Page 13 of Her Whole Heart
But the earl was not finished. “And if a man you know to be of poor character approaches Miss Elizabeth, you will warn him off—you may ask your Matlock cousins to assist in that regard so that you do not draw too much attention. Most importantly, if someone inquires about her, you will have nothing but warm praise of her character to offer. In short, you will show the ton that you were wrong about Miss Elizabeth.”
No matter how admirable the earl thought Miss Elizabeth, Darcy did not want to be in her company for any length of time. She bemused and discomfited him. His indignation burst out before he could control it. “Lord Carlisle, if you wish me to apologise to Miss Elizabeth, I shall. Butyou are asking me to give over my entire season to play nanny to your charge.”
“Mr. Darcy.” The words were cold and hard. “You mistake me.”
“Do I, my lord?” His hope was a desperate thing.
“You do. For I am not asking.”
Chapter Five
Their second ball began well. The Carutherses’ ballroom was not so grand as the Ashford’s had been, but it was still lovely. One point in its favour was that Mr. Darcy was not in attendance.
“No, he sent his regrets,” Mr. Caruthers was saying to Lord Carlisle, and for some reason, the earl frowned.
Elizabeth, however, was delighted. Perhaps the unpleasant man from Derbyshire had realised he was not fit for civilised company and had made a hasty retreat back to the country.
It was not long before Jane was asked to dance, and shortly after, Mr. Loughty gallantly requested the pleasure of Elizabeth’s hand for the same set.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said, tossing a lock of blond hair out of his eyes as they awaited their turn at the bottom of the line, “I hope you are feeling better.”
“Better, sir?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “I was not aware I had been feeling unwell.”
“You are bearing up admirably, then,” Mr. Loughty replied gallantly.
Elizabeth was wary of men who thought themselves charming. “I always strive to be admirable, Mr. Loughty. Thank you for the compliment.”
“You will not inquire as to my meaning?” he inquired with a sly glance.
She knew his meaning. “I should not have the slightest idea what to ask.”
It was their turn; he held out his hand, and she took it. It was soft and damp, even through his gloves. They danced in a circle, then clasped hands to skip lightly down the line and then back to their original places. Elizabeth had to remind herself not to wipe her hands on her skirt.
“I speak, of course, about your disagreement with Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Loughty continued. “He never spends the entire season in town, but it was a decided thing that he would this year. Then at the first ball of the season, he leaves after an hour, once having had words about you with his cousin. And he is not here this evening.”
“Mr. Loughty,” Elizabeth said with a sigh, “I attempted a bit of pleasant conversation to cheer Mr. Darcy, for the man does not seem as fond of dancing as you are yourself. He did not like it, I presume, and told his cousin so. But I am not so fragile a flower that I expect every man to appreciate my clearly excellent qualities.”
The man’s smile was all superiority, but Elizabeth refrained from displaying her vexation. He glanced down at her chest before lifting his gaze in what Elizabeth supposed was meant to be a romantic sort of gesture. “I assure you that I am aware of yourmanyexcellent qualities.”
If she could have left the man standing on the dance floor by himself, she would gladly have done it, but the evening was only beginning, and she had no wish to suffer the consequences of another scene. Mr. Loughty was, as his sister said, a flirt. Disingenuous, perhaps, and a little vulgar, but not dangerous.
“Now,” she said, hoping to take charge of their conversation, “you must tell me more aboutyour sister.”
“My sister?” he asked, his pretence at charm broken by this unexpected application.
“Indeed. I had no opportunity to speak with her when we were introduced. Does she like music?”
When the dance was over and Mr. Loughty had escorted her back to Lady Carlisle, he bowed and held out his hand to Amelia, petitioning her for the next. Amelia agreed, and off they went.
Elizabeth glanced about the room. Jane came to stand with her for a moment.
“I am to dance the next with Mr. Bingley,” she whispered. “He asked for two dances again, but I have no second dance available, and even if I did, it is too soon, is it not?”
“It is,” Elizabeth assured her.
A moment later Mr. Bingley arrived for their dance and guided Jane away. Elizabeth glanced about. Miss Loughty was sitting with several other girls who did not appear to have danced this evening. One of the men to whom they had been introduced—a Mr. White—started to walk in her direction, and she did not wish to dance this set.
“Lady Carlisle?” she asked.
