“Is there somethin’ on the back of me gown?” she asked as she started to fuss with her dress, feigning ignorance. “Did one of those bloody lords spill somethin’ on me? Do I look alright?!”
“You look perfectly adequate,” Hugo replied with a forced cough. “Shall we socialize a bit more? The night is still young, and you have your duty to fulfill.”
“Indeed,” Elspeth sighed. “I daenae think I can leave without dancing at least once, and would ye believe thatthreelords asked me to dance with them and?—”
“Excellent,” Hugo said, his voice clipped. “Your progress has been noted.”
“Is there something wrong?” she whispered, her eyes searching his. “Ye can tell me.”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I daenae ken why, but I can feel it in me bones. Do ye want to dance with me again, Yer Grace?”
“What point would that serve?” he barked, inching closer to her.
“I daenae ken that somethin’ like dancin’ could serve a point, but I suppose ye are right.”
Elspeth danced with not one, not two, not three, butfourgentlemen. She was the most sought-after lady that evening, and whispers about her floated around as much as the candelabras that shone above the gleaming dance floor.
“She moves with such grace, for a Highlander,” she heard one man whisper to another.
“Nonsense,” Lady Featherstone scoffed as she sidled up to them. “She moves like areallady, as if the wind carries her along.”
“Indeed,” Lady Pemberton agreed. “I trust you have found the champagne to be plentiful enough. I have seen to it that our butler will have a case delivered to you tomorrow.”
“Oh, that is most generous.” Lady Featherstone fanned herself more frantically. “What a night!”
Elspeth laughed to herself as her final dance partner, a nervous Lord Middleby, twirled her this way and that. He was a perfect partner, if a bit silent.
“Is it something I am doing, Lady Inverhall?” he asked sheepishly as the song came to an end.
“Not at all! Ye should hear Lady Featherstone,” she said softly. “I ken it isnae polite, but the woman is a riot.”
“I do not disagree,” he admitted with a wide smile. “May I c?—”
“I believe the dance, and this ball, are over,” Hugo cut in, materializing beside Elspeth in a rush that took her breath away.
“Indeed.” She curtsied to Lord Middleby. “Thank ye for the dance, Lord Middleby.”
Hugo gently pulled her off the dance floor and spun her around to face him.
“They are goin’ to think ye like me if ye keep comin’ after me like that,” Elspeth warned, holding his steely gaze.
“I am responsible for you and your well-being. That is all. It is time to go,” he muttered.
As the evening drew to a close, Hugo and Elspeth bid their goodbyes to the host and hostess. They were about to go down the stairs when the Dowager Duchess approached them, a faint smile on her lips.
“Grandmother, I was afraid we had missed you,” Hugo said in greeting. “I hope you had a pleasant time.”
“Elspeth, my dear, you did rather well tonight, from what I have heard and saw,” the Dowager Duchess praised, ignoring her grandson entirely. “A marked improvement. You managed to converse without scandalizing anyone, and even charmed that old bore, Lord Pemberton. There is still much work to be done, of course, but your progress is undeniable. Well done, my dear.”
Elspeth felt a surge of pride, and she rolled her shoulders back confidently. “Thank ye, Yer Grace. I confess, it was lessarduousthan I anticipated.”
The Dowager Duchess nodded in approval. “Indeed. I am sure your mother would be proud if she were still with us. And, with continued effort, you shall have your pick of the ton, rather than being relegated to the most desperate and despicable of men.” She pinned Hugo with a look that could intimidate a giant.
“She did well enough, I suppose,” he muttered, his voice gruff. He crossed his arms, a possessive glint in his eyes that belied his dismissive tone. “Surely a marked improvement, but she still has a great deal to learn. And that fellow, Middleby, he was utterly inadequate. She needs to be more discerning.”
The Dowager Duchess raised an eyebrow, a knowing look passing between her and Elspeth. “My dear Hugo, if she is to choose a husband, she must meet a variety of gentlemen. And you, it seems, are rather difficult to please.” She gave him a pointed look, to which he cast his eyes down. “Her progress is quite satisfactory, I assure you. But, as I said, there is still much work ahead.” She then turned on her heel and walked away.
