“I shall leave you, madam,” Richard said, bowing to her. “Thank you for giving me the pleasure of dancing with you. Please do enjoy the rest of your evening.”
She curtsied as he took his leave.
He was definitely going to murder Adam, for sure! While pushing his way through the crowd of dancers leaving the floor, he bumped into a lady so suddenly that she tripped and could have fallen flat on her face; but he quickly caught her before she could hit the floor.
Putting his arms around the lady in the burgundy dress, he helped her to her feet, and he was finally able to see her face.
Her hair was packed into a bun with a center parting. The color of her lips echoed the slight blush on her cheeks, making her look even prettier.
However, what was awkward was the way she was looking at him and he was looking at her. He thought of asking for her name, and to know everything about her; but he did not want to make things even more awkward.
Instead, Richard let go of her as he realized how uncomfortable she seemed with the way his hands hung around her waist.
“I apologize for my clumsiness,” she said. “The crowd was too much and I must thank you, my lord. If you had not caught me the way you did, I’m afraid I would have fallen flat. What a great embarrassment that would be!”
“It is all right,” he said with a smile. “You do not have to apologize at all.”
She smiled. “Allow me to thank you for saving me from disgracing myself. Is there any way I can thank you?”
The music started again. An idea came to him and he turned to face her. “If you insist on thanking me, you can do that by telling me your name and allowing me to fill your card. That is, of course, if you do not already have a partner for the next dance.”
“I do not,” she replied excitedly, handing him the card. “I am Caroline Johnson,” she said, extending a hand to him.
He took it and placed it to his lips. “It is an honor, Miss Johnson,” he said, tilting his hat. “Richard Waterston.”
Together they walked back to the dance floor.
Chapter 9
The ballroom shimmered and sparkled with cheers of excitement. Colorful lights of red and gold were strewn across the walls. Many couples, all dressed in their finest attire, were either drinking, mingling, or dancing to the beautiful waltz coming from the violin players.
Adam stood at the far corner of the room, holding a cup of wine and looking at the dancers with languid interest. There were several ladies standing inches away from him, and they seemed to think he was going to ask to fill in their cards.
But he was in no mood for that. He had only come here for one purpose, and that was to find someone who had little or no interest in love and would be willing to join him in a convenient marriage in order to please his mother – and possibly save her life.
“Lord Strickland,” said a man beside him.
He turned to see his father’s old business associate Max Wellsman, the Earl of Hayford.
“How are you doing, my lord?” he asked the man.
“Very well, sir.”
“And how is your mother faring? How is her health?”
“Getting better, thank you my lord,” Adam replied.
“Come this way. I would like to introduce you to some people.”
Adam followed him to a group of men who were having a discussion, but the group fell silent when they saw the two approaching them. Lord Hayford introduced him to the rest of the men and Adam learned that most of them had been his father’s business associates.
While they were talking, Adam looked around, hoping to see his friend – but he did not. As soon as he could, he left the group with a flimsy excuse. He had made his mother a promise and this was his chance to fulfill it.
He didn’t need love. He just needed someone desperate enough for money to get into a convenient marriage with him for at least a few years, which should be long enough to please his mother. Adam had decided that both he and his wife would have their privacies, but she must not have a lover until they were divorced – which would not happen sooner than two years following the wedding.
Adam glanced around the ballroom. He saw more women looking at him, their eyes pleading for him to come over to them, but he ignored them.
Instead, he looked at his friend Richard who was out on the dance floor – having a much better night than Adam was.
Then Adam’s eyes captured a lady who stood well apart from the crowd.
She stood alone, but the way she was positioned prevented him from seeing her completely. Her dark shining hair was piled high at the top of her head and caught the lights each time she moved.
With no one to converse with, she was sipping from a glass in her hand. Even though she was in the midst of many other attractive women, Adam was captivated by her exquisite beauty. He began to move towards her.
* * *
Miss Magnolia Richmond
Magnolia was getting tired. And bored. She still had two more dances before the ball would come to an end, and the only thing she desired right now was to be in her father’s study looking for more clues.
This night could not come to an end soon enough.
Apparently, though, she was the only one who was not enjoying herself. Her Aunt Dorothy was busy laughing with her dance partner, Lord Grisham. It was their second time dancing that night and Magnolia was glad that her aunt was having such a fine time.
She walked around, looking for Caroline, and was surprised to find her dancing with Richard Waterston, the same man she herself had danced with half an hour ago.
They did make an attractive couple, Magnolia had to admit. Caroline was beautiful and Richard was a handsome man with his curly blonde hair and sharp pointed nose.
“Miss, would you be so kind as to allow me to fill in your card?”
Something leapt up in her when she heard that voice. Magnolia turned around to see Adam Avery standing behind her.
Her heart stopped. She sucked air into her burning lungs after what seemed like ages of being frozen in time. And she could not think, for any form of reasoning eluded her as she stared at his devilishly handsome face.
Her world spun on its axis as though she was a celestial planet shifting in its orbit, thrown into a spin by seeing this man. Adam was looking even whiter than she was and she could feel the rapid play of inscrutable emotions dancing across his eyes.
Magnolia should have known he would be here. But why was he not talking to her? Why were the two of them only staring at each other without either of them saying anything?
"Lord Strickland,” she started, wondering why he had chosen to stay quiet instead of saying something.
“Miss Richmond,” he said. “I apologize. I did not know you were the one.”
Her emotions swung between confusion and relief upon hearing this. I did not know you were the one. Whatever did that mean?
If she was not “the one,” would he have asked her to dance? And now that he had just found out she was the one, what did he plan to do?
Adam raked his hands through his hair. He bent his head towards her without moving any other part of his body. His hair gleamed black as ink and the lights gave his eyes an unsettling silver glow.
