by Fanny Finch
She was only a few feet away when Camilla turned and looked behind her with a huge smile on her face. The Duke of Rabney came in with her, along with her mother and father. They were very obviously together. She would desire to dance with no one else, even though she was obliged to. She was a taken woman. It was written all over her dear cousin’s face.
Emma had mixed feelings, reacting with great pleasure and pride, as well as fear that she would lose Camilla and anger that she had not been told of the developments.
Camilla’s smile was dazzling. It melted Emma’s heart. She crossed the remaining few feet quickly and grabbed her cousin around the shoulders, placing soft kisses on both her cheeks. “Camilla, my darling. I am so glad to see you. It has been an eternity!”
Camilla laughed, throwing her head back a little. Emma was once again reminded how much she loved the delightful sound of it.
“It does feel like it,” Camilla said, a giggle in her voice. She looked Emma over, holding her out at arm’s length. “Look at this gown! I absolutely love it! And did Katherine do your hair? Oh, Emma, you look lovely.”
“Lady Wentworth,” the Duke of Rabney bent and took her hand, silently admiring the color of her light green glove. “It is lovely to see you once again. It does feel like some time since I have laid eyes on your face. I do hope you have not forgotten all about me.”
“I believe those are my words, Christian.” Emma heard the voice of the Duke of Lox and it split through her like a knife. She had not realized how much the isolation she had felt in Corning Manor over the past three days had affected her.
When she saw his face appear behind the Duke of Rabney, she knew it was not just the isolation that had gotten to her. It was being kept from hearing his voice, seeing him. The Duke of Lox. The man she dreamed of at night and longed to be with during the day.
The duchess had not mentioned Lord Carne during those three days. In fact, she had hardly seen her step-mother at all. She had stayed in her father’s room, painting, reading poetry, watching over him as he slept. He rarely woke up and when he did, he could not remain awake for long. The duchess always made him drink a medicinal concoction when he woke up and it kept him very sleepy.
Emma had spent those three days feeling so alone. She wanted to talk to the Duke of Lox. She wanted to talk to Camilla. She wanted to talk to her father and he was in the same room as her.
But she felt so very alone.
Now, in the crowded ballroom, staring at the lovely face of her cousin and the handsome faces of the two dukes who accompanied her, she felt completely at ease.
“May I put my name on your card, Lady Wentworth?”
The Duke of Lox seemed very amused by the fact that Emma had not answered his question. She stared at him for a moment before coming to her senses.
“Oh dear, yes, of course.” She laughed, handing him the card, which she swiftly pulled from her small handbag. He grinned and put his name on the card for the first and last dances.
“I must not let anyone take those two spots from me. Though I do feel the need to share such beauty and not keep it all hidden to myself.”
Emma blushed. He had leaned over to hand her the card back and she spoke the words in a tone only he could hear. “Thank you, my lord, I look forward to dancing with you.”
His smile spoke volumes. She could see how pleased he was to see her and tell by the way he walked by her side to the punchbowl and then to the large cushioned chairs she had just come from that he did not want anyone else to dance with her at all.
The Duke of Lox had been told she was betrothed or would soon be betrothed to Lord Carne and yet he still signed her card and took the first and last dance. The first dance might not mean as much but the last dance was to be kept for the most important pairing of the night. Lord Carne would be furious to see the Duke of Lox had taken that slot.
But it was not the Duke of Lox’s fault. It was Emma who had made sure to make herself scarce, just in case she heard the lord announced before the Duke of Lox. She did not want him to get the most important dance. She would inform the duke during their dances that she was, in fact, not betrothed to Lord Carne, nor would she be anytime in the future.
This would give the Duke of Lox another opportunity to win her over.
Not that he had anything left to do. He had her heart. He just did not know it yet.
Chapter 28
After the Duke of Lox signed her card, Emma made sure to be in the presence of any other suitable dance partner. She wanted her card filled up as much as possible before Lord Carne spotted her. She was a little surprised she had not seen him yet. Surely, he would be early so as to secure his spot with her.
She was pleased when the Duke of Andryse and several of his friends came to stand around her chair, bowing deeply and complimenting her on her attire. They stood around her in a circle, hiding her from the front room, where Lord Archibald Van D’Obson had just been announced. He apparently accompanied Lady Bonneville. That had to be the reason for his late arrival.
Emma looked nervously down at her card and was relieved to see she only had two dance slots left. If he should approach her before her card was filled, she would be obliged to dance with him. If it came to that, she would do so gracefully but she would not give him her attention in any other way. She was required to be polite. She was not required to give him her devotion.
She looked through the men surrounding her as they talked, trying to see where the Duke of Lox had gone. She knew he had gone with the Duke of Rabney as he escorted her to the dressing room to remove her outer clothing. Where they had gone after that was a mystery to her.
