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How very ironic that she was married to him, then.

He held out his arm to her. “You look lovely.”

Her lashes fluttered in surprise as she took his arm. “Thank you.”

Godric remembered himself then and paid similar compliments to Sarah and Great-Aunt Elvina, who arched an eyebrow with the first sign of humor he’d seen from her before taking his other elbow.

The ball was a mass of slowly shifting bodies.

“Goodness,” Great-Aunt Elvina exclaimed. “I haven’t been to such a crush since I was a girl.”

“Look, there’s your friend Lady Penelope, Megs,” Sarah said.

“Oh, yes,” Megs said absently. “I wonder where Lord Kershaw might be?”

Godric’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at his wife.

But then Sarah was urging Megs and Great-Aunt Elvina toward Lady Penelope. Godric glanced in that direction. Lady Penelope was considered a beauty, but her looks had always been spoiled for Godric by the lady’s silly personality.

“I’ll go in search of refreshment,” he said to the retreating backs of the ladies.

Margaret glanced back with a flashing smile, and then she was absorbed into the crowd.

Stupid to feel a sudden chill.

Godric shook off the feeling of loss and started making his way to the refreshments room. It was slow progress with the crowd, but Godric didn’t mind. He kept an eye out for the earl. He’d met the man before and remembered him as genial and hearty. Hardly the description of a man running a slave workshop in St. Giles, but then Seymour hadn’t been especially sinister either. Fifteen minutes later, he was before an enormous bowl of punch and wondering how he was supposed to carry three glasses.

“St. John,” a deep voice rumbled at his elbow.

Godric turned to look into the pale eyes of his great friend Lazarus Huntington, Baron Caire.

He inclined his head. “Caire.”

“Hadn’t thought to see you here,” Caire said, indicating to the footman that he wanted a glass of punch.

“Nor I, you.”

Caire raised a sardonic eyebrow. “Strange how marriage can reform even the darkest reputation in the eyes of society.”

“No doubt,” Godric replied drily. “Here. Hold this for me.”

Caire looked bemusedly down at the proffered cup of punch but accepted it docilely enough. “I take it you’ve come with your wife?”

“And my sister and my wife’s aunt,” Godric muttered, juggling glasses.

“A full house, then,” Caire drawled.

Godric glanced at him, brows raised.

Caire’s habitually bored expression had softened just a trifle. “I’m glad.”

Godric looked away again. “Yes, well …”

“Come,” the other man said. “You can introduce me to your wife properly. Temperance was all agog with the news of her arrival at the Ladies’ Syndicate the other day.”

Godric nodded and turned into the crowd, making his way without another word to Caire, but he felt the other man at his back just the same.

They’d made it halfway across the ballroom when Caire grunted behind him. “There’s Temperance with a gaggle of ladies. Is that your wife there?”

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