Heading straight for the refreshment room, he had all but reached his goal when, to his consternation, he found himself being set upon by a noisy, laughing group of his ex-army comrades, newly arrived from the Continent that very day. At any other time and under any other circumstance, he would, of course, have been more than happy to see his old friends and catch up on their news. But, Helena’s welfare having occupied his whole attention since the moment he had left her side, he became desperate to have done with the long drawn-out procedure of over-zealous backslapping, accompanied by loud and raucous laughter, that the unexpected reunion seemed set to involve.
Unfortunately, until he had gone through the pantomime of greeting each of the half-dozen individuals by name and given them his promise that he would meet up with them on some unspecified date in the near future, the men refused to allow him to abandon their company, each of them insisting on sharing his various experiences with him and all of them demanding to have his recent ennoblement explained to them in the fullest detail. Only when he was finally able to excuse himself was he able to set about fulfilling his earlier undertaking of having drinks delivered to his grandmother’s party. That task accomplished, he was making his way back towards the doorway when, without warning, he found himself face to face with none other than the iniquitous Viscount Barrington!
‘Barrington,’ he acknowledged with a cursory nod and, since he had no wish to converse further with the notorious scoundrel, he stepped briskly to one side, only to discover that the viscount who, having grinningly aped his action, appeared set on impeding his further progress.
‘A word, if you have a mind, your lordship!’ drawled Barrington, laying particular emphasis on the term denoting Markfield’s recent elevation to the peerage.
‘I’d just as soon not be seen in your company, if it’s all the same to you,’ grunted Richard, impatiently standing his ground as he waited for the other man to move out of his way.
A pained expression appeared on the viscount’s face. ‘Oh, come now, sir!’ he replied, in protest. ‘That’s no way to greet such a close friend of dear Simon, surely? I was merely wishing to—ah—commiserate with you on your cousin’s unfortunate passing.’ These words having elicited no response, he frowned then, lowering his voice, added somewhat derisively, ‘But, perhaps it would be more in keeping if I were to congratulate you on your present success—such a tasty little armful and a fortune to boot! Do share your secret, old man!’
Although Richard managed to control the violent surge of anger that Barrington’s scabrous references had brought about, he was quite unable to prevent the involuntary curling of his fists, as the probable cause of Helena’s unusual agitation suddenly came to him. Fixing the viscount with a look of pure disdain, he ground out, ‘Whilst I’m bound to admit that wiping the fatuous grin off your face would afford me the greatest satisfaction, Barrington, I fear that this is hardly the place in which to indulge in such pleasantries. Unless you are prepared to meet me elsewhere, I must request that you either move aside at once or suffer the consequences!’
For the briefest of moments, the viscount, his eyes glittering with unconcealed rage, seemed to toy with the idea of accepting Markfield’s challenge but then, as reality dawned—along with a sudden recollection of the rumours he had heard regarding the earl’s prowess with both sword and pistol—his cheeks reddened and, with obvious reluctance, he stepped slowly to one side.
Although Richard was well aware that he would have had no difficulty in carrying out his threat, he was rather relieved that he had not been obliged to do so since, as he had often heard his father remark, there was little satisfaction to be gained from thrashing a fellow who was well below one’s own weight. Nevertheless, he could not help feeling somewhat concerned that Barrington—whose usual haunts, he had been given to understand, were inclined to be of a rather less salubrious variety than this present venue—should have chosen tonight, of all nights, to put in an appearance at the assembly rooms. Even more disturbing was the thought that Helena had already caught sight of her despised ex-suitor, any recurrence of which the earl was determined to prevent at whatever cost.
Tossing a contemptuous glance in the other man’s direction as he passed him, he said, ‘Let me advise your lordship to quit the building while you still have all your faculties intact. I’m inclined to think that the Fancy Club or Dot Finnegan’s place would be rather more to your taste than this present venue!’
