AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“As must we all,” Lord Fraser said, glibly, as they walked into the house. “I am certain that there must be some enjoyment for you here this evening, however. Ladies to dance with, good conversations to be had, and very little else to do otherwise!”
Matthew said nothing, his heart still aching furiously within his heart. He knew very well that everything Lord Fraser said was true, but still his despondency grew. He did not want to be here this evening. He did not even want to be in London. Everything within him wanted to curl up into a ball and to cry out in pain over the evident loss of Miss Williams and over his own foolishness.
He had not the time to do so, however. His duties remained much the same as before, requiring him to ingratiate himself with his peers, to attend balls, soirees, the theatre, and extravagant dinners, whilst all the while continuing to search out those four men who might have been involved with the death of Lord Harrogate.
Having met with Lord Templeton earlier that afternoon, he now knew that two of the four men had either returned or would be returning to London very soon. Other gentlemen from the League had been dispatched to America, in order to discover the whereabouts of the other two – although such a task Matthew knew would be very difficult indeed. They had been gone for some time, however, which meant that there might be a message from them received at any time. It was all rather unknown.
Frowning to himself as the receiving line shuffled forward just a little, Matthew recalled the tea tray that had been sitting on a small table in Lord Templeton’s drawing room, as Matthew himself had entered. It had been cleared away almost at once, but not before Matthew had noticed the single china cup and the cold tea sitting within it. Lord Templeton had obviously had a lady calling upon him, although Matthew could not think as to who such a creature might be. Lord Templeton himself had made no mention of it, and whilst it was not Matthew’s business to pry, he was still a little curious. Given last Season’s difficulties, he was still somewhat on his guard, although he could not believe, even for a moment, that Lord Templeton was anything other than loyal to the King’s League – and to the King himself.
But just who had he been entertaining that afternoon? From what Matthew knew, Lord Templeton had been a widower for many years, with only a single son born to him in that time. That son was now in Eton and, from what Matthew knew, doing very well indeed. So who was this lady that had met with Lord Templeton?
“Ah, Lord Watt!”
He had no more time to think, for it was now his turn to greet his host and hostess. Putting on a warm smile, he bowed low over Lady Humphries’ hand, charming her with his manner.
“Thank you for inviting me this evening, Lady Humphries,” he said, with a cheerful smile. “It is one of the most beautiful balls I have attended thus far, and I am sure will be a most excellent evening.”
“You tease me,” Lady Humphries said, as he let go of her hand. “I know very well that you have barely attended any ball at all thus far, which is why you speak so highly of mine, I am sure.
“Not at all,” Matthew chuckled, reassuring her. “And Lord Humphries? How do you do this evening?”
Lord Humphries smiled down at his wife, who was blushing a little, and then gave Matthew a broad grin. “Very well indeed,” he said, clearly taking no offense at Matthew’s ability to charm Lady Humphries so easily. “I am glad to see you back in society again, Lord Watt. It has been some time, has it not?”
“I was present last Season,” Matthew protested weakly, “but perhaps chose not to involve myself as much as I ought.”
Lord Humphries nodded, quickly losing interest in the discussion as he made to greet his next guest. Matthew moved on quickly, not wanting to further the conversation any more than he had to, seeing Lord Fraser waiting for him.
“That was not as bad as you expected, I think,” Lord Fraser murmured, as Matthew joined him. “Now, where are we to go?”
Matthew sighed inwardly. “Into the crowd,” he muttered, waving a hand towards the other guests who were milling about the ballroom. “To discover if either of these two gentlemen are present this evening.” And if they are not, he thought to himself, I have every intention of returning home without waiting for the ball to come to an end.
Lord Fraser chuckled, slapped Matthew on the shoulder and then moved forward, clearly not wasting any time. Lord Fraser was quite delighted to be present this evening, even if Matthew was not. That was a good thing, Matthew decided, for at least then, someone from the League would remain here for the duration of the evening. The only thing he wanted to do was return home so that he might retire to bed and come to terms with all that he had learned the last few days.
Memories began to crawl through his mind as he looked about him. The music, the dancing, the gowns, and the decorations all transported him back to the time when he had been dancing with Miss Williams, when he had been permitted to take her in his arms and waltz with her across the floor. What joy he had known then! What happiness! There had been such an understanding between them, the like that he knew he would never know again. She had been intelligent, witty, and utterly delightful. The moments he had spent watching her, the way his heart had warmed whenever her gaze turned towards his – it had been more than just a gentle affection. It had been nothing less than love.
Sighing, Matthew turned to the left and began to make his way towards the side of the room, picking up a glass of ratafia on the way past. He had no desire to speak to anyone, no eagerness to involve himself in conversation or to sign his name on anyone’s dance card. Even though he knew it was expected of him, even though he knew that this was what he ought to do, the desire to do so was lacking. There was an apathy there that he could not shift, torn apart by his grief over the loss of his dear Miss Williams.
“You look much too glum this evening, Lord Watt!”
He turned, groaning inwardly at the sight of Lady Forester, who had not only one but two daughters, who were, from what he knew, as yet unmarried. They were not particularly interesting young ladies nor were they particularly beautiful, and yet Lady Forester continued to push them towards any gentleman she could in the hope that someone might find them a little enticing. They stood a little behind her at the moment, although he could practically feel their eyes fixed upon him.
“Good evening, Lady Forester,” he mumbled, only just remembering to bow. “How good to see you again.”
Lady Forester eyed him keenly. “You have not been seen in London for a time, Lord Watt,” she said, with a sharp voice. “And now can we hope that you have returned to society?”
&nbs
p; “I was present last Season, if you recall,” he answered, a little more sharply than he had intended. “But I confess that I found myself rather caught up with a few weighty matters that took precedence over enjoying the company of the young ladies of the ton.” He said this quickly so as to cover his initial annoyance and, thankfully, Lady Forester seemed to accept it without hesitation.
“But this year you shall be entirely without any such matters to bother you, I am sure,” she said, making Matthew wince inwardly. “And my daughters would be very glad to have your company for one of their dances.” She smiled and stepped back, gesturing to her two daughters to step forward. Matthew could do nothing other than accept their dance cards from them, writing his name down for a dance each – although he did not even consider the waltz, for fear that they would then think him a little interested in furthering his acquaintance with either one.
“You are very kind,” Lady Forester said, stepping close once he had let the second dance card go. “I look forward to seeing you dancing with each of my pretty girls later this evening, Lord Watt.”
He muttered something and bowed, turning away just as quickly as he could in the hope that no other young ladies would soon accost him, having seen him sign dance cards already. Rubbing one hand over the back of his neck in an attempt to ease his frustration and general irritation at being present at this ball which he did not want to be at, Matthew moved quickly into the shadows near the edge of the ballroom and leaned back against the wall.
This was not what he was meant to be doing, of course. He ought to be mingling with the others present this evening, making good conversation and doing all he could to present a jovial front, but his heart would not allow him to do so. This evening brought back far too many memories, filling his head with far too many thoughts and making him struggle to think of anything else other than Miss Williams.
A sudden laugh made his head shoot up in surprise, the sound reverberating through his mind and making his heart quicken furiously.
