“It does not matter,” Lydia said, not wishing to draw a scene although she did intend to make a note of everyone who spoke badly about her. Victor arched an eyebrow and looked in Baroness Brady’s direction. He caught a trailing comment, and his cheeks flushed red. Before Lydia could say anything, Victor marched towards her.
“Baroness Brady,” Victor said in a faint voice. Lydia watched on in horror. Baroness Brady turned, a startled expression on her face. There was guilt in her eyes, but she looked smug. Her companion quickly fell away although this approach happened to catch the attention of other people in the vicinity.
“Your Grace, it’s an honor to see you. I’m glad that you and Her Grace could attend the ball,” Baroness Brady said smoothly.
Victor narrowed his eyes.
“Indeed, I wish I could say the same. You will refrain from speaking about my wife like that. She does not deserve to bethe subject of gossip.” His tone was harsh, edged with tension. Lydia’s heart fluttered as he came to her defense although she also blushed when she realized that so many people were looking at her.
This likely wouldn’t stop her from being spoken about, but at least Baroness Brady and her ilk might think twice about discussing the situation when she was present.
“Of course, Your Grace, I am sorry,” Baroness Brady muttered, bowing her head and slinking away like a fox who had been caught about to pounce on some helpless chickens.
“She’s a coward, so upset that her husband spends more time in gambling dens than with her that she has to make herself feel better by tearing other people down,” Rose said.
“Still, she is like everyone else here. They all look at me. They all mock me,” Lydia said.
“Nobody shall mock you while I am around,” Victor said. Without her expecting it at all, he wrapped his arm around her back. His hand came to rest against her waist. She could feel each finger gently squeezing her, pulling her an inch closer, as though he was drawing her close so that he could shield her from anything that might come to harm her.
A lightning bolt of emotion crackled down the core of Lydia’s body at this touch. The breath leaped from her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him quickly, but hisattention was elsewhere, peering into the crowd, searching for danger.
Then, within a moment, his hand fell away, and she felt as though she had lost something profound. Rose had noticed the gesture, and she shared an encouraging look with Lydia, arching an eyebrow suggestively. Lydia turned away, running her hand across her mouth because she did not think that this meant anything.
It was just Victor being Victor. He probably thought it was his duty to place his arm around her like that.
Duty was the last thing on her mind, however. She wanted her fingers to linger at his waist, and she felt chagrined that he pulled away yet again.
Was she always going to be ill-fated to only have a fleeting feeling of what might have been?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Edmund and Victor fetched some more refreshments when their drinks ran out. Lydia and Rose were currently talking to Viscount Earlee, an old friend of Edmund’s.
“I see that Lydia’s charms are finally starting to take effect. You haven’t looked at another woman all evening,” Edmund observed.
His manner of speaking made it seem as though everything he said was in jest. It was difficult for Victor to know when Edmund was serious.
“I am only keeping my eye on her because of the whispers,” he replied although the lie choked in his throat.
That was part of the reason—of course, it was—but it was not the whole truth. Lydia was beautiful. She might well have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her hair caught the light and created a rippling effect. The dress complemented her bodyperfectly, and he found himself inflamed by something he did not quite understand every time he looked at her.
From every angle she was perfect. Even now, when he glanced over his shoulder and caught her profile, his heart beat a little more quickly. If he had not known that she was the cause, he might well have consulted a physician about the condition.
Edmund sighed.
“Yes, it is becoming intolerable. I don’t know why they are all so obsessed with this. Well… I knowwhy,of course, but you’d think they would have moved on by now.”
“Yes.”
“Never fear, old chap.” Edmund slapped Victor on the shoulder. Victor hadn’t been expecting this, and he didn’t like being touched at the best of times, so he went tense and a firm look came upon his face. “It will all pass eventually as everything does. You just have to wait it out.”
“I hope that you are correct, Edmund, although thetondoes have a remarkable tendency to make things difficult. I fear they may cling to this forever and never let the matter rest.”
“Even if they do, at least you are in Brighton, removed from the situation. And you know you can count on myself and Rose as well as Nathanial and Charlotte.”
Victor inclined his head, unable to bring himself to thank Edmund for the kind words. Gratitude did not come easily to him as he had always been used to standing on his own two feet.
“And how is the little fellow?”
