana became aware of his presence. She managed to
smile back at him, although there was doubt in her expression as she raised her head.
“Lord Huntly,” Lord Darlington murmured, bowing. “Miss Cartwright.”
“Lord Darlington,” Miss Cartwright replied at once. “Allow me to introduce my betrothed, Viscount Livingstone.”
The man was tall and slim, with a kind expression and a tender look in his eyes as he regarded Miss Cartwright for a moment. It told Lord Darlington that the man clearly loved Miss Cartwright which was a feeling he himself had never truly experienced.
“Lord Livingstone,” he murmured, inclining his head. “My congratulations to you both.”
“I have only just heard the news myself,” Lady Jeweliana replied, her eyes lit with happiness for her friend and her gloved
hands clapping near her face in an expression of excitement. “It is wonderful, is it not?”
“Wonderful,” he repeated, with every ounce of feigned happiness he could muster. “Lady Jeweliana, I do wonder if you have any space on your dance card this evening? I am late, I know, but I had hoped…?” He trailed off, hoping he looked wistful enough to be believed by Miss Cartwright and Lord Livingstone.
“I – I think I may have one dance free,” she murmured, looking down at her card. “The waltz, but Mama has not yet permitted me to dance.”
That would give them ample opportunity to talk at least, for he could not simply drag her away to a quiet corner and have a conversation with her there about the gentlemen who had signed her dance card – particularly those who had signed for two dances.
“Ah,” he smiled, looking somewhat disappointed.
“I do apologize,” she murmured, still looking somewhat uncertain as Miss Cartwright smiled at him encouragingly.
He cleared his throat, shrugging slightly. “Let me put my name there regardless, Lady Jeweliana, and I shall then go in search of your mother in the hope that she may permit me to dance with you. After all, she is very dear friends with my own mother, and so that connection may prove useful.” Something sparked in her eyes as she smiled at him. Lord Darlington wrote his name quickly and bowed at once, letting it fall from his fingers.
“Very good,” he murmured, stepping back. “Now, if you will excuse me, I had best go in search of Countess Knighton. Expect me to succeed, Lady Jeweliana. I shall come back to claim you at the proper time.” Lord Huntly who, up until this point had remained mostly silent, cleared his throat and inclined his head towards Lady Jeweliana. “It is our dance, I believe,” he said, ignoring the other completely. “The first of two, I think.” Lord Darlington tried not to grin as the man shot him a look, aware that Lord Huntly found Lady Jeweliana more than a little interesting – which was not a surprise given that he was the second son of a marquess. He would need to marry well, and Lady Jeweliana would be an excellent match for him, but Lord Darlington was quite sure it would not satisfy Lady Jeweliana’s parents. They wanted a first son for their daughter.
Lady Jeweliana nodded to Lord Huntly, with just a faint hint of pink in her cheeks as she stepped away, her gaze lingering on Lord Darlington for a moment or two. He turned his gaze away and went in search of the countess, knowing he would have to get her permission before he could waltz with Lady Jeweliana.
“I told you I would have her consent, did I not?”
Lady Jeweliana looked up at him as they began to spin around the floor, her eyes a little wider than usual. Lord Darlington could not tell what it was that was surprising her, although he did wonder if she had not expected him to be able to dance.
“You said you hoped that you would,” she murmured, her gaze drifting away from him over his shoulder. “Although I will admit to being glad that you got her consent. This is the first time I have been permitted to waltz at a ball, although of course, I have learned the steps.” Perhaps that is the reason for her slightly astonished expression, Lord Darlington thought to himself as they moved around the floor. There was a delight in holding her that he had not experienced before very often, and she was a wonderful dancer. There was no need to hold her particularly tightly or take a great deal of care not to stand on her toes, for she was sure in her steps and allowed him to lead without even a hint of confusion.
“Lord Huntly is a good man, is he not?” he murmured, as the music continued to swirl around the room. “A good dancer too, I hope.”
