Page 35 of Her Infuriating Earl
“I might wander for a while,” Ellen announced. “I think I see some ladies of my age over there.”
Phoebe eyed her sister. “Very well, but do not walk out of sight. As you can see, I cannot follow you.”
“I promise, I will be just over there,” Ellen insisted, rising to her feet.
But as she made her way through the reasonable crowd, heading for the other side of the ballroom, Phoebe could barely see anything from her seated position. She turned to Matilda, who sat on the other side of her, but before she could say a word, Matilda was already up on her feet.
“I shall watch her,” she said, flashing a wink. “Have no fear. If that unseemly Baron is creeping around, he shall have to keep creeping, for he will not be getting anywhere near Ellen.”
Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Matilda.”
“No thanks necessary,” Matilda insisted. “I am in the mood for an argument, so let us hope that the Barondoesdare to approach. It shall be the greatest regret of his life.”
Phoebe chuckled as Matilda snuck off, weaving through the other guests like a spy with a very important mission, leaving Phoebe alone at the quiet table in the corner. Anna was somewhere among the guests with Caroline, the two ladies having struck up quite the charming friendship, while Leah and Olivia were occupied with their husbands, dancing the night away.
Is this what it will be like?
Phoebe glanced this way and that in the hopes of finding someone who would join her at the table. Amelia, perhaps. But there was no one that she recognized who was not already engaged in conversation or dancing or dining.
Sudden, silly tears pricked her eyes. She blinked upward to force them away, turning her attention to Daniel and Joanna once again. They were about to take to the dance floor, Joanna’s hand resting lightly on his. It reminded Phoebe of the gardens, and how he had offered her his hand, and she had refused it. Even now, she did not know why she had refused it.
Stubbornness, no doubt.
As the music came to an end for the previous dance, and new couples exchanged places with those who had tired of the revels, Daniel and Joanna looked rather wonderful as they took their positions across from each other. He was devilishly handsome, she was uncommonly beautiful, and both had vigor and grace in abundance as they began a country dance. Plenty of guests stopped to admire the pair, for though an official courtship had not been announced, for obvious reasons, there had clearly been some gossip regarding them.
“She must feel like the luckiest girl in England,” someone said, sighing enviously.
“They make a handsome pair, that is for certain,” someone else agreed.
Meanwhile, a third asked, “You do not really think he is a vampire, do you? They do say that vampires pursue the prettiest, most innocent young ladies.”
“There is no such thing,” the first speaker replied.
Phoebe turned away, focusing her attention on the cup of punch that Matilda had fetched for her. It was sweet and fruity, a lemon slice bobbing in the vibrant red liquid, but it tasted sour in her mouth as she fought back tears once more.
What is the matter with me?
She was not someone who cried often, and never for herself, but something in her had broken in the gardens, and it had nothing to do with her ankle. It was as if she had tried to loosen the reins that she had put on herself, only to realize her mistake, but when she had tried to tighten the reins again, they had not fit the way they had before.
Now, she could feel them, could feel the restraint, and longed to throw them off altogether, but they were fastened too tight.
“It will pass,” she whispered to herself. “Whatever this is, it will pass.”
* * *
After two dances that had held the ballroom enraptured, Joanna and Daniel finally left their places to allow other couples to have a turn, and made their way through the crowds to compliments and applause, heading straight for Phoebe. She hurriedly sat up straighter, blinking, in case any lingering hint of her wallowing remained.
“Did you see us, Sister?” Joanna crowed, her pale cheeks flushed a charming shade of pink, her eyes bright with excitement, her hand still resting on Daniel’s.
Phoebe smiled stiffly. “I did, my darling. I thought you danced exceedingly well.” She cast a colder glance at Daniel. “You were out of sync with the music and almost tripped her at least twice. I suppose I should not be too surprised, considering your clumsiness.”
“Excuse me?” Daniel said, matching the frostiness in her eyes.
“It would not be the first time you have torn the gown of a Wilson woman,” she replied, somewhat unnerved by his tone. “You claimed you were not ordinarily a clumsy gentleman. I maintained that you were. I suppose I have been proven partially right this evening, though it was not without its merits.”
Daniel gestured around the room. “Yet, there are at least a hundred people who would disagree with you. I doubt I have ever been so lauded for my dancing efforts, and while I admit that that is mostly because of Miss Joanna and her elegant footwork, I think you ought to take that smug satisfaction off your face.”
“I beg your pardon?” Phoebe felt suddenly breathless, as if he had reached inside her chest, wrapped his hands around her lungs, and squeezed as hard as he could.
