Page 52 of A Duchess to Fight For
Louisa nodded. “Then I suppose I should thank you. I met him once before. He was visiting our townhouse on some sort of business with Father. We were introduced on his way out. He didn’t leave me with a good opinion although I don’t know why.”
“Your first impression was correct. I don’t trust him with my family dog.”
Louisa laughed. “Your dog would thank you if he could.”
Louisa went through the evening in a blissful fog. She sat between Stafford and Percy during dinner. Although she thought they were being entirely too protective of her, she laughed and gossiped and danced to the point of fatigue.
When Louisa wanted to visit the ladies retiring room, Amelia escorted her. Inside, Amelia stood by the door while Louisa went behind one of the screens to the back of the room.
“I wasn’t sure she would show her face again this season,” a voice came through the screen. Was it Priscilla Thompson? Or maybe Alessandra Elliott?
“She must know we know the truth of why he left her like that. I didn’t take Jack as a liar. Imagine, fires in the village. Do you think she believed that nonsense?”
Louisa’s heart sank. They were talking about her. About her and Jack. Jack lied to her. Why?
Louisa peeked around the screen. Alessandra Elliott and Missy Rawlings.
“Stafford seems nice. He seems very attentive to her. After Jack, maybe she’ll have better luck with him,” Missy said.
“Maybe. I still don’t understand how he could be missing from town for months then come back and go straight to Louisa. Yes, she’s beautiful. But isn’t it odd? I heard he was at her door the day after he returned to London. Does she have a large dowry?” Alessandra asked.
Louisa thought Alessandra a little too caustic for her liking. She wasn’t sure what, if anything, she should believe.
Missy answered, “Yes, but lots of the girls here do. If I were her, my biggest concern wouldn’t be the size of her dowry. It would be that degenerate trying to court her. Barton St John is the most disgusting man in that ballroom. He’s probably drunk by now.”
Tears formed in Louisa’s eyes. How did Missy and Alessandra and probably everyone else in the ballroom know about Barton St John and yet she didn’t? She closed her eyes. She felt like a fool. Jack? Then Barton St John?
Louisa felt betrayed by her family. And she felt betrayed by Percy. She thought she could count on him.
“Missy, you must have seen how they surrounded her to keep her away from that vile man. They wouldn’t even let him cut in,” Alessandra said.
Louisa felt foolish. How could she be the only one in the ballroom who didn’t know her friends and family were trying to protect her? To think she protested when Stafford wouldn’t let Barton cut in.
Missy gasped, “I didn’t see that. They refused to let him cut in. Was it Percy? Everyone says he’s her lapdog, but I think he loves her and keeps her company just to be near her. Isn’t that romantic?”
Alessandra laughed. “You think everything is romantic. Oh, no.”
“What?”
“I see the Duchess of Haddington at the door. Louisa won’t be far behind.”
Louisa stayed behind the screen for several minutes to compose herself then peeked around the corner to make sure Missy and Alessandra were gone. She moved toward the door.
Amelia saw Louisa walking toward her and knew something was wrong.
“Louisa, are you ill?”
“Yes, Mother. I would like to go home at once.”
“Come, I’ll call for the carriage and have Percy find your father.”
Louisa stood next to the butler and closed her eyes. Percy. Mother would find Percy. She shook her head.
Why did Percy lie to her? That hurt the most. She thought she could count on him. Well, she thought a lot of things that weren’t true it seems. How could she be so stupid?
She heard footsteps and opened her eyes.
"Louisa, I've summoned your father. Are you all right? Amelia said you were ill," Percy was frantic.
