Page 15 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
She felt a surge of relief as their turn to dance came again; at least the duke would have to stop talking now, she thought guiltily. As they twirled around on the dance floor, she caught sight of Daphne and Mr Adrian Sterling joining the dance. She felt a flurry of excitement for her friend. But as they reached the far end of the dance floor, her eyes fell on a far less welcome sight.
She saw Lord Ashcroft approaching Felicity, who was standing in a corner a little way away from the dance floor, and offering her his hand. As Isabella and the duke stood next to one another and he began to talk once again about his mill, she felt her heart plummet in her chest. She tried to concentrate on what the duke was saying, but she could not stop herself from looking over his shoulder to watch how events unfolded between Felicity and Lord Ashcroft.
Of course, Felicity accepted his dance offer and followed him onto the dance floor, her face lit up with delight. As they began to dance, though, Lord Ashcroft looked directly at Isabella and held her gaze for a second before moving around in the dance and almost out of sight.
Isabella’s cheeks burned. Just one look from Lord Ashcroft could reduce her to a blushing wreck, and meanwhile, the duke had no impact on her at all.
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Daphne had scarcely been able to believe it when Mr Sterling approached her only a few moments after Isabella had gone off to dance with the duke. He was accompanied by Lord Evermere, who smiled warmly at her.
“Daphne, my dear, allow me to present to you Mr Adrian Sterling. He has been most keen to make your acquaintance,” Lord Evermere said, then turned back to Mr Sterling. “Mr Sterling, as I have already told you, this is Lady Daphne Whiston. Her father is the Duke of Wexington.”
Mr Sterling bowed, and Daphne could not help smiling at him as she curtsied in response. He really was the most handsome man she had ever seen, with his thick black hair and tall and rather imposing stature.
“I am delighted to meet you, Lady Daphne,” Mr Sterling said. “I am sorry not to have caught you before the dance began, but I do not think it is too late for us to join if you would do me the honour?”
She nodded. “I would be very happy to,” she replied.
He offered her his arm, and before long, they were dancing together down the middle of the dance, with the waiting couple on either side.
Slightly breathless, they stopped at the end of the dance, and Daphne turned once again to look at her partner. He caught her eye and grinned. “I am very glad you agreed to dance with me, Lady Daphne.”
She blushed and smiled. “I am pleased to be asked, Mr Sterling,” she replied.
“It is rather a treat for me to go to a ball, you see,” he went on, looking a little bashful. “In London, I am not in the smartest set, so I do not often receive invitations to parties as grand as this.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy the evening very much,” Daphne replied and found that she meant every word. She hoped that Mr Sterling had the best evening of his life tonight; somehow, even though they had only exchanged a few words so far, she felt that she wanted him to be happy and that it mattered to her very much.
“I am sure I will,” Mr Sterling replied. “The music is wonderful, isn’t it?”
Daphne nodded. “Are you fond of music?”
Mr Sterling nodded. “Very fond indeed. I was very fortunate to see the Royal Italian opera performing at Covent Garden a few weeks ago, in fact.”
Daphne let out a gasp and lifted her hand to her mouth, blushing. “Forgive me for my excitement, Mr Sterling, but I love opera more than anything in the world. Which opera did you see?”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “It is wonderful to meet a young lady who shares my passion,” he said, looking into her eyes. “The opera was ‘Giulio Cesare In Egitto’, by Mr Handel, and I enjoyed it very much.”
Daphne nodded. “I do so enjoy his operas, too.”
Their turn came to dance again, and when they reached the next pause, the conversation turned to literature. They discussed the poetry of Shelley and then the new novel Frankenstein, which had caused such a scandal.
“You must not tell anyone I have read it, Mr Sterling,” Daphne begged, smiling at him and feeling a flutter in her heart when she looked at his open, frank expression.
“Of course, I will do what you ask,” he replied. “But why on earth would you not want people to know that you had read it? It is such a marvellous book.”
“Indeed,” Daphne replied. “But there are a good many people in this room, and in the ton more generally, who would not think that it was at all suitable reading for a young lady.”
Mr Sterling looked thoughtful. “You know, Lady Daphne, it had never occurred to me that there might be people who would think that. I have no sisters, you see, so I am not familiar with these things. But I personally am very impressed that you have read it. Perhaps after our dance, we can go and find some lemonade and discuss the matter further?”
Daphne thought her heart might explode with happiness. “I would be delighted to, Mr Sterling,” she replied happily.
She glanced over at where Isabella was standing with the duke, waiting for their turn to dance. She wondered if her friend was enjoying herself as much as she was during this first dance of the evening. The look on her face, though, as the duke talked to her at length about something that Daphne could not hear from this distance, suggested that she wasn’t.
Daphne let out a tiny sigh. It was her dearest wish that both she and her friend might find love this festive season, but it appeared that the Duke of Harbridge might not be living up to the expectations of everyone concerning his ability to win Isabella’s heart.
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