Page 23 of One Waltz with the Viscount

‘Henry—’

‘She may not be born into the wealthiest of families, or have had the privileges and opportunities we have enjoyed throughout our lives, but she is so much more than you are suggesting.’

‘You barely know her.’

‘But you know me. I would hope you trust my judgement at least a little, given how long we have known one another. I have given my word to help Miss Shepherd in her search for her sister, not because she has coerced me, or enchanted me, but because it is the right thing to do. She is a young lady, alone in this city, petrified that she may never see the sister that she loves again.’

He saw Miss Shepherd move a little closer, aware she was listening to his every word.

‘I do not think she is out to bewitch me, or to trick me into compromising her. I think she is merely a woman who is in need of help and kindness. If I refused, what sort of a man would that make me?’

Lord and Lady Shrewsbury looked suitably chastised. He knew they both only wanted what was best for him. He softened a little.

‘One day it may be Sophia who is in need of a friend.’ He said this quietly, and saw the tears form in Lady Shrewsbury’s eyes.

‘Forgive me,’ she murmured, holding his eye, then she turned to Miss Shepherd. ‘I owe you an apology too. I was rude, I am sorry.’

Miss Shepherd smiled and nodded, accepting the apology gracefully.

‘Shall we go inside? The opera is about to start, and Miss Shepherd has never been before,’ Henry said, eager to leave the conversation behind them.

Henry offered his arm and led Miss Shepherd into the opera house, followed closely by Lord and Lady Shrewsbury.

Sarah stepped carefully, aware of her heart pounding in her chest. Never before had anyone defended her honour in such a way, and she felt a little giddy from Lord Routledge’s words.

As they joined the crowds in the foyer, Lord Routledge placed his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers gently. Sarah looked up and felt her pulse quicken.

Carefully she examined the rush of emotions she was feeling, trying to tell herself it was from the excitement of the last ten minutes, yet not quite believing it.

It was difficult to ignore the gratitude she felt for Lord Routledge, but she couldn’t deny there might be something a bit more.

‘That would be inconvenient,’ she murmured to herself. With his speech he had made it quite clear that he viewed her as a charity case, someone he could assist as his good deed of the week. She didn’t mind that, it was an apt description of their relationship, but she wondered if she might be developing an affection for the Viscount.

It was absurd, and Sarah was well aware nothing could ever happen between them. The difference in their social status was a big hurdle, but she had begun to piece together the fraught relationship Lord Routledge had with his father from the little he had told her, and watching how he reacted to the older man a few minutes earlier. It was clear she would never be of the right social status to satisfy the people around Lord Routledge.

She scoffed that she was even considering it. All she needed Lord Routledge for was his assistance in finding Selina. After that she would return to Kent and take up her position as music teacher. She had chosen a life that was likely to be chaste, and without the likelihood of marriage, and she couldn’t start second-guessing her decisions just because of one man’s kindness.

‘Sit with us,’ Lady Shrewsbury said. ‘We have empty seats in our box.’

‘Yes, sit with us,’ Lord Shrewsbury said.

Lord Routledge glanced at her and she was absurdly pleased that he sought her opinion in this matter. Many young women would have been offended by Lady Shrewsbury’s assumptions about her character, but Sarah had not been. She was using Lord Routledge, but not in the way his friends had feared. She would do anything to find her sister, and she knew she would get further in London with someone who could gain access to the places she could not.

‘That sounds lovely,’ she said, and Lord Routledge smiled at her.

He leaned in close, his lips almost brushing her ear as he whispered, ‘Thank you.’

They climbed the stairs up to the boxes and made their way inside. Sarah had to fight to keep her mouth from falling open. There was a throng of people taking their seats below them, all talking loudly, the ladies wafting fans to help with the stifling heat. But the real spectacle was on their level, with the other well-dressed ladies and gentlemen taking their seats in their own boxes.

‘Sit here,’ Lord Routledge said, directing her to a seat at the edge before positioning himself next to her. It made for an intimate little corner and, as he leaned in, she felt the heat of his body. ‘This first part of the evening is about being seen.’

She touched her face self-consciously.

‘Everyone watches everyone else, so much so that sometimes the performers on the stage become frustrated by the lack of attention from the audience.’

‘Surely people come to see the performance?’

‘Some do, I’m sure, but for many it is an opportunity to show off their newest set of emeralds or finest silk gloves.’