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“I should hope not! He is a disgraced lord”—Francie leaned in close—“who has publicly claimed his bastard to the distress of his father, the Duke of Salop.”
Livvie gasped. “Francie! That is a horrible thing to repeat, and how have you become aware of it?”
She sighed. “Mamma is a notorious gossip. She and her friends tend to speak a lot when we make the rounds.”
Livvie nodded, unable to remove her eyes from Tobias and Lady Phoebe. “They are very charming and beautiful together.” And she was the daughter of a duke, well-connected and without blemish. No doubt the type of young lady Lord Blade would take to be his wife.
“They surely are, but do you see the way she is glowing and giggling? If he had any interest in her, he has already lost it.”
Livvie would analyze later why the notion filled her with relief. “He has?”
“Yes, my brother does not appreciate a too-obvious public display of emotion. He has already suffered one broken engagement because of it.”
Livvie’s heart jolted. “Tobias was engaged?”
“Yes, to Lady Sophie, now Viscountess Wimple. Rumor has it, he missed an outing without notifying her. He had been called away on an emergency and was hard-pressed for time to send a note,” she whispered.
Livvie frowned, unwilling to engage in gossiping but wanting to know more about the coldly intriguing earl. “And then?” She contained a wince at her own whisper.
“Lady Sophie threw a tantrum. No doubt she never imagined he would break the engagement. It was the scandal of the Season that year.”
Livvie shook her head in disbelief. “He ruined her reputation because she was angry?”
F
rancie hesitated. “When Mother asked him to reconsider, Tobias said he’d had enough tantrums and hysterics to last him several lifetimes and he would not be persuaded to reconsider Lady Sophie. My brother values modesty, grace, and good sense in a young lady. His words.”
Livvie understood a bit more about Tobias, and she was startled at the ache blooming in her heart. It was not that she wanted the man for herself, but it was finally clear why he did not like her.
“There she is,” Francie whispered. “It was perverse of Mother to send an invitation to her family.”
Livvie glanced in the direction Francie indicated to see a very beautiful young lady staring intently at Tobias. A man stood at her side chattering, gazing at her with something akin to adoration, but her eyes remained firmly on the earl.
A young man walked over then, a smile planted on his face, his eyes glued to Francie’s loveliness. He bowed. “Lady Francie.”
Livvie dipped into a curtsy after swift introductions had been made. The gentleman was revealed to be young Lord Andrew, heir to a viscountcy.
“May I have you as a partner for the next set, Lady Francie?” he asked, all affable charm.
With a quick smile, she agreed, and he flushed, bowed, then scampered away.
“Oh, Livvie, no one has asked you to dance.”
She ignored the pinch in her heart. “Think nothing of it, for I shall not.”
“I shall importune upon Lord Andrew to ask you—”
“Francie, I would never forgive you! I do not require his or your pity.”
“It is not pity. You are more beautiful than most of the young ladies here, and he is the kind of man your mother would want for you to attract. His family connections are considerable.”
“No.”
“Come on, Livvie, there must be someone you find agreeable. Remember you are here to find a husband.”
Her traitorous eyes sought out the Earl of Blade. Just looking at him made her body feel incredibly alive, every sensation felt keener…sharper. Surely she must be afflicted to even be attracted to the wretched man.
“I want whatever attentions I garner to be from my own efforts, Francie, and if you insist on traversing such paths, I will ask questions as to where you were earlier that has left your lips looking as if they have been thoroughly ravished.”
