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Chapter Seven
Byron waited with Lady Eleanor’s father in the drawing room on the evening he was due to attend the Duchess of Ravenshire’s dinner party.
“My daughter hasn’t left this townhouse since we went to the ball,” her father said. “Because of that, I haven’t had to worry about her. These last few days have been the least stressful of my life.” He put his hand over his stomach. “I know it’s wrong, but sometimes I wish I could have kept her as a child at the country estate forever. Then I would never have to worry about her.”
“Every child needs to grow up,” Byron replied. “You can’t stop the process. But,” he hurried to add before the gentleman gave into despair, “I’m here to make sure she’s safe.”
“I hope you don’t find anything unusual this evening at theLadies of Gracedinner party. Eleanor’s social situation would improve significantly if she could become a member of such a highly respectable group.”
It was on the tip of Byron’s tongue to point out that if someone in the group was threatening her, then it could hardly be called arespectable group, but he managed to refrain from making the comment.
“Sometimes I wonder if she even cares about her standing in the Ton,” her father quietly added. “It seems like all she wants to do is sit in a corner and read a book.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a lady who does that. A gentleman might find it nice to have a lady who knows how to stay out of trouble. I’ve been hired by a few gentlemen who had wives who engaged in all sorts of undesirable behaviors.”
“No husband wants to be made into a fool. I rest assured my daughter won’t give her future husband any grief. She’s as pure and innocent as they come.” He let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a shame she has to get married.”
“Don’t think of her getting married as a bad thing. Think of it as getting grandchildren. If you love your daughter, you’re bound to love the little ones she’ll have. Your family won’t get smaller. It’ll get bigger.”
Byron heard footsteps approaching the drawing room and turned his attention to the doorway.
A lady entered the room in a powder blue dress that was covered in ivory lace. She had on a necklace with a teardrop pearl at the center. The pearl was surrounded by diamonds, and it drew his attention to her cleavage. Mindful that he was here to work, Byron quickly averted his gaze from her. He turned his attention to the doorway to see when Lady Eleanor would arrive.
“Are you ready to go?” her father asked as he went over to the lady.
Byron frowned and looked back at the lady. This couldn’t be Lady Eleanor.
“I think so,” the lady replied as she fiddled with her gloves. “I’m nervous about this evening.”
Yes, that sounded just like Lady Eleanor. Byron took a good look at her. He couldn’t believe it. This was no wallflower. The Duchess of Ashbourne had transformed Lady Eleanor into a princess. Her father wasn’t going to have a problem finding her a suitor anymore.
“This evening will be fine,” her father assured her. “Mr. Tumilson will be with you.”
She gave Byron a look that let him know she wasn’t all that thrilled with the arrangement but was willing to follow through with it. Byron didn’t know how to respond, so he chose to keep quiet. Besides, he didn’t know if he could speak. The Duchess of Ashbourne had accomplished a major feat. It was nothing short of a miracle.
“I’ll be your chaperone in the carriage,” her father told her. “That way no one will suspect you and Mr. Tumilson of doing anything inappropriate on the way to, or from, the dinner party.”
Byron followed the two to the carriage. On the way there, her father offered tips on how she might impress the ladies in the esteemed group. There was no doubt that her being a part ofLadies of Gracemeant a lot to him. She spent the entire ride fidgeting with her gloves. Her fidgeting was an indication of nerves. Byron just couldn’t decide if she was more worried about befriending the ladies in the group or if she was more worried about pleasing her father.
When the carriage came to a stop, Byron got out first. Her father stepped out of the carriage second and helped her down from the carriage. He walked with her and Byron up to the front door of the Duchess of Ravenshire’s townhouse. When the footman opened the door, her father made it a point to let the footman know that he had chaperoned his daughter on the way there and that he would return to chaperone her back home. Byron wasn’t sure if the elaborate explanation was necessary. Surely, the Ton couldn’t bethatsensitive to the things people did. Could it?
Once her father wished her luck, he departed. Byron waved for her to go into the townhouse first. To his surprise, she didn’t go in right away. She stood still for a moment as if bracing herself for the evening ahead. Then she straightened her shoulders back, lifted her head a bit higher, and stepped over the threshold. Byron blinked. This must be the part where she was going to implement the instructions the Duchess of Ashbourne had given her on how to act. Which made sense now that Byron thought about it. It wasn’t enough that she look visually appealing; she had to act appealing, too.
The butler came over to them and led them to the drawing room. Byron straightened his tailcoat as he got ready to act as if he was used to mingling with the upper social class of London. It was fortunate his sister had invited him to a dinner party at her residence. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know what to expect from the evening.
Two couples greeted them. The first was the Duke and Duchess of Ravenshire. The second was Viscount and Viscountess Powell.
“Please, have a seat,” the duchess told Byron and Lady Eleanor. “We’ll have some tea while we wait for Lord and Lady Whitney.”
Byron sat in the chair next to Lady Eleanor.
Lady Eleanor accepted the cup of tea the duchess offered her. “How has everyone’s day been?”
“Very good,” the Duchess of Ravenshire replied as she settled next to her husband. “Nick and I decided on a name for our next child. Before, we couldn’t make up our minds until the day of our children’s birth.”
Nick grinned. “My wife likes to have everything planned out.”
“I didn’t realize you were expecting,” Lady Eleanor said. “When will the little one be here?”
