* * *
Dotty smiled up at Merton as he held her closer than he should have through a turn. This afternoon, when he had agreed to take Tom, she’d abandoned her search for a wife for him. Something was going on between them, and it behooved her to follow it through to the end.
Candlelight glinted off his hair, making it shine. She was close enough to breathe in his scent, soap and light cologne mixed with his own musk. Little tingles of pleasure passed through her fingers as he held them. His palm, heavy and hot on her waist, seemed to burn through her muslin evening gown to her flesh. When he smiled at her, his face and eyes lit up, as if he wanted to be nowhere other than with her.
“A penny.” He grinned.
A bit of heat rose in her cheeks. If he only knew her thoughts were worth far more than that. “I so enjoy dancing with you.”
He looked a little surprised, but his hands tightened. “Thank you.”
She gazed into his warm blue eyes wishing they could remain here forever. Then she remembered her protégé. “How is little Tom?”
His countenance suddenly became serious. “He is well now. When I left the house he was still asleep. There is some sort of mystery surrounding him.”
This was unexpected. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if this is the place to discuss it. It is a rather long story.” He twirled her down the floor.
“I shall ask your mother if I may visit him tomorrow, if you don’t mind, that is.”
“Not at all. You may have better luck convincing him to tell his story. I have little experience with children.”
How sad that he was an only child. “Tell me about Cyrille. How was he after his carriage ride?”
Merton gave a bark of laughter, and the couple next to them stared. “He barely made it home before he had to use the facilities.”
“Oh dear. You should probably have a harness made for him. It wouldn’t do for him to jump down from the carriage.”
His mien was still stern, but his eyes twinkled with mirth. “If you think I am going to stop my carriage so that he can get down and—”
“Oh stop.” If she started to giggle she wouldn’t be able to cease. “I shall embarrass us both if you do not. I doubt if going into whoops during a ball is acceptable behavior.”
“Do you never try to hide your feelings?” he asked quietly.
“Sometimes.” He probably wasn’t used to a lady who didn’t pretend to be bored. “If I do not want to hurt someone else. I would never, for example, tell Mrs. Jacobs, one of our tenants, that her biscuits taste like straw dust, even though they do.”
His eyes rounded in shock. “You mean to tell me you actually eat them?”
Well, of all the silly questions. “Of course I do. Pray, how am I to avoid it?”
Merton shook his head slightly. “I suppose you cannot.” He was quiet for a moment. “What I had meant by the question was do you never pretend you’re not having fun when you are?”
“No, why should I? I think that is vastly ridiculous behavior especially in a lady just out.”
“They do it to follow the fashion.”
How to answer that? Dotty knew Merton was friends with Lord Alvanley, a good friend of Beau Brummell’s. “I prefer to make my own fashion. One not based on deceit.”
He stared at her intently for a moment, his deep blue eyes flickering with interest before saying, “You are an unusual woman, Dorothea Stern.”
She didn’t know if he was complimenting her or not, so she decided to take it as an accolade. “Thank you.”
When the set ended, he escorted her to Grace, who was sitting with Lady Merton. Louisa and Charlotte arrived at the same time. “Where is Matt?”
Grace glanced up at the ceiling, which was the closest she ever came to rolling her eyes. “I sent him to the card room.”
“Whatever for?” Louisa asked.