Her eyes searched his suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling that you find him less than agreeable?”
Chuckling, he looked down at her. “I feel as though you know me a little too well already, Lady Jeweliana! You are right; he is not the kind of gentleman your father would be happy with, although there is nothing wrong with his character. He is a very agreeable gentleman in all regards and, were he the first son, I would press him to you at once.” She seemed to sag slightly, and Lord Darlington was disturbed to discover that a slight pang of envy ran through him at the sight. It was clear that she had liked Lord Huntly’s company, possibly even more than his own.
“I see,” she mumbled, her eyes moving away from his face again. “He is the second son, and you think my father would not give his consent to such a match.” “Do you?” he challenged, lifting one eyebrow. “Truly, do you believe that a second son would fulfill your father’s expectations?”
For a moment, she did not answer but, when she did, a sigh escaped her mouth. “No, you are quite right, Lord Darlington.
My father has made it clear on more than one occasion that I am to seek out a man with a title – or at least, an heir to the title. It is not something I myself cling to, for I find a second son to be more than appealing, but it appears it is not to be so.” The music came to a close, and Lord Darlington found himself somewhat disappointed that their dance had come to an end. He could not ask her for the second waltz for that would show far too much reference and he did not want to start the ton whispering about him and his possible intentions towards Lady Jeweliana.
“Come with me,” he said, softly, as the dance came to a close.
“Let me have a look at that dance card of yours, and we shall find out which of them might be a suitable match.”
He bowed, as was expected, and whilst she curtsied, there was no smile on her face.
“No, I think not, Lord Darlington,” she said, slowly. “Not here, at least. Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after, if you are in Hyde Park at the fashionable hour, I might meet you there. I shall keep my dance card with me, of course.” A flicker of a frown crossed his features as he regarded her somewhat downcast appearance. “Very well,” he said, slowly, “although that does not give us a great deal of privacy to talk.” “The bookshop, then,” she suggested, quietly. “I like to visit them in the early mornings usually. Might that suit?”
“That would suit very well,” he replied, with another short
bow. “Good evening, Lady Jeweliana.”
He smiled at her but did not receive one back. “Good evening, my lord,” she murmured, as she turned on her heel and walked away.
6
“AH, MISS CARTWRIGHT!”
Jeweliana put on her happiest smile as her friend greeted her warmly, glad that she had been able to join her for a short outing to the bookshop that afternoon. Whilst she was meant to be meeting Lord Darlington, she knew it was entirely improper to go to such a place alone and, although she could have taken her maid, she wanted a friend with her instead.
“I think you must call me Louisa, for we are very dear friends now, are we not?” Miss Cartwright smiled, as she looped her arm through Jeweliana’s. “Whilst it is true that I have a great many acquaintances here in London, I confess that I do not feel as close to them as I do with you.” The words warmed Lady Jeweliana’s heart, and she smiled at her friend, thinking herself more than lucky to have found such a companion. “That is very kind of you to say, Louisa. You may call me Jeweliana, of course.
” “How wonderful,” Louisa sighed, happily. “I do hope you are willing to help me with all my preparation for the wedding, Jeweliana. There seems so much to do, and I cannot help but wonder if I shall ever be able to do it all! Of course, Mama is more than willing to help, having done it all before with my sisters, but I am determined that it is to be a day of my own making, not simply a repeat of those that have gone before me.” “Very wise,” Lady Jeweliana replied, smiling at her friend’s determination. “You are very blessed in having Lord Livingstone love you as much as he does. I swear, it is more and more evident every time I see him with you!” Louisa blushed, a happy smile settling on her face. “Indeed, I know just how blessed I am. The man does all he can to make me happy, and I love him all the more for it.” She shot a glance at Jeweliana as they walked along the London street, one eyebrow lifted. “And what of you? I saw you with Lord Markham last evening and then dancing twice with Lord Huntly.”