Although Barrington merely glowered at him in reply, Richard was sufficiently confident of his own powers of persuasion to suppose that the viscount would heed his warning and make himself scarce and, since his mind was rather more occupied with his concern about Helena’s immediate well being, he quickly dismissed the matter from his mind. A hurried glance at a nearby wall-clock, however, alerted him to the length of time that he had been absent and he was aware of a slight pang of unease as he hurried back into the ballroom.
‘Where on earth have you been all this time, Richard?’ hissed Lady Isobel, eyeing him balefully, the moment he got within earshot of her seat. ‘What is the point of me dragging Helena along to all these functions if you are going to disappear for hours on end?’
‘My apologies, ma’am,’ returned the earl somewhat abstractedly, his attention being more closely concerned with the worrying discovery that both seats beside the countess were now unoccupied. ‘I must assure you that my absence was entirely unavoidable—where are our guests?’
‘If you care to use your eyes, you will see that both your supposed intended and her cousin are out on the floor!’ her ladyship retorted crossly. ‘Which is where I had supposed you would be—having gone to all that trouble to acquire the blessed vouchers! Thank heavens I had the foresight to persuade Charles to come along to make up the numbers!’
Heaving a sigh of relief as, for one awful moment, it had crossed his mind that Helena’s not being there might well have had something to do with Barrington’s unexpected appearance, Richard turned his attention towards the dance floor and ran his eyes across the groups of dancers presently engaged in a lively quadrille. He was able to spot his cousin almost immediately—Standish men having always stood a good head above the rest of the crowd. To his consternation, however, he soon realised that the young woman whose hand Charles was clasping was not Helena, but her cousin Lottie Daniels!
Although his hurried scrutiny of the other dancers very soon revealed Helena’s whereabouts, the discovery that she was being partnered by none other than Thomas Redfern did nothing to assuage his mounting irritation.
‘We must hope that the good doctor has not stolen a march on you!’ observed his grandmother sourly, as she registered his forbidding expression. ‘Having already twice done his duty by her, Charles could hardly petition Helena for a third time, now could he? In fact, we may count ourselves fortunate that Redfern and his sister elected to join our party, since it transpires that they are both sufficiently well enough acquainted with several of the gentlemen present to furnish us with the necessary introductions. Indeed, had it not been for their timely intervention, I fear we would have made a very poor showing indeed!’
The somewhat disconcerting discovery that Helena had, apparently, recovered sufficiently from her earlier setback to take the floor with not just one, but several different partners, during his absence was more than enough to quell Richard’s inclination to parry his grandmother’s scathing comments, his feeling of righteous indignation being such that he was temporarily deprived of speech.
Having expected some sort of riposte to her diatribe and, to her surprise, receiving none, the countess eyed her tight-lipped grandson curiously for a moment or two, before continuing, albeit in a somewhat less reproving tone of voice. ‘Be that as it may, Richard, it is highly unlikely that your protracted non-attendance will have escaped the notice of our ever-vigilant committee. It is clear that you are going to have to make some sort of a push to retrieve the situation, for I am sure that you need no reminders as to ou
r true motives for being here.’
Richard, striving to maintain some semblance of control, assured the countess that he would do his best and, having observed that the dance was about to reach its close, stood away to allow his cousin and the doctor to return their flushed and laughing partners to their seats. They were soon joined by an equally animated Jenny Redfern, in the company of the most recent of her conquests, the Honourable Philip Tindale, younger son of the Earl of Smethwyck.
‘Tindale, Redfern,’ returned the earl, with a brief nod in acknowledgement of the other men’s greetings, his thoughts being more directly concerned with the problem of how to get Helena on her own, in order that he might apologise for his lengthy absence but, rather more to the point, to try to ascertain whether her earlier spell of faintness had, as he suspected, come about as a result of her having spotted Barrington in the crowd.
‘Perhaps you would care to take a turn about the room, Miss Wheatley?’ he said, stepping forwards and reaching out his hand to her.
Having been expecting him to steer well clear of her, lest she should cause him any more embarrassment, Helena was too taken aback to utter more than a shaky, ‘Yes, of course, my lord.’
