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Chapter Eleven
Byron watched as Eleanor danced with the gentlemen at Lord Roderick’s ball. He couldn’t help but notice the way she acted. It was so different from before. She was flirting this evening. She was subtle about it. She offered gentlemen a teasing smile. She lowered her gaze from time to time and offered a playful shrug. She seemed to be intent on asking a lot of questions. She chuckled at their jokes, which prompted quite a few of them to keep doing whatever they could to impress her.
From the other side of the ballroom, the Duchess of Ashbourne also watched her. Byron noted the pleased expression on the duchess’ face. Byron had to admit he was just as satisfied with the way things had turned out as the duchess was. For someone who spent her entire life hidden away in the country, Eleanor was a quick learner. And, thankfully, she wasn’t looking over at him this evening. That made his job a lot easier.
So what was bothering him? He crossed his arms and tapped his biceps with his fingers.
The dance came to an end, and he noted that two gentlemen made their way toward Eleanor. One was the Duke of Winnett, and the other was a younger gentleman he didn’t recognize. The two stopped when they reached her. Byron glanced her father’s way, and he noted that her father was pleased that she had two gentlemen vying for her attention. Byron supposed he would be happy, too, if this was his daughter. There was no doubt she’d find a husband this Season now. Byron shifted from one foot to the other, which was an uncharacteristic move for him. He stopped himself before anyone else noted the tell-tale sign of apprehension.
Eleanor glanced between the two gentlemen, seeming to be at a loss on what to do. Her gaze went to the duchess, who made a gesture Byron couldn’t decipher. Whatever it was, it was meant to be a secret code. It was a brilliant move. It was subtle enough for others to miss but still enough to communicate a message.
Eleanor turned her attention to the Duke of Winnett, tucked her hair behind her ear, and offered him an apologetic smile before she accepted the other gentleman’s arm. Though the Duke of Winnett nodded and walked away, Byron detected a slight scowl on the gentleman’s face.
Byron arched an eyebrow. He had suspected the duke had an interest in her when he met him at Hyde Park, but the interest didn’t seem to be quite as romantic as one would expect from a suitor. Byron didn’t know what to make of it. All he could do was start paying closer attention to the Duke of Winnett.
Byron contemplated going over to Eleanor’s father and asking him about the Duke of Winnett, but then, he saw the duke head in her father’s direction. Perhaps, talking to her father about the duke might not be the best move. They were both in White’s, and the duke had come to visit her father yesterday. If there was something to worry about with the duke, it would be in Byron’s best interest not to arouse her father’s suspicions. Her father wouldn’t intentionally let something slip, but his emotions were involved in this case, and emotions had a way of making someone act rashly.
“If you want to dance with Lady Eleanor, why don’t you just ask her?” someone asked him.
Byron looked away from the duke and Eleanor’s father. He hadn’t realized three gentlemen had come up to him. That wasn’t good. He usually paid better attention to his surroundings than that. He let his arms fall to his sides and turned to Piers and the two gentlemen.
“I wouldn’t let someone like Lady Eleanor get away, if I were you,” Piers told him, a smile on his face. He turned to his friends. “Lady Eleanor reminds me of my wife. Intelligent and pretty. A gentleman can’t do better than that combination.” With a glance at Byron, he added, “Mr. Tumilson, this is Lord Edon, and this is Mr. Christopher Robinson.” To his friends, he said, “This is Mr. Byron Tumilson. I met him at a dinner party thatLadies of Gracehad the other night. Lady Eleanor might be accepted intoLadies of Grace.”
Byron’s eyebrows rose. It seemed like Piers was more excited by the prospect than even Lady Eleanor was. “I don’t see why someone’s membership intoLadies of Graceshould matter to you, or any other gentleman for that matter,” Byron said. “This is something reserved only for ladies.”
“Oh, I realize that,” Piers replied. “But I think this would be a wonderful thing for my wife. She gets along with the members currently in the group, but she isn’t close friends with any of them. It’d be nice if she had a lady she could share more private discussions with. I mean, she and I share everything, but it’s different when you have a friend of the same sex to talk to. We understand things pertaining to gentlemen better than ladies do, and ladies understand things pertaining to ladies better than gentlemen do.”
Lord Edon gave a slight shiver. “Considering some of the things ladies go through once a month and during childbirth, I’m very happy to let them keep that information among themselves.”
“My wife doesn’t say anything about that to me,” Mr. Robinson said.
“Mine does.” Then Lord Edon hurried to add, “She doesn’t intend to disturb me, but she ends up doing it anyway.”
Christopher grinned. “She also chases you around the room until you give in and let her make love to you. It doesn’t sound like a bad trade if she tells you some personal things.”
“I thought you were happy with your love life,” Piers told Christopher.
“I am, but my wife doesn’t chase me the way Ethan’s wife chases him.” Christopher chuckled. “One time she pursued him all through their manor at his country estate.”
“She’s done that more than once,” Ethan said, and if Byron was right, there was a note of pleasure in his voice over being pursued like that. “Sometimes I think I’m nothing more than a plaything for her amusement.”
“There are worse fates a husband can suffer.” In a lower voice, Christopher told Piers and Byron, “Ethan’s wife even insisted they do it in the carriage. I’ve tried to get my wife to do it there, but she refuses. She seems to think it won’t be comfortable.”
“It’s not comfortable,” Ethan said.
“But it is fun, isn’t it? There is a certain challenge in trying to do it while on a bumpy road.”
“Well, when you look at it like that, I suppose it is worth being a bit stiff or sore for a day or two. It’s definitely a challenge to get things done in a carriage.”
Christopher shot Piers and Byron a pointed look. “The shocking thing is that you would never know by looking at his wife that she’s such a wanton lady in private. Even at dinner parties, she seems like a wallflower.”
As Ethan answered his friend, Byron turned his attention back to Eleanor. He could only handle so much idle chatter. The gentleman she danced with said something, and Eleanor giggled. Byron’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He thought Eleanor was being a bit excessive with all the flirting she was doing, but he couldn’t deny the tactic worked. The gentleman was grinning from ear to ear.
“You poor man,” Piers said, drawing Byron’s attention back to him. “You’re apt to lose Lady Eleanor if you don’t propose soon. She won’t be available for long.”
“You can always kiss her or take her out on the veranda,” Christopher suggested. “I don’t mind calling out ‘scandal’ if you want.”
Byron shook his head. “No, I don’t want that.” He had no intention of marrying her. His job required him to be gone a lot, and besides, he didn’t fit in with these wealthy people.
