Charlotte hid a smile behind her glass as Malcolm took a sip of his own. As he did so, however, his eye seemed caught on the other side of the room. Trying not to appear too obvious, Charlotte looked in the direction of his gaze.
She recognized the lady in question. It was a Lady Elizabeth Ludlow. She was quite captivating now that Charlotte looked at her in detail. She had an enormous amount of curly blonde hair that was tied about her head with several silver ribbons, and she wore a deep blue gown that was one of the few of such a rich color in the room. She certainly stood out.
Turning back to her cousin, she found Malcolm still looking at Lady Ludlow and felt warmth fill her chest that he might have made an attachment.
“I have been gone a long time, it would seem,” she said with amusement and Malcolm, realizing he had been caught staring, actuallyblushed.
“Oh, I was not… that is to say,” he cleared his throat several times and sighed heavily. “Is it that evident?”
“I am afraid so, yes, but then, I have known you a terribly long time, and I have never seen you blush before.”
Malcolm glowered at her in mock outrage and Charlotte felt her nerves reduce even further at their teasing friendship.
“Are you sure you are alright? I can imagine this must be quite an adjustment from your life in the country.”
Charlotte thought of her mother’s weak hand held in hers night after night. The stories she would read to her, the slowly ebbing candle that seemed to echo the inevitable decline of hermother’s health. She mustered a half-hearted smile, gripping her reticule all the tighter.
“I have something to occupy myself at least,” she replied.
Malcolm frowned. “Oh yes? And what is that?”
“I am eager to see how long it will take you to ask Lady Ludlow to dance. I might even place a wager it will be fewer than ten minutes together.”
Malcolm ran a hand awkwardly through his hair and frowned at her as she laughed at him, but Charlotte was only half joking. She had never seen that look of intensity in her cousin’s eyes before, and it made her wonder what else she had missed while she had been away.
CHAPTER FOUR
Colin breathed a sigh of relief as he extricated himself from yet another forgettable brunette. He left the dance floor, finding solace in the corner of the room near a slim column that partially obscured him from view.
The weight of expectation, his title, and everything that he represented in this room felt like a physical anchor around his neck. All he needed was a few moments of peace, and he would be able to rejoin the throng.
From across the room, two pairs of eyes watched the duke with great interest. Lady Victoria Norwell and her daughter Lavinia had barely taken their eyes off him for the entirety of the ball.
Lady Victoria knew that her daughter was pretty enough to ensnare anyone. They both were similar in appearance, with dark hair, matching dark eyes, and olive skin from her Italian heritage. Lavinia was radiant tonight, and Victoria intended for her to be noticed by the duke.
“He will not be alone on many occasions tonight,” she said to her daughter quietly. “You must pick your moment.”
Lavinia glanced back at her, the ruby earrings in her ears perfectly complimenting the detailing in her gown.
“Yes, Mama. Do you think I should make my way to him now?”
“No child. It would look too deliberate. We must wait. There will be time. Come, let us move to a higher point where we can observe who he speaks to. If we can connect with his circle, you are sure to win his attention.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Victoria smiled down at her daughter. She had been bred from a young age to know the value of a good match, and tonightwas the night her future would be put in motion. The two women moved away through the crowd like swans on a river of people, their eyes never leaving the duke’s position for more than a few moments together.
Lavinia, not looking where she was going, jostled against Charlotte as she moved through the crowd and Charlotte almost toppled over, caught off balance by the abrupt contact.
Lavinia did not even turn to look at her.
Charlotte stared after her, affronted by her rudeness, but quickly schooled her features as she turned back to the man she was speaking to. She had been caught for an interminable amount of time with a boorish oaf of a man named Clement-Smyth, who enjoyed the sound of his own voice far more than anyone enjoyed listening to it. Her father had joined them a few moments before and rejoiced in finding a fellow conservative to lament the failings of the current Prime Minister.
Distracted by Lavinia’s rudeness, Charlotte looked around the room to see if she could find Malcolm and make her excuses. Instead, she found her attention caught by another man across the room.
He was extremely tall with elegant features and sweeping black hair that made him seem paler than many around him. Her father evidently had caught the direction of her gaze, and to her dismay, insisted upon introducing them immediately.
A new set was just beginning as they reached the newcomer. He was even more handsome at close quarters, but something was subtly wrong with his face. His smile was almost always present, but it did not reach his eyes. Charlotte had an uneasy feeling that he was putting on a front, but she couldn’t explain why.
