Page 49 of A Mismatch Made in London

“Oh, you think so?” Mrs. Kendall laughed.

“Mr. Kendall never speaks to me of his duties in Parliament,” I said truthfully. “But now that you say so, I think I shall ask him some questions about it the next time I see him.”

“And what do you like to do, Miss Moore, when you are home in Buckinghamshire?”

“I am fond of riding, and I have a lot of younger siblings. We go on picnics and...” I sighed. “I miss them very much, I’m afraid. I’ve been in London for nearly two months, and it is the longest I’ve ever been away from them.”

Of course, I’d been ridiculed for saying much the same thing at the first ball I’d attended, but I realized, if Mr. Harper was inclined to laugh at me, I may as well find out now.

“You are a breath of fresh air, Miss Moore,” he said. “I don’t have any siblings, and I think I should have liked to have multiple brothers and sisters. I could have had some playmates my own age. You make having many brothers and sisters sound very entertaining.”

I smiled. “They are.”

He smiled back, gazing into my eyes in quite a charming manner.

“Miss Moore, if you are not engaged to dance with someone else, would you do me the honor of dancing the next with me?”

“I would be very pleased to dance with you.”

We talked some more while Mrs. March and Mrs. Kendall were engaged in conversation, waiting until the current dance was over. Juliet was dancing with a gentleman I didn’t know, and Jeremy was dancing with Miss Snowden, which sent a jolt of displeasure through me, though it shouldn’t matter to me if he chose to dance with a proud, impolite young lady.

Mr. Harper was polite and attentive, though he did glance around the room a bit, apologizing during a slow point in the dance to say, “Forgive me. I was looking for my friend, Mr. Jacobson. Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“He is attending the dance with me. Our grandfathers were in the shipping business together, importers and exporters.”

“I see.”

“My family settled in Lincolnshire, and Mr. Jacobson’s family settled in Derbyshire, so we don’t see each other as often as we’d like, but it is good to have a friend who is as close as a brother.”

“Yes, that is very fortunate.”

“And you, Miss Moore? Do you have a friend with whom you are that close?”

“Why, yes. Miss Juliet Beaumont. That is, we have not known each other for a very long time as you and your friend have, but I feel she and I are as close as sisters.”

“You seem to be a lady who would have a lot of friends. You have very pleasing manners, and you are intelligent and agreeable.”

“I thank you.” I was amused.

“It is very rare that one finds a lady with such beauty who also has so many other good qualities.”

“You flatter me, but I thank you.”

“Ah, you think I am merely flattering you. But I assure you, I speak the truth. You are that rare lady.”

“You have met many ladies, then?”

“Yes, I have, as a matter of fact.” He raised his brows at me. “You have met many gentlemen, and I suppose have found them to be less than honest, and you would be wise to think that. The gentlemen of my acquaintance are often dishonest. But I hope you will allow me to be a rare gentleman, just as you are a rare lady.”

The next dance was finally about to begin, so Mr. Harper escorted me to the dance floor. Juliet joined us with a gentleman whose name I’d forgotten. But I said Mr. Harper’s name several times in my head so I wouldn’t forget. I was not very good at remembering names, something I’d learned about myself since coming to London, but I was fairly certain I would want to remember Mr. Harper.

Through the night, I danced with various gentlemen, some who were new acquaintances. And Mr. Colin Harper would come and speak with me, and we’d talk through one dance before he would say with a smile, “I should leave you so that all the gentlemen who are glancing this way can have a chance to ask you to dance.”

Near the end of the evening, he returned to ask me for “one more dance. Will you honor me, Miss Moore?”

“Of course.” I placed my hand on his arm and couldn’t help smiling. He was very charming and flattering, yes, but that did not necessarily mean he wasn’t sincere, did it?