“Lady Wentworth.”
Emma looked up when the Duke of Andryse spoke to her. His eyes flashed and he grinned wide. “I do believe you have two slots left on your card. I would not be a gentleman if I did not make sure those spots are filled. I have brought along several gentlemen who will do that for you.”
Emma smiled up at him. “That is very kind of you.” She wished she could be the one to ask for a dance. If she could, the Duke of Lox would fill those slots. She had not seen him since he arrived and walked her to her chair. “I would…”
“Please allow me to take one of them.” Emma cringed, recognizing Lord Carne’s voice. “Since you have already claimed the lady for at least one.”
The Duke of Andryse stood back and allowed Lord Carne to approach Emma, who stiffened slightly and then relaxed. She could not allow herself to react to him in an improper manner. If the Duke of Lox did not propose marriage to her, she would need a good reputation with the other suitors that surrounded her.
She doubted any of them could mistake the look on her face for what it was. Masked disgust. She struggled to maintain a pleasant look as Lord Carne scanned her card. He looked up at her before placing his name on the card. “I had my doubts there would be any left, Lady Wentworth. The dear Lady Bonneville was delayed.”
She nodded. “I understand, Lord Carne.” She tried to keep her voice level. “It happens.”
He scanned her face as she waited for him to take one of the two dances left. To her chagrin, he placed his name on the first one before thanking her and bowing. “I will see you for our dance, then, my lady.” He backed away from her.
Through the opening in the crowd, she saw the Duke of Lox looking her way. He was standing with the Duke of Rabney. She watched as Lady Annabella and her mother, the Duchess of Lucy, approached with the hostess of the ball, Lady Louisa Carmel, Duchess of Darcy. Her heart sank. It was Lady Carmel’s duty to make introductions. She was doing what she was supposed to do.
But Lady Annabella was a lovely young woman, shapely, with a fine face and a becoming smile. She was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that Emma envied on the spot. Her white gloves had a hint of blue. Somehow Emma felt that it made her look so much plainer.
She looked down at the gown she had worn, scolding herself for not taking more care in how she dressed.
She looked up ag
ain and saw that the Duke of Lox was still looking at her, despite the fact that the women were being introduced. He glanced at Lady Annabella and her mother, greeting them appropriately. But when they were distracted by being introduced to the Duke of Rabney, the Duke of Lox moved his eyes back to Emma.
Emma’s heart pounded as she waited for the first song to be announced. The Duke of Lox would come to her side and hold out his hand to escort her to the dance floor. She regretted that he had only the first and last dance. She wished she could dance with him many times in between.
After what seemed like an eternity, during which Emma sat impatiently grumbling on the inside, a pleasant look on the outside, the first dance was announced and the introduction music played softly. The men made their way toward their chosen partners.
Emma stood up, her body tingling with anticipation. She kept her smile to a minimum when she spotted him coming toward her. She wondered if he could see it anyway. Maybe he was feeling anxious, too. If so, she could not tell.
“Lady Wentworth,” the Duke of Lox bowed and held out his hand. She placed just her fingers in his hand and he held it up between them as they walked to the dance floor. They found a comfortable spot and faced each other, waiting for the music to begin.
She stared up at him, admiring the darkness in his blue eyes, the way his face was shaped so finely, his wavy hair brushed back from his face with a few wisps straying loose without his knowledge. She wanted to reach up and smooth them down but resisted the urge. How inappropriate that would have been!
The music started and she curtsied softly to him while he bowed to her. They met together in the middle when he took her hand and placed his other hand on her waist. It was not the first time Emma felt a pleasant sensation slide through her at his light touch but it seemed more intense than the other times. She was fully aware that he was touching her, even if it was only slightly.
He was a graceful dancer. She appreciated it. Lord Carne was not a graceful dancer and had stepped on her dress or her toes more than once. He was always very apologetic and Emma had no doubt he did not mean to do it. His apology made it no less aggravating for her.
As they moved across the floor, she wondered why she was allowing herself to think about Lord Carne when the Duke of Lox was standing so close to her, smiling down at her. She smiled back at him, scanning the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. They were smiling along with his mouth.
“I am always so happy to dance with you, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said in a low voice. “You are very graceful.”
“I was thinking the same thing about you, my lord,” Emma replied.
“I am very glad to hear that,” the Duke of Lox laughed. “I have never thought of myself as graceful.”
“Perhaps you should start.”
“Perhaps I should.”
Emma’s heartbeat sped up as she remembered her plan to reveal to him that she was not now and would never be betrothed to Lord Carne. She opened her mouth to tell him and saw Lady Christian watching them from a big chair she was sitting in.
The look on the woman’s face confused her. Emma would have assumed there would be a look of jealousy or dismay on Lady Christian’s face. But what she saw was more… satisfaction. What gave her cause to look at the Duke of Lox with such satisfaction and contentment?
