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Which now seemed much smaller than the large, airy room he’d seen on his formal tour of the house. Bodies filled every inch of space, and he had the distracted thought that perhaps they’d invited so many people there would be no room for dancing.
“The Marquess of Lowenbrock, hero at the Battle of Waterloo.”
John managed to keep the frown from his face. He was no hero, no more than any other soldier who’d fought during that battle. And certainly no more than the many who had fallen during the long, bloody war against Napoleon.
Every eye in the room was trained on him and he realized that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. And then everyone spoke again, heads bowed to their neighbors as they discussed him.
Damn, this was almost worse than entering battle.
Movement to his right had him bracing for heaven only knew what—someone wanting to throw their unwed daughter into his arms, no doubt. His tension eased when he saw his brothers-in-law move to flank him. Next to them stood his two friends.
The Marquess of Overlea leaned closer. “They’re going to line up now to meet you, and then you can lead the first dance. We’ll stay for moral support. I know this part can be overwhelming.”
John nodded his thanks, the small gesture doing nothing to show his immense gratitude to this man whom he’d once hated on sight. But Overlea had changed his sisters’ lives for the better, and now, it seemed, he was willing to extend that support to him.
Surrounded by family and friends, he turned to face the line of guests that was forming to meet him.
Chapter 31
Beset by doubt,Amelia watched the unending parade of guests going out of their way to curry favor with the new marquess. She’d expected as much, but it still bothered her. Every time he was introduced to another young woman, she held her breath.
He approached her after going through all the introductions, bowing low and looking more handsome than she’d ever seen him. A frisson of awareness had gone through her when he requested she join him in opening the first set. Which was silly considering everything they’d already done together.
His bow when he deposited her next to Mary had been formal, but there had been a glint in his eyes when his gaze met hers that told her she didn’t need to be concerned about rivals.
She tried not to spend every moment watching him, but she couldn’t help but be aware of his presence. It was painfully evident that every eligible woman in the room—of which there were many—had set their cap for the man she loved. He hadn’t shown any interest in them beyond polite courtesy, but that didn’t stop them from vying for his attention. She had to turn away far too often to prevent her jealousy from becoming obvious to everyone.
She’d already danced with the Marquess of Overlea and the Earl of Kerrick, and John’s friends had taken their turns dancing with her. Still, she was acutely conscious of the speculative glances thrown her way. An unwed woman living unchaperoned with the very handsome marquess… Of course there were whispers. She pretended not to hear them as she made her way back to her friend’s side after taking a moment to speak to the staff to ensure the evening was going smoothly. She imagined John’s sisters were dancing, yet again, with their husbands.
She linked arms with Mary and led them toward the refreshment table.
Mary leaned closer and spoke in a whisper. “I can’t believe how forward some of these women are being. Would you like me to accidentally spill a few drinks on their dresses? I don’t mind being the villain here.”
Amelia managed a strained smile, knowing her friend was capable of doing what she threatened. Mary was the picture of serenity on the outside, but beneath the surface she presented to the world was the heart of a tigress who wouldn’t think twice about protecting her friends.
“I’m being silly,” Amelia said. “No one had any illusions that this ball would be anything but an opportunity for eligible, unattached women to parade before Lowenbrock in an attempt to capture his interest. But it is one thing to know how they would behave and another to see them in action.”
Mary inclined her head to the left, and Amelia turned to see what had captured her friend’s attention. She stiffened when she saw that one of the aggressive women was heading in their direction and tried to prepare herself for an unpleasant confrontation.
Amelia should have realized the woman’s intent, but she didn’t take note of the glass of refreshment in her hand. Fortunately, Mary had and she grasped the other woman’s wrist before she could spill the glass’s contents over Amelia’s dress.
“Careful,my dear,” Mary said, her voice laced with poisonous sweetness. “It would be a shame if you spilled ratafia all over thatdelightfulgown you’re wearing. Here, let me take that from you.”
Mary whisked the glass away but held it close to the would-be assailant. She maintained her grasp on the woman’s wrist with her other hand, however. The grimace on the woman’s face made it clear that Mary had added more than a little pressure as a not-so-subtle warning.
When Mary finally released her grip, the woman marched away, casting an angry glare over her shoulder.
“Good heavens, I didn’t think someone would actually try that with me.”
“Of course they would. You’re the most beautiful and intelligent woman in this room, not that any of them care about the latter. You’re a threat to their perceived fantasies about winning His Lordship’s heart and reigning over this household like a queen.”
Amelia shook her head. “I don’t even know who that was. I know all the neighbors, and I’ve never seen her before.”
“Probably some distant relation of one of the neighbors who thought to turn this ball to their advantage. If you think things are bad here, it’s nothing compared to the season.”
Lowenbrock’s sisters joined them then. Louisa cast an eye over Amelia and released her breath in a soft sigh. “Thank goodness you’re fine. Catherine and I saw what was about to happen, but we were too far away to intervene.”
“Honestly,” Catherine said, “what did she hope to accomplish? You live here. It would have been an annoyance, but it’s not as though you couldn’t just go upstairs and change into another gown.” She turned to Mary and said, “You should have spilled the drink over her dress.”
