It was a true enough statement, but Georgiana had apparently interpreted it far too liberally, as if one person could simply be exchanged for another who possessed similar physical features. “I did. What of it?”
“I also recall that you said he was the most handsome man you ever saw in your life.” Her tone was edged with a surprising amount of bitterness.
“You recall an awful lot for an uninterested party,” Caroline retorted. “If you do not want me, then I am free to... to accept other invitations, am I not?”
Georgiana made no reply, though her knuckles whitened further.
Say something, damn you, Caroline urged silently.Something.Anything.Turning back to watch the crowd, she plastered a charming smile onto her face and aimed it at the nearest knot of dancers, though her vision was too blurred to see who they were. “My offer to you still stands, if you are bold enough to accept it.”
“And how do I know,” Miss Darcy said quietly, “that you will not throw me over for a better option if it presents itself? When it presents itself?”
Ouch.Caroline flinched, covering it with a quick cough. The accusation was an earthquake, shattering all that she had thought steady and strong. “I am not your past lover,” she muttered. “I would never do that. And you ought to know better than to accuse me of such things.”
Georgiana swallowed, opened her mouth, then closed it resolutely; the move was answer enough. The music swelled to a climax around them, then ceased. Caroline nodded, blinking back tears. No one need ever know the very moment her heart had cracked beyond repair.
Seconds later, the viscount appeared at her elbow. “May I?”
She took his hand, not daring to glance backwards, and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. “I confess that I noticed you dancing with a gentleman earlier,” Lord Ashbrook said, “and that neither of you looked to be having a particularly good time. I could not understand it, for if I were him, I would be delighted to be standing up with the most beautiful woman in the room.”
“You flatter me too much, my lord.” Caroline swallowed, waiting for their turn in the set. If she dared to glance left, she might see Georgiana through the crowd. No—she would not indulge in such a thing, no matter how desperate she wasto know how Miss Darcy looked at this moment. “In turn, I shall confess that I have been looking forward to talking to you all night.”
“Have you, indeed?”
Caroline took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her own complicated situation aside, she had another, more simple mess to fix, and fix it she would. “We both know Mr Acton, do we not? The painter?”
“I know him,” Lord Ashbrook agreed. “I commissioned him for a painting earlier this year. Very talented fellow.”
“He has gone off to London to make his fortune,” Caroline said. “And, if I may be so bold, a man of fine taste such as yourself must surely be in need of more paintings. In fact, I have a proposition for you that I believe will ensure the happiness of—”
“I apologise for interrupting you, but I make a point of never talking business at a party. I hope that does not offend you.” He offered a sincere smile.
Caroline bit her lip, trying to quell her frustration. She’d pursued this man for one reason, only to be blocked from her goal by the fellow himself.Never mind, she reassured herself.Charm him now, pressMrActon’s suit on Tuesday.
“Tell me, how well do you know Lady Lennox?” he asked.
“I know her only a little.”
“And are you in the habit of—” He hesitated, looking at her closely. “Are you well, Miss Bingley?”
She blinked, rather surprised. Most men wouldn’t have cared if she’d been on fire, as long as she’d kept smiling at them. “Thank you, my lord. I am simply...”
How on earth am I to convey my turbulent state of mind without bursting into tears or offending the poor man?she wondered.
“You do not need to confess anything to me, for we are but strangers,” he reassured her.
Grateful for his easy manner, Caroline focused on the steps of the dance. “I am merely thinking of how complicated people are. One likes to think them simple, easily boiled down to straightforward thoughts and emotions.”And desires, she added mentally. “Yet life so rarely proceeds in a manner which one expects. It is a puzzle, is it not?”
“Indeed. You have echoed my own thoughts exactly.” Lord Ashbrook’s gaze slid beyond Caroline, towards the left of the room, where one of the jewellery-laden women smiled up at a slim, red-haired man. For a single moment, yearning flashed over the viscount’s features, so deep and desperate that it almost took Caroline’s breath away. The next moment, his gaze was back on her, his smile tinged with apology. “And I hope you will pardon me for my assumption, but I think you understand how it feels to be denied an opportunity to work that puzzle out to completion.”
“You see rather a lot for a viscount,” said she, smiling, though she did not deny the statement.
“Ah.” He chuckled. “It is a lifelong failing of mine to be overly observant. My mother often told me that it would lead me nowhere good, and she was correct, as mothers so often are. Will you forgive me such a transgression, Miss Bingley?”
Unexpectedly, as the dancer next to her moved out of time, stammering an apology to his partner as he did so, Caroline caught sight of Georgiana at the back of the room. Miss Darcy was staring at her with such intensity that Caroline wondered how she had not felt the force of it before.Too bad, she thought, a streak of her old vindictiveness raising its colubrine head.Ifyou will not take what has been offered, you cannot be angry when someone else does. Although...
She remembered thinking, once upon a time, that a suitor who was loath to reveal his true feelings might be prompted to do so when a rival displayed an interest. The game was a dangerous one, as she’d already proven with respect to Mr Acton, but really, what did she have left to lose at this point? Caroline chattered with Lord Ashbrook for the rest of the dance, discovering that there was no need to put on any kind of performance; the viscount was witty, amiable, and charming in equal measures.
“I understand I am to see you on Tuesday?” he inquired, escorting her back to where Miss Darcy was standing. “And Miss Chester, who my nephew assures me is a lovely young lady.”
“Indeed, my lord, and I am very much looking forward to the visit,” she said, loudly enough for Georgiana to hear. “I am staying at Pemberley only another couple of days and shall return to my family at Hadley Hall in Lancashire soon enough.”
She did not miss Georgiana’s flinch at these words, nor the corresponding pang in her own chest.Back to Hadley Hall, away from all the warmth of the only true home I have ever known.The carriage ride back was even more miserable than the outward journey; Georgiana looked as stiff as a starched shirt the entire time, winding her handkerchief over her fingers again and again and pulling it tight, as if by doing so, she could achieve some relief from whatever storm was brewing inside her. Caroline did not offer comfort or solace; Miss Darcy might be experiencing agony, but the pain was entirely self-inflicted.
