Page 73 of The Notorious Lord Knightly
Averting his gaze, he lifted a hand, palm outward, and quickly turned it inward, as though seeking to capture an errant wisp of air. Two couples began walking toward them. Regina recognized the woman, Lady Warburton, who’d been glaring when she’d beaten her at the Twin Dragons. She’d been dreading the encounter, but now the woman was watching her with curiosity and interest rather than animosity. Much as she imagined she studied a new animal exhibit at the zoological gardens.
“My sisters and their husbands,” Bremsford said curtly, his tone indicating he, too, had been dreading this moment. “Lord and Lady Barrington. Lord and Lady Warburton.”
Regina curtsied. “My lords. Lady Barrington, I am honored to make your acquaintance.”
“It has been a long while in coming,” she said, studying Regina’s features, no doubt searching for evidence of her father within the lines and curves.
Regina gave her attention to the other sister. “Lady Warburton, I must apologize. We’ve been in each other’s company before, at a table at the Twin Dragons. I didn’t realize precisely who you were. I do hope you didn’t feel I was snubbing you by not acknowledging our... relationship.”
The woman blinked her large brown eyes. “No, I... I may have been a bit... rude, to be honest. But you have a knack for winning.”
“And my wife one for losing,” Lord Warburton muttered, not quite beneath his breath.
She rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t approve of my gambling.”
“I could offer you some tips so your pin money will go further.”
Her half sister widened her eyes. “Would you indeed?”
“I’d be delighted to do so, Lady Warburton.”
“Splendid. I’d not really expected”—she shook her head—“I’m not certain what I’d really expected from this encounter. You’re quite nice, Miss Leyland. I can see why Lord Chidding favors you.”
Regina didn’t need to look to know that at her side,he was blushing. “Please, you have my permission to call me Regina.”
“How very kind. You may call me Josephine. And this is Clara. We are, after all, related, in a manner.”
“I need to return to greeting my guests,” Bremsford said gruffly. “If you’ll excuse me...” He escorted his countess back to the foot of the stairs and signaled to the majordomo.
“Bremmie’s not quite comfortable with this arrangement of having you in the residence,” Clara said. “He and Mother were quite close.”
Bremmie? Regina almost laughed at that. Had her father been addressed as such as well? She couldn’t imagine it. “I was quite taken aback to receive the invitation to be honest.”
“We’ve gone far too long pretending you didn’t exist—as a kindness to Mother, I suppose. But it was hardly kind to you.”
“I do understand. It can’t have been easy... for any of you.”
Clara offered her first smile and Regina could see her father in it. “I rather think I’m going to like you, Regina. And I’m quite looking forward to putting all this awkwardness behind us.”
“And to learning how to win at cards,” Josephine said with a sly smile.
Regina thought she could come to cherish her sisters very much.
Knight had taken up his position against a wall near the front of the ballroom where Bremsford and his countess were greeting their arriving guests. Hence,he saw Regina the moment she stepped through that yawning doorway on Chidding’s arm. As he’d no doubt see her doing a thousand times in the future, if he continued to attend balls. But what was the point of putting himself through the torment of watching her with another man when he, himself, was never going to marry?
Other than stunningly beautiful, as was her natural state, she looked at ease, content, and Chidding certainly appeared solicitous toward her. And proud when her name quickly followed his as their arrival was announced to the chamber already teeming with guests. Quite a few directed their attention toward the stairs as the name of the former earl’s mistress’s daughter echoed between the walls, and he suspected gossips had already ensured everyone knew Bremsford had graciously invited his father’s by-blow to the ball, and each wanted to witness this momentous occasion when the earl welcomed this woman born of sin.
It took everything within Knight to remain where he was and not stride forward to greet her when her slippered feet took that last step, but she’d chosen her protector for the night, and he’d known she’d made the only choice she could. While they were painting a reconciliation for theton, nothing could come of it. Her future was with Chidding.
Suddenly his flute of champagne was being gently tugged from his grip. He looked over at Rook.
“If the tightness of your jaw is any indication, you’re likely to snap the stem of this glassware,” his friend said. “Bremsford wouldn’t have invited her if he intended to be rude to her.”
“Now that the moment is here, he may be having second thoughts.”
She stood before her father’s son and his wife and curtsied, so elegantly and gracefully. She should have the opportunity to curtsy before the Queen. But that honor would be forever denied her because of the circumstances of her birth.
He was in a position to see Bremsford’s face, and the man actually looked pleased that she’d come, exhibited a flash of triumph, perhaps because his negotiations had resulted in a truce, and he was honoring his father’s dying wish.
