Yes. I preferred the truth, no matter how much it hurt. And despite the elegance surrounding me, I could not disentangle myself from my urgent need to uncover my mother’s story, no matter the risk.
“I would have it in all areas, Mr. Sinclair. No secrets, ever. Grandfather may wish for me to make this alliance, but I have plans of my own.”
“Plans?”
“To find my mother. I must know what happened to her.”
Instead of chiding me, he pierced me with a look. “You have reason to believe she is still alive?”
I thought of the mysterious letter, the knowledge of which I had guarded so zealously. Would I risk my family’s anger if I shared what I knew?
One word prodded me to action.
Khatrah.Danger. And her name. Someone had tried to warn me. Why? More importantly, what danger?
“I have reason to hope.”
He nodded. “Hope is a blessed thing. I would not see it taken from anyone.”
My eyes watered unexpectedly beneath his perusal.
“I seem to have the misfortune of constantly causing you distress, Miss Grenville, judging from the sheen in your eyes yet again. With my frank speech, my politics, my family, my tugging of those lovely curls. Do you wish the dance to end?”
“You are doing a fine job of dancing, Mr. Sinclair. One would think you have experienced many waltzes with plenty of lovely ladies.”
His neck reddened. “But never with so fine a partner,” he countered as the music faded. “Truthfully.”
The dance was over all too soon. Mr. Sinclair escorted me to Aunt. I saw nothing of Edward, who had likely left for the smoking room with the older men.
Mr. Sinclair’s gaze flickered as Lord Chudley returned with refreshments. Something passed between them. An expression of disdain, especially when the earl took my unfinished lemonade and handed it to Mr. Sinclair to hold.
Lord Chudley offered his arm to escort me to the center of the dance floor with the other couples. He beamed down at me.
“You are truly fetching, Miss Grenville. I believe I shall be the envy of every man with you as my dance partner. Tell me I am not too late?”
I gulped at the bold speech as we took our places. Too late?
The music began, a lively yet measured rhythm, and we moved into position. The quadrille, with its patterns of advancing and retreating, brought Lord Chudley and me together, only to pull us apart moments later. We bowed to each other, then turned to our neighbors, moving in the prescribed steps, our eyes barely meeting before we were separated again.
“You haven’t answered my question, Miss Grenville,” Lord Chudley said as he took my hand in the next set, his tone playful. “Tell me I’m not too late.”
“For what, sir?” I replied, my voice tinged with breathless confusion.
We reluctantly released hands. As I swiveled, I caught Mr. Sinclair’s eye, and I stumbled mid-step.
Lord Chudley laughed, and the sound followed me. “Why, to call on you, of course. It’s all anyone can speak of tonight—that you are to be wed before the summer’s out.”
Oh dear, Grandfather had somehow divulged the information. Yet Icouldn’t deny the pleasure of having such an eligible bachelor show me attention. For a few precious steps, we were side by side, our shoulders almost brushing.
“I am not engaged, Lord Chudley,” I replied, my heart quickening, both from the dance and from the unease his words brought. But then we were parted again, each of us stepping away, bowing to others. “At least, not yet.”
As I executed the intricate steps, I felt the weight of Mr. Sinclair’s attention even when he was not at my side. The dance was deceptively simple, yet the choreography made it impossible to maintain a conversation for more than a few words at a time. We would come together, exchange a phrase, then be swept apart, making it hard to gather my thoughts or find a suitable answer.
“Not engaged?” Lord Chudley echoed when we met again, his lips barely moving as the music dictated our closeness. “Then the rumors are false?”
I hesitated. “Mr. Sinclair and I ... It is not yet decided,” I said, stammering over the words as the dance once more pulled me away to spin across the floor. The space between us felt like an eternity, giving me too much time to consider his implications.
The music changed pace, signaling a new figure, and we were brought back together, this time facing each other with hands clasped.
