Page 8 of The Truth about the Earl
A little surprised, James glanced down at Lady Maude and then nodded. “Yes, Lady Maude. It was.”
“I see.” Her lips were pinched as she looked up at him before stepping back into her place. “I did not know she had returned from her mourning period.”
James nodded. “It seems she is so, Lady Maude.” A slight frown crossed his brow but he dismissed it. Surely Lady Maude could not be envious of his conversation with Lady Essington!
“And she is to dance this evening?”
Blinking in confusion, James nodded but said nothing. It was very strange for Lady Maude to be so interested in his conversation with another and indeed, James was not quite certain how he ought to respond.
“You are to dance with her, Lord Yardley?”
“Yes, Lady Maude. I have taken the cotillion and the country dance.”
That sent sparks into her eyes as she narrowed them gently, her pinched lips turning white as she shot a hard look toward him. It was as if he had done something wrong and was quite unaware of it.
Or mayhap she is envious of the fact that you have taken two dances with Lady Essington but only one with her.Giving himself a slight shake, James cleared his throat.You are being ridiculous. Lady Maude disliked that I was disappointed with only the two dances she had remaining. It is not as though she wanted me to take them both!
The dance began, and without saying another word, James stepped forward and took Lady Maude’s hand.
“Mayhap at the next ball, you will have a better opportunity to dance with me, Lord Yardley.”
A little confused at her meaning, James frowned as he stepped back. “I am grateful for every dance, Lady Maude. It is difficult to make certain that I have even one with you!”
Her smile was tight, her eyes glittering. “Then perhaps you ought to try a little harder, Lord Yardley, for it is not as though I can refuse any gentleman that comes to greet me simply becauseyouare seeking me out.”
James cleared his throat as he stepped back, going through the steps of the dance carefully. “Yes, of course, Lady Maude.”Is she encouraging me to pursue her with a little more eagerness? Does she wish me to prove myself?A surge of hope lifted hisheart and he managed to smile. “I shall make sure to do precisely that.”
Chapter Three
“We shall have to make our way after them, Lady Essington. Do be careful.”
“Norah, please.” Swallowing against the tightness in her throat, she tried to smile as Lady Gillingham looked over at her. “If we are to be in such a situation, I would think that familiarity is expected!”
Lady Gillingham smiled, which knocked hard against the anxiety that currently flooded Norah’s frame. “But of course. Come. You need not look so fearful! All we are doing is stepping out into the gardens and seeing precisely what Lord Jennings is attempting, given that he has walked out with Miss Longford without her chaperone.”
Norah frowned. “We do not want to ruin the young lady’s reputation, however, surely?”
“No, indeed not! Oftentimes, a young lady will behave foolishly and I am certainly reluctant to placeallsuch blame on a gentleman’s shoulders but, in this case, Lord Jennings is well known to be a gentleman eager to steal affection from whatever young lady he can!”
Norah’s stomach knotted. “I see.”
“Therefore, we will walk out discreetly and make certain that Miss Longford is quite safe and given every opportunity to escape his company without any grave difficulty.” Putting one hand on Norah’s arm, Lady Gillingham looked into her face, a seriousness pulling her brows low over her eyes. “In all things, youmustbe discreet. Yes, I have been writing such news with a false name but that does not mean I have not had to be careful. If I was not, then someone might easily have connected what I wrote about with my presence there on a particular occasion.”
Nodding, Norah tried to smile but her nerves were stretched so thin, it was an impossibility. “I understand.”
“Good. Then come.”
Following after Lady Gillingham, she held one hand pressed lightly to her stomach in an attempt to push away some of her swirling anxiety. Noticing how Lady Gillingham walked quickly while at the same time keeping as close to the shadows in the room as she possibly could, Norah attempted to do the same. Yes, she garnered one or two glances from two particular gentlemen who were standing nearby but neither of them let their gazes linger for long. Their looks merely brushed over her and were gone, telling Norah she would not be remembered by either of them come the morning.
Stepping out into the gardens, Norah let the cool evening air brush against her hot cheeks as she took in a long breath. Lady Gillingham walked with the confidence of someone who had done such a thing many times before whilst Norah was busy looking in all directions, a little afraid that she would be noticed.
“I should return to my mother.”
The plaintive voice of someone Norah presumed to be Miss Longford reached Norah’s ears and, in an instant, her anxiety and fears shattered, being chased away by the horrifying realization that the young lady was being kept away from the ball by Lord Jennings.
Norah’s brows drew together as she followed after Lady Gillingham, who was beckoning her to the left. The garden path became hidden in the darkness of the evening, although Norah could just make out the great wall of roses that stood just before them.
“There is no need, Miss Longford! Why do you look so frightened?”
