Page 150 of The Sisters of Sea View
Lord Bertram looked past her. “Are your sisters not with you tonight?”
“No. Busy at home.”
“Are you here alone?”
“Of course not. I came with Mr. Stanley and his sister.”
Hearing his name, Mr. Stanley returned to her side. Meanwhile, his sister and Miss Marchant joined the next dance with new partners.
Emily said, “Lord Bertram, allow me to introduce Mr. Stanley. Mr. Stanley, Lord Bertram, Mr. Craven, and the Miss Cravens.”
Mr. Stanley bowed.
Bertram looked from one to the other. “And have you two been acquainted long?”
“No, not long,” Mr. Stanley began. “I am—”
Emily spoke over him. “Mr. Stanley is staying with us. He is a ... family friend. Is that not right, Mr. Stanley?”
“Oh, er, yes. And fortunate I am to be on such good terms with the Summerses. Delightful family. And the house. What a prospect! An unrivaled view of the sea.”
That’s going it a bit brown, Emily thought, but kept her expression serene.
“Let it for the season, have you?” Mr. Craven asked her.
“Actually, my father bought it a few years ago, hoping the sea air would improve my mother’s health.”
The music started up.
“Come, my lord. You promised me the next dance,” Persephone urged.
“Indeed, I did. Pray, excuse us. A pleasure to see you again, Miss Summers.”
Mr. Craven turned to Emily. “May I have this dance?”
“But, Sidney, you promised to dance with me!” his sister Caroline pouted.
“I can dance with you anytime, Caro. What say you, Stanley? Step in for me—there’s a good chap.”
“With pleasure.” Mr. Stanley offered the young woman his hand.
The dance commenced, another lively country dance with much skipping and whirling. Her partner gazed into her eyes at every opportunity, his look more wolfish than friendly. His every touch of her hand or waist lingered overlong. When they reached the bottom of the dance and waited their turn to rejoin, he leaned near and whispered in her ear, “I have heard of the beauty of the Summers sisters, and you exceed my imaginings.”
Emily managed a half smile and shifted away from him, uncomfortable with his intense stares, his proprietorial touches, and his unexpected words. Had she and her sisters some reputation among strangers? Even if for something positive, like beauty, the thought made her strangely uneasy.
She decided to remove the smug leer from his face. “You do know it was my sister you struck with a cricket ball the other day, and you were terribly rude about it afterward.”
“Oh, I ... I do beg your pardon. Which sister was it? Notthesister...?”
“What do you mean? It was Viola. My twin.”
“Your twin? You jest. She looked nothing like you. I would have noticed that!”
Emily rolled her eyes. What a prig.
After the dance, Emily returned to the refreshment table, feeling uncomfortably warm, both from the dance and from her partner’s unwelcome flirtation.
Lord Bertram asked her for the next. He proved to be a skilleddancer, and watched her with keen interest, even speculation, as they moved through the patterns. Otherwise, he behaved with perfect decorum, unlike his friend. When they stood out for a turn at the bottom of the dance, he cleared his throat and asked, “Are your sisters ... all in good health?”