Emma moved her eyes back up to the Duke of Lox, her smile faltering. He had spent the last three days alone with Lady Christian… well, alone enough. Had they bonded? What else could cause such a look on the woman’s face?
She stiffened automatically and moved her eyes away from the Duke of Lox. She knew she tended to jump to conclusions. It was not helpful but she could not help it. She could not imagine why Lady Christian would be so happy to see the Duke of Lox dancing with her – a rival for his affections.
She tried to calm herself with thoughts that she was probably mistaken. Lady Christian probably was not even looking at them. She could have been looking at another dancing couple.
It was unlikely but it could have been true.
“Lady Wentworth, you seem troubled.”
She looked up at the Duke of Lox. How did he know so quickly? Could he read her that easily?
Her first thought was that he must be observing her closely to understand her moods within seconds. She was pleased by that, however unwillingly.
She could not trust her own instincts, she decided. How likely was it that Lady Christian had won over the Duke of Lox in three short days after they had been acquainted for many years?
“Lady Wentworth?” She looked up at him again, catching his concerned gaze. “You are troubled. Please tell me what has bothered you so? You did not appear troubled at the beginning of the dance. I cannot imagine what has happened to cause you distress.”
Emma pulled in a deep breath. “I am a bit perplexed, after having spent the last three days in isolation.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. “Yes, I have inquired at Corning Manor and at Cooksey Castle but was not given permission to visit. It was… a bit distressing for me, as well.”
Emma looked up at him. “Oh? Why would that be, my lord?”
His eyes moved around the room as they danced, instead of being concentrated on her face. She got the impression he did not want her to think he was staring at her. “Your step-mother has informed me that you will be betrothed to Lord Carne soon. I was… unsure whether he might be visiting or not. Especially after the… incident with you and Lady Fielding.”
Emma nodded, feeling her cheeks become hot. She did not want to remember the humiliation but it seemed the Duke of Lox did.
“What must I do to remove that memory of me from your mind, my lord?” she asked.
His eyebrows went up and his smile returned. “It is a pleasant memory for me, my lady.”
“The cause of my great humiliation is humorous to you?”
The Duke of Lox shook his head, his smile remaining. “No, my lady. The memory of being in the right place at exactly the right moment is what pleases me. I hesitate to think what you would have done had it been anyone else who came upon the two of you in such a state.”
“I do not think I would have fared well, my lord. It would have been the talk of the ton.”
“Yes, I do believe you are correct.”
He swept her to the side. She was aware the dance would be ending soon. She should tell him about Lord Carne before they parted. She did not want Lady Christian to worm her way into the Duke of Lox’s affections. Or Lady Annabella. Or any other woman.
“My lord,” she whispered frantically when the music played its last chords and they were about to part ways. He focused his eyes on her, alerted by her tone. “I am not betrothed to Lord Carne, nor will I ever be. If there is an arrangement, I fear I may have to run away.”
The music ended and they had to part, the Duke of Lox looking at her through wide shocked eyes, obviously with much to say.
Chapter 29
Emma was grateful the Duchess of Corning was not standing next to her when Lord Carne called on her for their first dance together. She would have been scolded for her polite but cold behavior.
She allowed him to escort her to the dance floor and they stood facing each other, waiting for the dance to begin. She looked to her left and her right to see who else was paired for the dance. Her heart flipped over when she saw Lady Annabella had paired with the Duke of Lox. She did not know whether the beautiful young lady was worse or better than Lady Christian. She barely knew Lady Annabella.
She forced herself to continue looking at the paired couples, moving her eyes to see Camilla was with the Duke of Andryse while the Duke of Rabney danced with his cousin, Lady Christian.
She could only hope a look of disgust did not cross her face when Lord Carne met with her to dance. She did not like the feel of his hand as it drifted just slightly off her hip. She kept her eyes on the floor and the other people around her, rather than looking at him.
“You look lovely this evening, Lady Wentworth.�
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Emma did not like the tone he was using and moved her eyes to look at him narrowly. “Thank you, Lord Carne,” she replied with no real emotion.
“You seem quite distant.” Lord Carne let his hand settle on her hip and she glared at him until he lifted it off.
“I may seem distant, my lord,” she said quietly, “because I have heard some distressing news.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Yes.”
“What news is that?”
She could tell by the tone of his voice he knew exactly what she was going to say. “My lord, I have been told that a rumor is spreading that we will be married in the future.”
Lord Carne just smiled. He said nothing. He did not even look at her. He just looked around at the other dancers with that frozen grin on his slim face. She analyzed his face, looking for a quality she could appreciate. He was not handsome in her mind. He may have been at one time, perhaps when she first began attending the dances and balls. But he was not now.