‘I really must apologise for leaving you in the lurch like that,’ he began, as they started to make their way around the ballroom. ‘I am afraid I was set upon by a bunch of my fellow officers and quite unable to make my escape.’
Although she felt a certain amount of relief at hearing these words, Helena could not help wondering what else had kept him away since, along with countless other onlookers, she was well aware that the ‘bunch of fellow officers’ of whom he had spoken had been taken to task by Mr Willis for their rather disorderly entrance into the ballroom well before Markfield had eventually chosen to put in an appearance.
‘Please do not concern yourself on my account, my lord,’ she replied. ‘My cousin and I were amply entertained during your absence.’
Having been privy to the obvious pleasure she had exhibited when dancing with Redfern, Richard was obliged to bite back the sarcastic retort that had almost sprung to his lips and, whilst he ached to know whether the doctor’s role in her life was anything more than just that of family physician, he knew that to pose such a question was completely out of order. That Helena was still at odds with him was blatantly obvious and, unless he could find some way of getting her to view him in a more favourable light, it was becoming rapidly apparent that their rather tentative arrangement would soon be on the verge of collapse.
Providentially, an announcement from the Master of Ceremonies that the final dance before the supper bell was to be the second waltz of the evening, soon furnished him with what he hoped might be a possible solution to that particular problem.
Disengaging her hand from his arm, he swung her round to face him.
‘Our dance, I believe, Miss Wheatley,’ he said, the hint of a smile lurking on his lips.
Stepping back in astonishment, Helena shook her head, protesting, ‘But, this is a waltz, my lord and, as you are no doubt aware, I have not yet had the opportunity to learn the steps!’
‘Oh, come now, Miss Wheatley’ he cajoled softly. ‘What has become of all that doughty resolution you exhibited earlier? It’s really very simple, I promise you.’
Thoroughly disconcerted by the challenging gleam in his eyes, Helena hesitated. Having been obliged to decline both Tindale’s and Redfern’s requests to partner them in the highly acclaimed dance some time earlier, she had been given ample opportunity to study the dancers’ movements at some length and had come to the conclusion waltzing did, indeed, look absurdly simple. Added to which, the mere idea of Markfield holding her in such a close manner as the dance seemed to require was extremely tempting. Nevertheless, disinclined to make yet another foolish exhibition of herself, she reluctantly stood her ground.
But then, as Jenny, skipped past her, crying, ‘Oh, you simply must give this a try, Helena!’ before practically throwing herself into Tindale’s outstretched arms, she felt herself weakening.
The earl, observing her momentary hesitation, quickly seized the opportunity and clasped her by both hands. Before she had had time to collect her wits, she found herself being steered in the direction of the dance floor with Richard resolutely ignoring her attempts to free herself from his hold.
‘Really, my lord!’ she gasped, looking up at him in dismay. ‘You cannot mean to force me into this!’
‘Just relax and leave the rest to me,’ he said reassuringly as, his eyes smiling down into hers, he placed his hand at her waist, causing sudden ripples of excitement to surge up and down her body. ‘All you have to do is surrender yourself to the beat of the music—I won’t let you down, I promise you. Now, left hand on my shoulder and—off we go!’
Then, without giving her any more time to dwell upon the consequences of his actions, he was propelling her backwards across the floor. Luckily for Helena’s peace of mind, her innate sense of rhythm, coupled with her many years of musical training, came quickly bounding to her rescue. With a joyful leap of her heart, she submitted herself to the earl’s highly competent leadership, whereupon she instantly found herself swept up in the compulsive beat of the music.
With every passing minute, her confidence grew and, thanks largely to Richard’s patient and adroit handling, it was not long before she had mastered many of the turns. Thoroughly captivated by the seductively lilting rhythm of the music, her eyes were soon shining with unalloyed delight as, smiling up at him, she managed to exclaim, if a little breathlessly, ‘Oh, Jenny was so right! Isn’t this just the most glorious sensation imaginable?’
