Charlotte stared at her. She wasn’t reading into her words now; that had been deliberately rude.
“It is odd, is it not Mama,” Lavinia added, “how long it takes some people to get accustomed to the city. They are like trees who are used to living in wide green fields.” Lavinia’s tone was light, but she looked very pointedly at Charlotte as she spoke. “Some might be overly eager to put down roots before they understand the nature and quality of the soil upon which they stand. Indeed, they might find that they are much more suited to another plot entirely.”
Charlotte remained very still, watching Lavinia’s calculating expression sharpen in triumph as she made her point very plain.Charlotte could not help her eyes drifting over to the duke again as he continued to speak to Malcolm, and the message Lavinia was giving her could not have been more obvious.
“You are quite right, my dear,” Lady Norwell concluded. “It takes us all a while to find our true place in the world.”
Charlotte’s face grew hot at the obvious attack, and she was at a loss as to what to say.
“How right you are,” came a voice from behind them as Elizabeth inserted herself between Lady Norwell and Charlotte, looping her arm around hers and squeezing just a little. “I had no idea you were interested in botany, Lady Lavinia,” Elizabeth said to Lavinia. “I myself am fascinated by plants and amazed what beauty can bloom, even in the most hostile environments.”
Lady Norwell’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but she simply flicked her own fan, fluttering it wildly and too close to Elizabeth’s face, and led Lavinia away.
For a few moments, there was silence between the two women, and then Elizabeth made a noise like a growl in the back of her throat.
“What horrible little women they are,” she said with feeling. “Do not pay any attention to them, Lady Wentworth. I heard what they had to say, and I can tell you quite easily that it is utter nonsense.”
Charlotte smiled gratefully but still felt shaken by the encounter. “Thank you for your intervention. I was not sure what to say. They are very careful to be one way in public and another when they do not believe themselves to be observed.”
“All the best members of society, and bybest, I mean the most persistent, are masters at that. You only need toappearacceptable in this world, you see. You do not need to be so in reality.”
As they moved through the crowd, Charlotte caught sight of the duke again, but this time, he was speaking to Lavinia andLady Norwell. His posture was rather rigid, and his hands held stiffly behind his back, but the faint smile on his face made something unpleasant uncoil in her gut.
She longed to go to him and to see his face soften as it had at the bookshop. But it would be impossible to approach him alone in the crowded ballroom; she could not show any outward interest that might attract the attention of the gossip mongers. Besides, she had almost entirely convinced herself that he had no interest in her.
“I must say, the duke seems very affected by your presence here tonight,” Elizabeth said quietly. “He asked me no less than three times if you were in attendance. I am sure he will come and speak to us shortly. He is very unpleasantly occupied at present.”
Charlotte’s neck grew hot at Elizabeth’s words, worried that she might have allowed some of her own feelings for the duke too close to the surface. She was just about to ask Lady Ludlow what she meant by them when a figure walked in front of her that almost made her groan aloud.
Lord Kilby grinned down at them, looking handsome in his dark evening wear. The same loose smile on his face and an interest in his gaze as his eyes flicked incessantly between Charlotte and Elizabeth.
“Are you engaged for the next set, Lady Wentworth?” he asked swiftly, and Charlotte could not prevent her arm from tightening around Elizabeth as though her newfound ally might be able to dance with her instead.
“I am not,” she answered honestly, unable to think of a suitable excuse to prevent the inevitable.
“Capital!” he said, with what appeared to be genuine happiness. “Is your father here tonight?”
As though I would have attended the ball alone.
“He is my Lord; I believe he is in the card room.”
“Wonderful, I shall be sure to seek him out. But first. I believe I owe you a dance, Lady Wentworth.”
With a helpless glance at Elizabeth, she followed him onto the floor. Many other couples were also standing up about them, and Charlotte’s chest tightened when she saw that the duke had not just beenspeakingwith Lavinia Norwell but was now dancing with her, too.
Charlotte let her eyes drift over Lavinia’s figure. She was dressed in the latest fashion with the finest fabrics money could buy. From her brief time back in society, Charlotte knew Lavinia was a famed beauty and she could understand the appeal. Lavinia was tall like her mother, with very dark hair that looked almost black. It shimmered in the candlelight, and her sharp features, though rather pinched, were alluring in their own way.
No wonder the duke would look at her. She is the daughter of a duke, as well, and she is just what he might be looking for in a wife.
She was surprised by how unhappy the thought made her. It was the first time that her feelings for the duke became truly evident to her.
It was easy to convince herself in the privacy of her bedchamber or even in her own heart that she did not care for him. But when she felt her breath catch in his presence and the pain of seeing him with another, it was much harder to deny.
Across the dance floor, Colin experienced a pain of his own as he watched Lady Wentworth stand up with Lord Kilby. They made a handsome couple, Lord Kilby’s easy smile flashing as he held her in his arms.
“The music this evening is rather sombre, do you not think your Grace?” Lady Lavinia asked as he turned them about the room.
“Indeed,” he replied trying to keep the boredom from his voice. “Do you play an instrument, Lady Lavinia?”
