Page 4 of An Unwitting Alliance
The woman who had inadvertently plowed into Miss Smith let out a scream easily heard over the music.
Tom swooped down, anxious to rescue Miss Smith. “Forgive me; that was entirely my fault. Are you well?”
Miss Smith nodded, her cheeks bright red. “If you give me your hand, I might not trip on my gown as I get up.”
He was a blasted fool to have acted so carelessly. He extended his hand and Miss Smith took it.
The woman who had screamed began a profuse apology that did not seem to have an end to it. “I am deeply sorry. So terribly, utterly, andcompletelysorry. I never should have stepped just there. Oh, you poor, poor thing...”
Because of the commotion, the music stopped mid-dance, and people milled around them, each as curious as the next.
When Miss Smith was on her feet again, she winced and put her weight on one leg.
“You’re injured.” Pain flashed in her eyes, and Tom knew he was not wrong. He should not have been so careless. He put his arm around her to bear her weight.
“I rolled my ankle.”
He could barely hear her over the long-winded apology that was still going on. “Let’s get you out of here.”
She nodded and began to hobble beneath his arm. He caught her delicate scent, a fragrance not unlike peach blossoms with a hint of vanilla, or was it honey? The apologetic woman kept pace directly behind them, her voice a constant stream of noise.
Ian came up beside him, his Mother Hen demeanor firmly in place. He leaned over and whispered, “You idiot! I did not ask you to hurt her, just get rid of her!”
When Miss Smith stopped her progression, Tom knew she had overheard.
She turned under his arm to face Ian. “You asked him to what?”
Ian took one look at Miss Smith and his jaw dropped. The apologizing woman stopped midsentence, and the room at large seemed to quiet at Miss Smith’s words.
“Why would you want to be rid of me?” She wrenched away from Tom. “This—this was all a joke? In what way have I wronged either of you? Never mind! I do not care to hear it.” She glared at Ian and then at Tom, shaking her head. “And you call yourselves gentlemen.” She hobbled away from them.
Tom called after her. “I swear I never meant to hurt you.” He took several steps to catch her, but Ian pulled him back.
“Let her go.” Ian’s eyes were wide, his face lined with unmistakable guilt.
A middle-aged woman went to Miss Smith’s side, along with her friend Mr. Gibbons.
Tom wanted to turn and tell everyone around him to mind their own business and look elsewhere. He should be the one aiding her flight from the room, not her useless friend who did not even appreciate what was right in front of him. Tom faced Ian. “Some favor. Can you not give me a minute to explain to her?”
Ian shook his head much too quickly. “It is I who must explain something to you, but you must let the woman go first. She is in pain, Tom. Because of us.”
“Which is exactly why I need to fix things. I got carried away, I admit it. But I cannot abandon her if there is a chance her reputation might suffer as much as her ankle.” Tom turned back and looked every which way through the crowd, but it was too late.
Miss Smith was gone.
“You really are an idiot,” Ian said, cringing. “You did not even manage to dance with the right person.”
“What?” Tom was too flustered to make sense of anything Ian was saying.
“Never mind.” Ian smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Iam the idiot. How could I have forgotten? You’ve always mixed up your greens and reds. This is my fault.”
Tom gritted his teeth, ready to throttle the man but not eager to let their onlookers know it. “Say it plainly, Mother Hen, before I skin the proverbial chicken.”
“I told you Miss Smith was wearing areddress. That woman, whoever she is, was wearinggreen.”
A groan echoed through Tom’s entire body. He could admit to being wrong on occasion when it came to perceiving certain shades, but with the dim ballroom lighting, he should have been more careful.Well done, Tom.He strode purposefully in the direction Miss Smith, or whoever she was, had fled and looked up to see Mama coming his way, concern radiating in her countenance. Her short stature moved remarkably fast. His breath came out in a low hiss. There would be no escaping her.
“Tom, what has happened? I hope this was not another romp of yours. I had hoped you had outgrown them.”