Returning her smile, his heart pounding with a heady mixture of excitement and deep satisfaction, Richard was bound to admit that it was—not so much the dance itself, as far as he was concerned, but rather the indescribable feeling of having Helena in his arms at last. Had one of his hands been free, he might have been obliged to pinch himself, if only to convince himself that this was real and not one of the bizarre dreams that had been tormenting him of late!
Content to let him lead her where he may, Helena, closing her eyes, soon became oblivious to everything but the heady, pulsating beat of the music and the lithe, swaying movements of the earl’s body, so tantalisingly close to her own. In her enchanted dreamlike state, it seemed to her that they were joined together as one being, whirling and twirling about the room in absolute and perfect harmony. Utterly enthralled, she could not help wishing that the enchantment of the moment would go on for ever.
Sadly, all too soon, the closing chords of the music could be heard echoing across the crowded floor, bringing the dance to its inevitable conclusion. Helena was aware of the earl’s arms tightening, pulling her yet more closely towards him as he swung her round in one final glorious, exhilarating twirl. Only when he had brought her to a dazed and breathless standstill could she at last bring herself to open her eyes, whereupon she found him staring down at her with such an unfathomable expression on his face that her heart seemed to stop in its tracks.
For one agonising moment, as they stood gazing into each other’s eyes, Richard was beset by an almost overwhelming desire to pull her back into his arms and capture the luscious softness of her lips with his own. Fortunately, the sound of the supper gong, signalling the end of the first half of the evening’s entertainment, brought him quickly to his senses. With a sudden start, he became aware of his surroundings and, drawing in a deep breath in an effort to steady his racing pulse, he conjured up a somewhat shaky grin, saying, ‘An unqualified success in my opinion. What do you say, Miss Wheatley?’
Then, placing his hand at her elbow, he directed the still slightly bemused Helena back to her seat, where they found the others smilingly awaiting their return.
‘Ooh, Nell!’whispered Lottie, her eyes wide. ‘That was indeed a surprise—why did you never let on that you were able to waltz?’
‘I was not aware that I could until a few minutes ago!’ returned Helena, w
ith a self-conscious smile. ‘I just hope that I didn’t make a frightful cake of myself!’
‘Quite the reverse,’ declared her cousin stoutly. ‘I could scarcely take my eyes off you!’
Although his momentary aberration had left him feeling thoroughly disconcerted, Richard was no less resolved to ensure that Redfern was allowed no leeway in his pursuit of Helena. Having observed that the doctor had ceased his conversation with Tindale and was now heading in Helena’s direction—doubtless in expectation of being granted the privilege of escorting her into supper—he thought sourly, he sent a discreet signal to his cousin to indicate that he should see to their grandmother’s refreshments and, stepping forwards, neatly intercepted Redfern.
‘I believe Miss Wheatley has already promised herself to me,’ he said, as he held out his hand to a somewhat taken-aback Helena.
‘But of course, sir,’ returned Redfern, standing back with a good-natured grin. Then, with scarcely a moment’s hesitation, he bowed and extended his arm to the blushing and much-overcome Lottie. ‘Miss Daniels, if you would care to do me the honour?’
Despite being perfectly well aware that no such previous arrangement had been made between Markfield and herself in regard to the supper interlude, the expression of steely determination on his face, coupled with her recent experience on the dance floor, were more than enough to convince Helena that contesting his declaration might not be the wisest course of action to take at this juncture. Aside from which, she decided, the intermission would provide her with a much-needed opportunity to tackle him regarding the rather troublesome matter that had been brought to her attention during his absence.
Taking his proffered arm, she waited while he stood back to allow the rest of their party to precede them out of the room. Then, as soon as they were alone, she removed her hand and, turning to face him, she said, ‘If you wouldn’t mind waiting just a moment or two, my lord, I need to speak to you about the subscriptions.’
A Marriageable Miss Page 16
