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“That will be of great importance since I also have a dance with Lady Reid,” Thomas continued with a small shrug and rueful smile. “Although I cannot quite recall which dance I am to have with Miss Wells.”
Lord Henderson rolled his eyes and let out a long breath. “It is just as well I was nearby when you approached the lady at the first,” he replied with a grim smile. “You have the supper dance with Miss Wells.”
Thomas closed his eyes, his heart sinking to the floor. Surely he could not have been so foolish as to have offered the same dance to Lady Reid as to Miss Wells?”
“What have you done?” Lord Henderson asked, his tone lowering. “Tell me you have not been foolish.”
Not wanting to admit that this was the case, Thomas let out a long breath and tried to look nonchalant. “It seems that I have made an error, that is all,” he replied with a shrug. “I shall simply have to seek out Miss Wells and ask her for another dance.”
Lord Henderson’s mouth dropped open. “You have them both for the supper dance?”
“It was nothing more than a mistake!” Thomas stammered, spreading his hands. “You know what effect Lady Reid can have on a gentleman, do you not? When she asked me to dance with her, I could not help but offer the one that would allow me the greatest length of time with her. And I cannot turn from her now.”
“But you must.”
“No,” Thomas stated firmly. “No, I shall not. Lady Reid will not be willing to give me another opportunity if I turn from her now, whereas Miss Wells will have more than enough space on her dance card to permit me to choose another one. I am quite decided.”
Knowing full well that Lord Henderson would, of course, find this decision to be the wrong one, Thomas turned away at once, leaving Lord Henderson standing with his mouth ajar, clearly ready to have spoken against this choice but having no opportunity to do so. Making his way across the ballroom, Thomas tried to discover where Miss Wells might be, feeling a twist of concern over what he was to have to do, even though he had told Lord Henderson that he was quite confident in his decision.
He had only just made amends with Miss Wells, had he not? She had only just begun to trust that he might not be as rude as he had seemed at the first, but now he was to do something that would, no doubt, have her disappointed in him again. Perhaps he might ruin their budding acquaintance entirely.
Drawing in a long breath, Thomas shook such thoughts from his mind and determined that he would not fear about the consequences. To be the chosen companion of Lady Reid was much too great an opportunity for him to pass up, even if it meant he would have to work all the harder to regain the trust and hopefully, adoration of Miss Wells. Yes, he knew he was being entirely selfish, but since that was as he had always been, it did not matter to him a great deal.
“Miss Wells.” Spotting her, Thomas hurried towards her, bowing quickly and clearing his throat. “I regret to say that I—”
“I know that you may think you ought to be listened to the moment you arrive in the company of any young lady, Lord Weston, but even you must realize it is highly rude to simply interrupt another gentleman when he is conversing with the lady!”
Thomas began to stammer a response, realizing that he had, in fact, stepped right into the middle of a conversation between Miss Wells and another gentleman.
“Lord…” The name escaped him as he struggled to regain his composure. “Forgive me, I–”
“Lord Whitaker,” the gentleman replied dryly, looking at Thomas with a disdainful lift to his brow. “Good evening.”
“Good evening,” Thomas replied, daring a look at Miss Wells, who was, for the most part, watching the interaction with interest. “I must apologize. In my haste, I did not see you speaking to Miss Wells.”
Lord Whitaker chuckled. “You mean to flatter the lady, I think, Lord Weston.”
Thomas gritted his teeth, hating the feeling that Lord Whitaker was not only laughing at him, but was, for whatever reason, appearing much more reasonable and respectful than he. Suddenly, what he had been going to say to Miss Wells about requesting another dance so that he might dance with Lady Reid at the supper dance went from his mind. He could not allow someone such as Lord Whitaker to take his place, if it should mean that that Miss Wells might favor Lord Whitaker instead of himself.
“I mean to speak honestly, Lord Whitaker,” he replied quickly. “That is all.”
Lord Whitaker chuckled again, making Thomas clench his jaw with frustration. “Is that so, Lord Weston?” he replied with a grin. “What is it then, that is so very important that you interrupted my conversation with Miss Wells?”
The words he wanted to say were gone from his mind, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. He looked hopelessly at Miss Wells, feeling as though he were completely lost. This had never been the case before. He was always able to talk to ladies without any difficulty, but this was now the second time that he had struggled to speak to Miss Wells with ease.
“You are having an enjoyable evening, I hope?”
He looked up at her, finding himself more than a little relieved that Miss Wells had been considerate enough to speak and, therefore, saving him from his embarrassment. “I have had an enjoyable evening thus far, Miss Wells, yes.”
Something in her eyes flickered and a slight hardness appeared about her mouth. “You have most of the ton eager to seek your company, it seems.”
The memory of how she had watched him as he had walked with Lady Reid came back to his mind almost at once, recalling the sharpness of her gaze. “I am acquainted with a good many of the beau monde, Miss Wells. Although there are only some to whom I seek to further my acquaintance.” This had been meant to be something of an encouragement to her, for he had wanted to suggest, without saying it implicitly, that it was she to whom he wished to further his acquaintance, but unintentionally, he had suggested that it was Lady Reid to whom his attention had been drawn.
Miss Wells’ eyes narrowed, a slow flush creeping up her cheeks. “I see,” she replied, lifting her chin and looking towards Lord Wiltshire. “Then do not allow me to hold you back from such a thing, Lord Weston,” she replied, clearly insulted. “I am quite certain that Lord Whitaker will be more than willing to dance the supper dance with me, since he has already asked.”
Lord Whitaker seemed to be more than pleased with this suggestion, stepping in before Thomas could even speak. “Indeed I would,” he said at once, throwing a hard look in Thomas’s direction. “In fact, nothing would please me more.” It seemed Lord Whitaker did not particularly care for Thomas and was not about to allow him the chance to explain. “In fact, Miss Wells, let me remove you from this situation at once. It seems that the air about us has become a trifle unpleasant.”
Miss Wells frowned, looking back at Thomas for a moment. The hardness of her expression had begun to lift, and she opened her mouth as if she was to say something, only for Lord Whitaker to step directly in front of Thomas and prevent anything from being said. She was swept away before he could say another word, leaving Thomas standing alone, feeling both frustrated and angry. He ought to be relieved, he told himself, turning on his heel and storming across the ballroom. He should be glad that he d