“I did,” Jeweliana replied, her heart feeling suddenly heavier as she recalled just how much she had enjoyed dancing with Lord Huntly. “However, nothing can come of either of those gentlemen, I am afraid. Lord Markham has no fortune of his own, having gambled it all away, and Lord Huntly is a second son and, whilst that matters not to me, my father would never permit it.” A look of surprise ran onto Louisa’s face. “My goodness! So, you have settled against them both, then. Wherever did you come by this knowledge, Lady Jeweliana? I had not heard of Lord Markham’s poor fortune before.” Lady Jeweliana shrugged, her throat aching just a little.
“Lord Darlington was kind enough to give me such information.” She said nothing more, aware that Louisa was, at this point, looking even more astonished.
“And has he told you this since he wishes to court you himself?” she asked, softly. “I was surprised to see you waltzing with him, I confess, especially when he was a man you were determined to turn your back on before.” Chewing her lip, Jeweliana wondered how much to explain about her current predicament. “Without going into too much detail – and I pray that you keep this to yourself, Louisa, since I know I can trust you – he is eager to help me find a suitable gentleman.” Louisa stopped dead, forcing Lady Jeweliana to stop too. She stared at Jeweliana for a moment, her mouth working but no sound coming from it.
“Our mothers intend to have us wed,” Jeweliana confessed, realizing she could hold nothing back. “Neither of us want such a thing, and so he is helping me find a suitable match instead of the proposed arrangement.” “My goodness,” Louisa whispered, one hand on her heart.
“That is very surprising.”
“Indeed it is,” Jeweliana agreed, heavily. “I could hardly believe it when I heard my mother say such a thing to Lady Darlington!”
Louisa nodded slowly, her astonishment fading. “I understand now why you have so quickly turned from Lord Markham and Lord Huntly and, of course, I will keep your secret.” Relieved that her friend appeared to understand, Jeweliana smiled at her and began to walk again towards the bookshop.
“He is, I hope, to come to the bookshop today to look at my dance card from last evening.”
“So that you will know which gentlemen to continue approaching,” Louisa finished, with a look of understanding.
“That is a very clever scheme, I must say – although I am surprised that you are so unwilling to consider marrying him, Lady Jeweliana. He is a titled gentleman, with wealth and prospects.” She tilted her head a little, regarding Jeweliana carefully. “What is it about him that does not please you?” Thinking hard, Jeweliana frowned and studied the road ahead of them as they walked.
“I know you disliked him from the first moment because of his arrogance and rudeness towards you, but that behavior can be changed, I am quite sure of it,” Louisa continued, as they turned into another street. “He could be a decent husband, I am sure.” “And yet, I do not want to settle for mere decency,” Lady Jeweliana confessed. “I want what you have found, Louisa, as ridiculous as that may be when I am only to have one Season. I will settle for an affection as opposed to love if I must, but I cannot bear the thought of marrying with only a grudging acceptance of the other.”
Louisa said nothing for a moment, her eyes bright as she thought. “I understand that,” she said, eventually. “Well, I shall do as much as I can to help you, Jeweliana, although I am sure that Lord Darlington knows the gentlemen of the ton better than I.” The doorbell of the bookshop rang harshly as they stepped inside, with Louisa quickly catching the eye of the bookshop owner. She was, apparently, looking for something specific on weddings and so Jeweliana left her to the care of the bookshop owner. Pulling off her gloves, she herself wandered along the rows of books, the high shelves keeping her well-hidden. Her fingers traced over the covers, her eyes roving aimlessly over the titles whilst her mind remained full of Lord Darlington.
“There you are.”
A squeak left her throat as she jumped, having not seen Lord Darlington in the shadowy corner of the bookshop.
“Forgive me,” he murmured, softly. “I did not mean to startle you.”
“Not at all,” Jeweliana whispered, her heart hammering painfully in her chest. “I was just a little surprised, I think.”
He chuckled, stepping out from the shadows a little more.
