She smiled at something Fredrick said to her and her whole face lit up. Or maybe it was Harred’s. All he knew for certain was that his soul had awoken with that smile.
What nonsense was he spouting, he thought. It was just a smile. A smile from a beautiful young woman. So why was he hoping he might be the cause of one of those smiles?
A movement in the crowd caught his attention and he saw his brother approaching Lady Octavia, albeit slowly. William was stopping long enough to smile at each young woman along the path. He was nothing if not predictable.
Harred decided it would be best if he got to Lady Octavia first. He brushed past people as he headed towards the rear of the ballroom.
It wasn’t long before he broke through the crowd in front of Lady Octavia and Fredrick.
He bowed. “My lady,” he greeted. “Fredrick.”
Lady Octavia smiled, but it wasn’t as genuine as the one he had seen previously. “Lord Kendal, it is a pleasure to see you again.”
“It is about time you showed up,” Fredrick said. “I was wondering if you had decided not to come this evening.”
“I do apologize, but I made the poor choice of waiting for my brother to ride with me,” Harred explained. “He was detained, I’m afraid.”
Fredrick did not look impressed by his admission. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least. I do hope he will behave this evening.”
“One can always hope.” Harred turned his attention to Lady Octavia, knowing that time was of the essence. William was approaching and he would no doubt ask Lady Octavia to dance. But Harred needed to thwart his brother’s advances. “May I have the privilege of dancing with you for the next set?”
Lady Octavia exchanged a glance with her brother before saying, “I would be delighted.” Her words didn’t seem very convincing, but he still took it as a victory that she agreed to it.
No sooner had her words left her mouth than William came to stand next to him. He bowed. “Lord Chatsworth. Lady Octavia,” he greeted.
Fredrick’s jaw clenched. “Lord William. What are you doing here?” he asked in a tight voice. “I do believe I made my thoughts abundantly clear that you were to stay away from my sister.”
Not appearing disturbed by Fredrick’s less than welcoming reception, William replied, “You did, but I came in hopes that Lady Octavia will dance the next set with me.”
“Absolutely not,” Fredrick said as he moved to stand in front of his sister. “Run along to whatever sewer from whence you crawled out of.”
If Harred wasn’t mistaken, William almost looked amused by Fredrick’s disparaging remark. “I do believe the lady can speak for herself.”
“She can, but there is no need,” Fredrick asserted. “My sister is too good for the likes of you, and I will do everything in my power to ensure you stay far away from her.”
Harred couldn’t help but notice that their conversation was beginning to attract some unwanted attention from other patrons, who were clearly eavesdropping. It seemed prudentfor him to step in and advise William to leave before Fredrick challenged him to a duel.
Just as he was about to intercede, Lady Octavia stepped out from behind her brother and addressed William. “I’m sorry, but the next dance is spoken for by Lord Kendal,” she said.
William shot Harred an annoyed look. “I hadn’t realized you were acquainted with Lady Octavia.”
“We just met earlier today in Hyde Park,” Harred shared.
“How nice,” William muttered. “Perhaps the lady will grant me the privilege of dancing with her on a later set?”
Harred wasn’t quite sure how Lady Octavia would respond. Fredrick had already voiced his opinion on the matter, giving her an out. But would Lady Octavia defy her brother and accept his request?
In an apologetic tone, Lady Octavia said, “I’m afraid Fredrick and I are departing after I dance the next set with Lord Kendal.”
William bowed, his expression giving nothing away. “Then I wish you safe travels,” he stated before he spun on his heel.
Fredrick eyed William suspiciously as he walked away. It was evident that he was not pleased that William was paying attention to his sister. Not that he blamed him. William was a known rakehell and spent his time cavorting from one woman to the next.
The next set was announced and it was to be the quadrille. Harred extended his hand towards Lady Octavia. “Shall we, my lady?” he encouraged.
She placed her gloved hand into his. “I hope you will not regret this,” she said lightly but there was a seriousness to it.
“Trust me. I won’t let you fall,” Harred said.
