Page 53 of The Viscount's Diamond Bride
“Which is?”
Jonathan gave a brittle smile. “Jane took the money.”
Graham smiled tightly. “You are right, as always. I just do not know what to do with my thoughts at the moment.”
“I understand. But reflect on my words, Graham. Ursula is fond of you. You have a chance at happiness. Do not let it slip away.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one!” –John Keats
“You were magnificent tonight. A triumph.”
Ursula tore her gaze away from the dark scenery sweeping past the carriage and stared in surprise at her husband.
Graham was nestled in his usual corner of the carriage, but he was not even pretending to glance out of the window. He was looking at her, his expression shadowed. When their eyes met, he offered a faint smile.
“A triumph?” she echoed, with a faint laugh. “All I did was attend a ball.”
“Yes, and you endured all those stares and whispers, and you kept your head high. By the end of the party, everybody was talking of your beauty and grace.”
Ursula let herself smile. “I thought it would be a disaster,” she confessed. “At any rate, my success is thanks toyou. Everybody was talking of you too, of what a good couple we made. I heard them. How many dances did we share together?”
“I lost count,” Graham chuckled. “They were all so very surprised, as if dancing with one’s wife is an odd thing to do.”
“I imagine for some of them it is odd,” Ursula remarked, lifting her eyebrows. “Thank you, Graham.”
“What on earth are you thanking me for? You managed all of that yourself.”
“No, I could not have done any of it without you. Without you beside me, I fear…” she paused, gathering her thoughts. “I fear that I would never have stayed. And then the next social occasion would have been harder and harder. I would not have made my debut back into Society at all, that’s plain.”
Hesmiled;eyes soft. “You are too hard on yourself.”
"No, I fancy I am reasonably acquainted with my own nature. I understand my limitations, Graham."
We all know our limits until we learn otherwise, do we not?" he countered. "You are too harsh on yourself. By the by, did you happen to notice our friends dancing together?"
“Don’t we all know our limits until we learn otherwise?” he countered. “Youaretoo hard on yourself. In any event, did you perhaps notice our friends dancing together?”
Ursula broke into a smile. “Charlotte and Lord Hartwell? Yes, I did notice. I shall keep my thoughts to myself and live in hope. Lord Hartwell seems to be a man of good character, in my humble opinion, not to mention, an excellent match for Charlotte, should they make a match, of course. I do not often see Charlotte displaying interest in a gentleman.”
“Jonathan is the best sort of man,” Graham agreed. “Of course, I am biased, but I can assure you that any woman would be lucky to have him. I rather like your Miss Winter, and I should like Jonathan to be happy.”
“We all want happiness for our friends, do we not?” Ursula paused, the smile fading from her face. “I worry about Georgie, my cousin. She… She is not having the Season she thought she would. She’s so pretty, and so amiable, and yet there have been no serious offers. She’s beginning to despair, and so are her parents. It’s a great deal of pressure for a young woman, and I do not believe that she deserves it. I wish I could do something to help her.”
“Well, you’re a viscountess now,” he shrugged. “We can host parties, invite eligible gentlemen, and make your cousin the guest of honour. Your patronage will be of great benefit to her.”
Ursula gave a faint smile. “You are correct, but I have my doubts whether Georgie would appreciate being patronized.”
He chuckled. “I am quite confident I’m sure we can find a way to manage her.”
Ursula shot a grin at him. She still felt exhilarated from the evening’s dancing. To be sure, there had been some people who had scowled at her, clearly disapproving of her scandal, but towards the end of the evening there were fewer and fewer scowls, and more smiles.
When she left, Mama had given her a quick, tight hug, and whispered in her ear: “Well done, my darling girl.”
Yes, it had gone well. Ursula leaned back in her seat and gave a long, slow sigh.
The carriage pulled up outside the house. A few lights still glimmered in the windows, which surprised her a little. Who would still be awake, beyond a couple of the servants?