“Of course.” His eyes looked at her keenly, giving her the impression that she was, somehow, under deep scrutiny. “Did you bring your dance card?”
She tugged it from her pocket and handed it to him wordlessly, jumping again when her fingers brushed his. He was not wearing gloves either, and the contact sent sparks shooting up her arm.
“Thank you,” he murmured but, much to her surprise, he did not look at the card. Instead, his gaze lingered on hers for a moment, a depth within his eyes that she was almost too afraid to see. There was something washing over them for a moment, something that was filled with a delicious anticipation and then, in a breath, it was gone.
His eyes moved away from hers and back down to the list he now held in his hand. She watched him closely, seeing the slight frown between his brows as he ran one finger down the paper, only for him then to laugh aloud.
“Whatever is it?” she asked in surprise, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible. “Is something wrong?”
Chuckling quietly, he shook his head. “No, there is nothing wrong, my dear Lady Jeweliana, more that you have managed to encounter a great many scallywags of late.” Her heart dropped to her toes.
“I mean, Lord Percival here, he is now onto his third wife, having lost the first to some terrible fever and then divorced the second. Lord Orson, he is a prolific gambler and Lord Kindersley, he has at least one illegitimate child that the ton knows about, although he vehemently denies it is his, of course.
I am quite surprised he was even invited to the ball last evening – unless, of course, he sneaked in as he is sometimes inclined to do.”
A feeling of desperation began to settle over Jeweliana as she stared at the card in Lord Darlington’s hand. Was she to have no one to go to?
“Lord Huntly appears to have been the best gentleman last evening but, as I said, he is nothing more than a second son,”
Lord Darlington finished with a shake of his head. “All the others have much too lowly a title for you, Lady Jeweliana. Your father would not consent, as you know.” He shrugged almost carelessly, as though his words did not matter. “Well, at least you know who to stay away from now, Lady Jeweliana.” Handing her
the card with such a wide grin on his face split Jeweliana’s heart in two and, to her horror, she felt tears threaten to fall from her eyes.
Swallowing once, twice, she took back the card and, putting it carefully back into her pocket, tried to surreptitiously wipe at her eyes.
“Now, now,” came Lord Darlington’s quiet voice. “No need to lose heart straight away, Lady Jeweliana. You need not be so upset.”
The kindness and compassion in his voice was her undoing and, to her horror, tears began to splash
from her eyes. She felt so lost, so hopeless. This had only been her first ball, and she had thought she might meet someone there – but, apparently, not a single gentleman she had danced with had been suitable.
The only gentleman she had truly felt a spark of interest for had been Lord Huntly and, had he not been a second son, she might have very easily been able to pursue that acquaintance, but she knew now she could not.
“Thank you, Lord Darlington,” she sniffed, both embarrassed and ashamed of her behavior. “You are doing me a great service, I know.”
Much to her surprise, he caught her hand and pressed it for a moment, a look of concern in his eyes. Had she truly caught him by surprise with her tears?
“I did not think I was such a bad prospect as to make you weep,” he said, with a rueful smile. “Truly, Lady Jeweliana, do not take it so badly. This was only one ball, and there will be a great many other gentlemen at the next one, I assure you. In fact, I shall make it my mission to introduce you to at least two suitable gentlemen at the next event, so that we do not have a repeat of these tears.” Something soft brushed at her cheek and, looking up at him, Jeweliana saw the surprise she felt echoed in his eyes. He had not planned to wipe her tears from her cheek; his hand had almost frozen in place as he looked at her. She could not breathe, could not think, could not move. It was as though a torrent had burst over her; such were the strange, confusing feelings beginning to rattle all through her.
“Jeweliana?”
Hearing Louisa’s quiet call, Jeweliana took a step back and pulled her hand free from Lord Darlington’s grip.
“I am going to the recital tomorrow evening,” she murmured, not quite sure where to look. “Lady Adelaide’s recital, I mean.”
Regency Engagements Box Set Page 68