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This revelation caught her by surprise. “You knew Captain Harris’s mother?”
Georgiana knew his late father had also been in the navy, and that his mother and sister lived in Glasgow, but they hadn’t gotten the chance to share more.
Wariness briefly flashed in the older woman’s eyes before it was supplanted by her usual loftiness. “Not very well, as she was merely the daughter of some country squire. But she made a spectacle of herself when she married such a man. And her friends always took pity on her, especially Lady Neville. That was why her son came for the season in the first place. He would never have been admitted into our circle without her connections.”
Georgiana’s shoulders tensed. She knew exactly his purpose in coming to London all those years ago. And exactly why she had not fit the bill in the end.
“You aren’t renewing your acquaintance with him, are you? It would only make you even more a target of gossip.”
It was not the first time Aunt Paloma had issued such a warning.
My dear, I hate to say this, but your little friendship with that naval officer is becoming a distraction. I’m certainly no stranger to the appeal of a man in uniform, but you must know it can’t go further. And I’d hate for the viscount to get the wrong idea.
Georgiana’s heart suddenly ached with years of useless regret. Captain Harris and his duplicitous motivations certainly hadn’t been the answer to her problems back then, but Georgiana could still have made better decisions for herself. Decisions a woman like her godmother, who lived and died by society’s expectations, would never understand.
“Of course not,” Georgiana responded dutifully before changing the subject to the Pettigrews’ ball.
***
“I can’t believe I of all people have to say this again, but will you pleasestopfidgeting? My goodness,” Louisa grumbled.
Georgiana immediately froze. She hadn’t even noticed she had been tapping her fan against her arm. “Sorry, Louie.”
“What are you so nervous about anyway?”
Georgiana kept her eyes fixed ahead and continued to subtly scan the Pettigrews’ ballroom. “Nothing.” She could feel her sister’s sharp gaze upon her. “I’m not nervous.”
Louisa let out a little huff of disbelief. “And yet, you’ve been on edge since the moment we arrived. Though I can’t imagine why. You said yourself that Captain Harris hates balls…”
Georgiana whipped her head toward her sister, who wore a very self-satisfied smile. “This has nothing to do withhim.”
“All right. Then is it about Lord Pettigrew?” Georgiana shook her head. “Well, that’s a relief. I don’t understand why you encourage him,” Louisa added.
Georgiana shrugged and turned back to the crowded dance floor. She immediately spotted Tommy Pettigrew dancing with his cousin Lillian and smiling away as though he was having the time of his life.
He had insisted on claiming a waltz. Though Georgiana had told him she had no intention of dancing with anyone that evening, saying no to him always felt a bit like disappointing a puppy. And Georgiana found she hadn’t the stomach for it tonight. “He’s nice. Pleasant.”
“Annoying,”Louisa countered.
Georgiana remained silent. When she was younger, she too would have found Lord Pettigrew’s constant enthusiasm exhausting. But she wouldn’t tell her sister that there were far worse qualities to be found in a man. Lord Pettigrew could be grating at times, yes, but she had nothing to fear from him. He wore every single emotion on his sleeve. There was a kind of comfort in his complete transparency. His predictability.
Not that it would ever amount to anything.
For it did not matter how handsome or rich or charming Lord Pettigrew was. No man could tempt her back into the institution that had cost her so much. Between her family and her growing little empire, she had more than enough to occupy herself. And she would have her freedom. Always.
But that didn’t account for the physical desires that had grown more pronounced, especially this last week. Georgiana could not open her heart to any man, but did she dare to take Dolly’s advice and open her bed—at least for a night?
The hairs at her nape prickled with a sudden awareness, and she glanced back to find the gaze she had been searching for all evening upon her. She quickly turned away.
“Well, well, well,” Louisa murmured by her ear and sounding quite proud of herself. “Look who showed up after all. And in averydashing evening suit. What do you think?”
Georgiana hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. “I don’t care,” she said in a slightly strangled voice.
“Then you might want to loosen your grip on your fan. It’s in danger of snapping in two.”
Georgiana immediately let her arm fall. “You really are being most irritating today.”
“I’m sorry,” Louisa said, though she didn’t sound like it one bit. “I just don’t understand why—”
