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She shook her head. “I trust Harry, I do. But for now, let’s just allow the situation to play out as it must.”
“Fine,” Richard said, and he tapped at the front pocket of his vest in that curious way of his. “That seems the most practical approach, and so, I consent to keep Harry in the dark. But Leticia—” He stopped talking and reached out to grasp her forearm. She was not wearing gloves as she’d been out in the river earlier and not expecting company, so the feel of his hand on her sent a jolt through her entire body. The tiny hairs on her arms stood straight on end. “You could have punished me if you had wanted. I wouldn’t have minded in the least.”
For a moment, Leticia imagined herself telling Richard that he must kiss her…right here…right now, but then, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered as she wriggled her arm free from his touch. “Being friendly and keeping our distance is the only way we can make this courtship work.”
“Keeping our distance?” Richard repeated as his blue eyes widened. Then he grinned. “Yes, I do seem to remember that you said we weren’t permitted to kiss one another anymore, but I don’t see how that factors into today’s competition—” Then, his smile grew even broader. “Unless you were thinking—”
“No,” Leticia cut him off. “I wasn’t thinking anything. Not now…not ever. Now, I pray you will excuse me as I should take Helena to the stables.” He’d come so very close to figuring her out completely, it made the gooseflesh burst forth on her arms once more.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
“Please,” Leticia whispered, “Do not make me do this.”
“Relax,” Harry replied softly as he took hold of her gloved hand and led her into the ballroom. “Everything will be just fine.”
“How can you say that?” Leticia hissed. “Nothing has been fine since we arrived in London.” Ever since she and her family had returned to London and began attending events each night in honor of the opening of the Season, Leticia had been on edge.
“That matter at Lord and Lady Haversham’s ball was utter nonsense,” Harry assured her. “Besides, you know better than to listen to idle gossip.”
“But it wasn’t idle gossip,” Leticia insisted. “Those ladies, even the ones I thought were my friends, wouldn’t stop whispering about me.”
Harry halted their progress into the room then. He tugged her hand gently to pull her off to the side. “Listen to me, Letty. Those ladies…the ones who are whispering about you and Richard, they are not your friends. They never were. People like Eliza would never speak thusly of you. Nor would I.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Mother and Father love you, too. We vowed to stick together, and so, consider me permanently at your service.” Harry leaned in closer. “I shall not leave your side tonight if you do not wish it so.”
Leticia heaved a tremendous sigh of relief. “Thank you, Harry. I am sure I shall not need your protection all night, but—” Her words trailed away as she glanced nervously toward the ballroom.
Harry shook his head. “You never cared what the ladies of thetonsaid about you before. Why should you let their words grate at your nerves so exceedingly now?”
Leticia put her free hand to her lips. “I cannot say. It’s just that at Lord and Lady Haversham’s ball last week, I felt like the perfect fool. There I was dancing about, while everyone…practically everyone stood aside whispering mean and nasty things about me.”
He scoffed. “Come now, Letty. Don’t let them get you down. And besides, you know perfectly well not that many people were gossiping about you.”
Leticia squared her shoulders. “Let us hope not. Lead on, Cousin, for I fear if we don’t make our appearance soon, we will have only fed the gossipmongers more fodder.”
“Indeed,” Harry agreed. “And have no fear, no matter what happens with Richard or any of the other ladies tonight, I shall endeavor to protect you.”
Leticia squeezed his hand tightly and nodded for him to move onward. “I feel so very lucky to have such a loving family.”
She and Harry joined the queue then, and moments later, they were announced. As she stepped into the ballroom, she willed herself not to look at the white and pink swirling marble design on the floors but to keep her chin lifted proudly.
I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.
Harry gently led her toward the place where Lord and Lady Haversham were standing so that they might formally welcome all of their guests. Leticia’s eyes swept over the crowd. She was, naturally, looking for Richard, but she was also surveying the group. The dancing had already begun, and at least two dozen couples were participating in the merriment. Situated near the corner of the room, there was a long refreshment table that featured several colorful platters of macarons. Just as soon as she and Harry whispered their polite words of greeting to the host and hostess, she made a beeline for those sweets.
“Where are you going?” Harry asked as she attempted to extricate herself from him.
“I am in need of refreshment,” she said, nodding toward the table.
Harry shook his head and gave her a funny little grin. “You haven’t even begun to dance yet. Join me, Cousin. Let’s work up our appetite.” A refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but he leaned forward then and whispered, “I did promise to stay by your side all night.”
Leticia did want to stay near her cousin, and so, she abandoned her idea of heading toward the confections, for the time being, and followed his lead out onto the dance floor. As one number faded, and the musicians struck up the next, she and Harry took their places near the middle of the group.
“There she is…I cannot believe she would show her face here in town.”
“I am not surprised at all. Those Hudson and Petraford women are all the same.”
“No shame…that’s what it is. I heard her mother and aunt were—”
She had only been in the midst of the throng for a matter of seconds, and already the whispers floated toward her. Leticia shook with rage and tried to quiet her temper by glancing across the aisle at Harry. He was smiling serenely back at her, so she simply took a deep breath and vowed to close her ears to the nonsensical gossip.
