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“Thank you, Anthony,” she said. “But I have thought about it. You cannot know how much I have thought about it. If you were challenged to a duel, would you go, Alex? Even if you knew it meant losing your life? If you were facing battle against Napoleon, Anthony, would you desert? I know you both, and I know you would rather face death than act dishonorably. I am no different from you. I am my father’s daughter.” She straightened her back and nodded to Lord Melton, who was waiting for a cue to begin.
It rankled William a bit at being compared—once again—to imminent death. Apparently, kissing Louisa in the carriage hadn’t quite won the lady’s affection, he thought sardonically.
The guests gradually quieted when word spread through the crowd that Lord Melton wished to speak.
“Dear friends,” he began, “Lady Melton and I are thrilled to welcome you to our home this evening and hope you are enjoying yourselves. It is always an honor and a delight for us to mingle with you and strengthen our connections with one another. I am happy to announce that we have an additional treat for you this evening. Lord Ashworth, I turn the floor over to you.”
The Marquess of Ashworth, looking even more stiffly aristocratic and dignified than he had a mere moment before, took his time looking about the room, and it seemed to William that he was making it clear before he spoke that what he was about to say was not to be questioned.
“Lady Ashworth and I were blessed to have but one daughter, our precious Louisa,” he said. “No father could love a daughter more, nor be as proud of her as I am this evening.” He turned to look at her, and William watched the marquess’s face soften with emotion. William had never seen such a look on his own father’s face, not even toward his mother.
And then the marquess’s eyes turned on him, and William watched as the man’s eyes turned steely with an implicit warning from a protective parent. “And so it is that I announce her betrothal this evening to William Barlow, Junior, Viscount Farleigh,” he said.
An audible gasp could be heard around the room and beyond, followed by a brief moment of dead silence, which was then followed by a groundswell of murmuring.
And then William heard Louisa gasp.
He turned to her in concern and then followed the direction of her eyes. There, at the side of the room, standing just inside the door that connected the room to the entry hall, was a distinguished young gentleman looking directly back at her. He gave her a discreet nod of acknowledgment before turning his gaze on William. And then he left.
William went cold all over. There was only one person it could be: the Earl of Kerridge, to be precise, heir to the Duke of Aylesham, Louisa’s former betrothed.
“Hear, hear,” Lord Halford called out, raising the glass in his hand. “To the betrothed couple.”
“To the betrothed couple,” echoed some of the assembled guests. Others appeared too busy expressing their shock to join in.
Louisa was trying desperately to hide her own shock at seeing Lord Kerridge, if the overbright smile on her face was any indication. Lord Kerridge should have known better than to show his face here tonight. Or . . . perhaps no one had even thought to tell him the announcement would take place.
William should have seen to the task himself. He should have sent a note to Kerridge, informing him of their plans and asking, as a gentleman, that he not attend the assembly out of respect for Louisa and her family. Kerridge’s appearance had poured salt in a raw wound—one William had created, certainly, but one Kerridge hadn’t needed to make worse.
The next few hours were a blur of activity, during which he was sure he and Louisa received the congratulations of every person in attendance. There were a few people, like Halford’s friend Kit Osbourne, who was now the Earl of Cantwell, and his brother Phillip, both of whom William recognized from their school days at Eton, who were, surprisingly and thankfully, genial in their congratulations to the newly betrothed couple. William hoped their affability would help convince Louisa that he was generally well regarded by those who actually knew him.
There were also, thankfully, others who seemed happy for them both. Close friends of Louisa’s parents and several of her brothers’ friends offered their congratulations and good wishes and undoubtedly would do their best to offer support.
Many of the guests had been unable to hide their surprise, however, while others had smoothed their faces into polite masks before offering bland congratulations. William suspected some must have previously witnessed Louisa in the company of Lord Kerridge, while others may have known William’s father but hadn’t wished to offend the Marquess and Marchioness of Ashworth.
All in all, William thought as he called for his carriage while Louisa chatted with friends at the end of the evening, he’d at least gotten over this first hurdle with a modicum of success. But he would not rest easy until the marriage vows had been made.
