Page 54 of Courting the Wrong Duke

“No, but that hardly alters the matter.”

Rosalind froze.

“There is scarcely a gentleman in London foolish enough to attach himself to Lady Rosalind Carlisle now.”

A second voice answered with quiet amusement.

“Would you?”

A brief silence followed.

“No.”

Another gentleman laughed.

“Nor I. Whatever became of the earl, the scandal alone is enough to ruin an otherwise excellent match.”

Someone muttered something she could not quite make out.

Then came the words she knew she would remember long after the evening had ended.

“She is the last young lady in London I would court this Season.”

The laughter that followed was neither cruel nor particularly loud.

Somehow, that made it worse.

Rosalind backed away before they could discover she had overheard them, scarcely noticing the path beneath her feet as she returned toward the ballroom.

She had known society whispered. She had known people pitied her. What she had never truly believed was that they had already decided her future.

To them, she was no longer simply the missing earl's daughter. She was a young woman whose prospects had vanished alongside her father.

For the first time since her father's disappearance, she wondered whether they were right. Whether every unanswered question had already cost her more than his presence. Whether, by refusing to believe he had abandoned them, she had been clinging to a hope no one else thought worth preserving.

She blinked hard against the sudden sting behind her eyes.

She would not cry.

Not there.

She drew one slow breath after another before stepping back into the ballroom, willing herself to smile.

Then her gaze found William.

He had only just completed a dance with Lady Sophronia Marsh.

Rosalind recognized the young lady immediately. Lady Sophronia possessed the sort of beauty that seemed designed to attract every gentleman's attention. Tall and exquisitely dressed, with glossy dark curls and perfect posture, she looked every inch the accomplished debutante.

William bowed politely as the music came to an end.

Then Lady Sophronia swayed.

A soft gasp rippled through those nearest the dance floor.

Before anyone else could react, William caught her by the waist as her knees appeared to give way beneath her.

“My goodness!” Several ladies hurried forward.