Page 4 of The Baron's Reluctant Bride
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of dancing, polite conversation, and careful observation. Gemma partnered with Lord Hampton (who indeed spent most of the dance extolling the virtues of proper crop rotation along mutual property lines) and a retired colonel who stepped on her toes with military precision.
The night wore on. William was nowhere to be seen, and a sixth-sense that only a sister could have lead Gemma to begin feeling uneasy as to his whereabouts. He had promised to make an appearance, but as the hours wore on, there was still no sign of him. It would not be the first time William had failed to fulfill his social obligations, but each absence began to ruin the family's already fragile reputation.
Her mother approached, anxiety evident in the tight lines around her mouth. "Have you seen your brother?" she whispered, her smile fixed for the benefit of onlookers.
"Not as yet, Mama," Gemma replied, already anticipating the familiar host of flimsy excuses she would need to fabricate. "Perhaps he was detained by important business."
Like losing more money we don't have at the gaming tables,she thought with a pang of both worry and irritation.
"Lord Fanworth inquired after him," her mother continued, nervously adjusting her lace cap. "He mentioned something about an arrangement they had made."
Gemma's stomach tightened. Lord Fanworth owned one of the most exclusive gambling establishments in London, one that William had been explicitly forbidden from entering after his last disastrous losses.
"I'm more than certain there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Gemma assured her mother, knowing full wellthere likely wasn't. "I shall speak with him when we return home."
