Page 59 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“I do, perhaps a little too much, even.”
“I apologize for this afternoon. You are right. I should be honest with you, and I will be when–”
“You were right. Now is not the time for this conversation. Let us finish the night, and then we can discuss all of this in the morning. For now, I am far too busy thinking about what to say to be able to listen to you.”
Satisfied, he let the matter go. Even so, he did not like how ill at ease she appeared. She had done everything right, and she looked exquisite.
“Is it me?” he asked, eyeing his own clothing. “I chose one of my favorites, though it pales in comparison to what you have.”
“You look handsome,” she giggled. “No, we certainly look the part. I suppose it is simply nerves at this being my first ball in a long time. Once we are inside, and I have greeted our hosts and we have danced, I shall feel better.”
Owen listened to what she wished to do and made a note of it. He would take her inside, greet the hosts, and then dance with her. If, by then, she still seemed unhappy, they would retire for the night on the spot.
When the carriage arrived, Owen remembered precisely why he hated such grand affairs.
The trees in the courtyard had been painted white on top, as though to mimic snow, and there was an ice sculpture in the middle of it. It was a swan, which Owen did not find fit the theme particularly well, but Beatrice gasped in astonishment and pulled him in the direction of it.
“How marvelous!” she breathed. “I have never seen anything quite like it.”
“Swans?” he asked. “We have them in London.”
“Made of ice,” she giggled, suddenly tensing. “My word, they must have high expectations for tonight.”
“It is how they are, but you shall blend in beautifully. Come, we must enter now.”
Inside, they were greeted by a similar theme. Everything was icy silver and blue, the ladies wearing gowns to match. Owen was pleased that Beatrice had assumed correctly, and that the two of them stood out just as she had planned.
Beatrice, on the other hand, did not seem half as enthusiastic.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is this not what you wanted?”
“It is, but now I am wondering if you missed something on the invitation that instructed us to wear blue and silver. There is nobody at all wearing anything else.”
“Nonsense, knowing Lady Pembroke, I read it three times just to ensure I did not misunderstand anything. You have done nothing wrong.”
Mercifully, at that moment another lady entered wearing pink, and he felt Beatrice sigh in relief beside him. Watching her, he wondered if that was how he looked when he was nervous about something. He had always thought that he hid it well, but if it was that evident then he had to rethink it all entirely.
“Now that we are here,” he continued, “we must meet the host. Then, all that is left to do is dance, yes?”
She smiled, nodding as he led her through to the ballroom. The ceiling had what seemed to be a hundred candles hanging from it, the room smelling of pine trees and wood fires. The floor had been painted with snowflakes, and among it all was Lord and Lady Pembroke, greeting their guests with a smile.
Owen, cynically, saw the smugness in Lady Pembroke’s face, but he did not mention it. Instead, he took his wife to greet them. He had to leave her to speak, for there were only so many polite words he had for Lady Pembroke. It was a shame, because he rather considered Lord Pembroke to be excellent company.
“Good evening,” Beatrice greeted. “This is all so magnificent! Truly, it is the most splendid ball that I have ever had the pleasure of attending.”
“You are too kind, Your Grace,” Lord Pembroke replied. “I have no doubt that when you host your own ball, it shall be far superior.”
“Ah, yes,” Lady Pembroke agreed. “When might we expect that?”
“It will be soon enough,” Owen said. “It might be best to appreciate this evening first, before we discuss others.”
Lady Pembroke seemed to accept this, and the greeting was done with.
“It is nice to meet you,” Lord Pembroke continued, only addressing Beatrice. “It is most exciting to have a new duchess here with us. This is your first public appearance as a couple, yes?”
“Indeed. We look forward to many more, of course, but you are the first since our honeymoon came to an end.”
“Oh, remember our honeymoon, Dear?” he asked Lady Pembroke, who simply nodded with a meek smile. “Congratulations, to you both. We are thrilled to host you, and we hope that you have an excellent evening.”
