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Chapter Three
Byron paused at the entrance of the ballroom. He’d been in plenty of crowded places, but he’d never been around so many wealthy people before. The Duke of Dormondton had been right to insist he purchase better attire. As much as Byron hated to admit it, he had underestimated how important it was to give people the impression of wealth when attending a ball.
“Mr. Tumilson, I’m glad you made it,” the duke’s familiar voice called out to him. “And I’m happy to see you’re appropriately dressed.”
Byron turned from the entrance as the duke and his daughter approached. Lady Eleanor had on a gown that flattered her. She had a nice figure. Her hair, however, did little to flatter her face. He doubted the gown would be enough. He glanced at the other ladies in attendance. They knew how to make themselves look pretty. Yes, he doubted the gown would do much good. While the duke wanted his daughter married, he didn’t seem inclined to make her physically appealing to the gentlemen.
“I reserved two dances between you and my daughter,” the duke said. “It’s the best way for you to blend in. Also, I’m going to tell others that I’m helping you with your financial endeavors. This will work since Mr. Jasper is an excellent investor.”
Byron nodded. “That’s fine.” He glanced at Lady Eleanor. “When do you want me to dance with her?”
“The first dance you’ll have with her will be in thirty minutes. The second will be another thirty after that. I have her dance card full in hopes it’ll keep her out of harm’s way. In the meantime, you should mingle with the others. While you’re working here tonight, ask a couple of ladies to dance so others assume you’re looking for a wife. And, when you’re dancing with my daughter, I want you to laugh and smile more than you will with the other ladies. That ought to make the gentlemen notice how lovely she is. You might as well help me get her a husband while we’re figuring out who is trying to kill her.”
Lady Eleanor gave a slight roll of her eyes that let Byron know she thought her father was overreacting, but the movement was so small that he doubted the duke picked up on it.
“I’ll introduce you to Mr. Jasper right after I take my daughter to the next gentleman she’s due to dance with,” the duke said. “I won’t be but a moment.”
Byron offered a nod to let him know he’d wait for him, but it did strike him as odd that the gentleman would escort his daughter to the potential suitor. Byron assumed it was the potential suitor’s job to go to the lady for the dance. But perhaps when a father filled the dance card for his daughter, this was the way things were done.
As the two walked away, Byron scanned the people in the room. The sooner he took note of the way they behaved in this setting, the sooner he’d know what was normal at these balls.
Most people seemed to be wrapped up in their conversations. There were a few who stood or sat somewhere alone. They either watched others or stared at the floor. He guessed the ones watching others were there to pick up on the latest gossip. Those looking at the floor were probably too shy to join in with the others. If it hadn’t been for her father, Lady Eleanor would probably be one of those looking at the floor.
His gaze went back to the duke and his daughter. The duke was talking to the gentleman who would be dancing with her. While the duke and gentleman talked, Byron noticed that she was glancing around the room. She had no interest in the gentleman. Byron took a closer look at the gentleman and saw that he was significantly older than her. So that was it. He certainly couldn’t blame her for her lack of interest. He wouldn’t want to be with someone a lot older than him if he’d been in her situation. It seemed that one of the younger and energetic gentlemen would be more fitting for a lady her age.
Her father gestured for her to join the gentleman. The gentleman, it seemed, was more inclined to have the dance than she was, but Byron didn’t pick up on any romantic interest coming from him. Byron’s eyebrows furrowed. There was interest, however. And, perhaps, that was worth noting.
When the duke returned to him, Byron asked, “Who is that gentleman?”
“He is the Duke of Winnett. Are you acquainted with him?”
Byron shook his head. “I’ve never seen him before.”
“He mostly keeps to himself. I’ve known him for a good twenty years. We aren’t friends, but when we see each other, we stop to talk.”
“And you think your daughter is a good match for him?”
“His estate is in good standing. He’s always pleasant. The Ton approves of him. He’s never been married. At his age, he must be serious about having an heir.” He shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I’m at my wit’s end. My daughter is a lovely girl, but for some reason, no one wants her. This is the first time she’s met him. Maybe this will be the one.”
“While it is good for a father to be agreeable to the union, I think it’s just as important for the daughter to want it, too.”
The duke faced him. “She didn’t say she didn’t want to dance with him.”
“Maybe not in words, but a lady has other ways of communicating what she wants and doesn’t want. I noticed that she was looking at other people while you were talking to him. If she was interested in him, she would have been looking in his direction.”
The duke grinned in excitement. “It’s excellent how you detected that. Your reputation is well-deserved. Now come. I want to introduce you to Mr. Jasper. We must pretend you’re with me to improve your financial standing.”
Byron gave another glance at Lady Eleanor and the Duke of Winnett. No, the match would never lead to a happy one. While the Duke of Winnett might benefit, she would not. In this situation, Byron surmised it was to her benefit that she had a difficult time finding suitors.
***
“I feel awful in admitting this, but I didn’t even know the Duke of Dormondton had a daughter until recently,” the Duke of Winnett told Eleanor as they danced. “Your father really is a private person.”
Was he? Eleanor thought her father said way too much at times, such as him just telling the Duke of Winnett exactly how much money he’d just made from an investment. If it was her, she wouldn’t go around telling someone who was only an acquaintance the amount of money she made. At the most, she’d just say that the investment was a success. But it wasn’t her place to tell her father what to do.
“How long have you been in London?” the Duke of Winnett asked.
She took her gaze off of a couple next to them who were laughing at each other’s jokes. “I’ve been here for four months.”