Gracious! she thought. Was it possible for any man to be more handsome than he?
For some time, no one said anything. She couldn’t understand why he would choose to remain quiet when he was the one who had walked up to her.
Her heart was pounding so fast! She hated the way he made her feel. She thought this had ended, but it had not.
“May I fill…” he began. Magnolia knew what he was going to say but in that minute a voice cut in.
“Lord Strickland. How do you fare, my lord?”
They both turned to see Lord Bartis Hulkson, her next partner for the final dance. Magnolia found that she was disappointed at the interruption.
“Lord Hulkson. I am very well, thank you,” he replied.
“I hope you will not mind me taking this youn
g lady away. She was kind enough to give me the last dance,” the man said.
“Of course. With all pleasure,” said Adam, as Lord Hulkson smiled and took Magnolia’s hand to lead her to the floor.
She could feel Adam’s stare as they walked away, while she did her best to hide her anger and disappointment. It took all of her will power not to look back at him.
* * *
Adam Avery, the Earl of Strickland
Adam watched as Lord Hulkson took Magnolia to the dance floor and felt a pang of regret. He had been so stupid. Why had he just stood there, unable to say a word? What in the heavens had got his tongue?
Adam had never been so shocked in all his life as he was some minutes ago. He stood there, staring at the last person he expected to see at the party. Not that he hadn’t thought of the possibility that they might actually see each other. But now it was real, Magnolia was here, and she had taken his breath away.
He never realized she was the lady he was looking at from afar. He was only here with the intention of wooing the lady that had captured his eyes and here he was, seeing that same lady who had haunted his mind all day.
Adam watched and frowned as Lord Hulkson put his arm around her waist while they danced together. He should be the one dancing with her, not some other man!
At the same time, he could not look away. The gown clung delightfully to her hips and brought out her curves in the right places. That alone had distracted his senses from knowing the right thing to say.
He knew she must have felt bad with what he said earlier, about not knowing she was the one. He wished he had more time to explain to her, but…blimey! The lady was confusing him in an unimaginable way.
Was he not looking at Magnolia? The same lady that hardly had time to look pretty? She had been a very plain girl while growing up and there was a time when James had said she should have been a boy. James had called her boring, but Adam had defended her.
“You should stop comparing your sister to all those silly girls that throw themselves at our feet,” he had said to James one day. “She’s special.”
Adam never knew exactly what he meant by calling her that, but now he could see how she was special – special in ways that he was now beginning to understand.
“She is something, is she not?” said Richard behind him.
“And where have you been?” asked Adam. “I have looked everywhere for you.”
Richard chuckled, signaling to a footman nearby. “I apologize,” he said, taking a glass of champagne from the tray. “I was busy getting acquainted with Lady Caroline Johnson.” He lifted the glass to his lips.
“You mean the lady you were dancing with earlier?”
Richard looked surprised. “You saw us?”
“Of course I did.”
“She is beautiful,” Richard said, before turning towards Magnolia. “While she is something else entirely.”
Adam frowned. Richard kept on going about it as if he had some kind of relationship with Magnolia, of which Adam was ignorant.
“Adam, you must know that she and I danced earlier.”
He was appalled. “You danced with her?”
Richard smiled, and nodded proudly. “I could not resist her. She is too beautiful to just be ignored. She was kind enough to let me fill her card.”
Adam felt rising jealousy and anger. His friend had taken the opportunity that he never got! Not only had Richard danced with one lady, but two, and one of them was Magnolia!
“I spoke with her, Adam. She is not only dazzling, she is intelligent. I understand what you see in her,” said Richard, patting his friend on the back.
Adam said nothing and only sipped his drink, though he was boiling with envy and jealousy. How was Richard able to talk to her while he couldn’t?
“So,” Richard went on. “Are you going to at least try to talk to her, or are you going to stare at her all night?”
Adam inhaled. His glass was empty, and he needed a refill. Knowing he had no choice than to speak with his friend, he turned to face him. “I tried to talk to her, Richard. But my tongue was tied, and I could not speak.”
Richard frowned, staring at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. “What happened?” he inquired.
“I do not know,” Adam replied. “I just… I could not think. I never knew she was the one I was walking up to. I thought she was just someone I could woo and ask to a dance. As a matter of fact, I came here in search of a lady who would be happy to go into a marriage of convenience with me. When I saw her afar off, I thought she was the best person for it. But when I walked up to her and realized it was Magnolia, I was shocked.”
Richard sighed. “You were attracted to her, were you not?”
Adam frowned. “Of course,” he replied. “She is a ravishing lady. Any man who knows what is beautiful will be attracted to her.”
“Well, I was attracted to her, but my tongue was not tied,” Richard said, amused by Adam’s predicament. “I think you might have an infatuation with her, Adam.”
“That is absurd,” he replied. “I am definitely not having an infatuation. I am just finding it difficult to believe that the little plain Magnolia has instantly become this angelic lady.”
Richard chuckled, but said nothing more.
Chapter 10
Miss Magnolia Richmond
Magnolia smiled at Lord Hulkson’s jokes. At least he wasn’t boring like the other men she had danced with. He was really quite lively, and he never mentioned anything about being sorry for her loss.
“Did you just move here?” she asked him.
The young man frowned. “May I ask for the reason behind your inquisition?”
She shrugged. “Just curious.”
“You see, I had been living in Spain for a long time before I came to London. My parents raised me in this city, but I just recently came back home.”
Now she could tell why he had been different from the rest. It was because he didn’t really know much about her.
They kept on dancing. Occasionally she would glance sideways to where Adam was standing, knowing full well that he was watching them.
“Do I need to be afraid of Lord Strickland?” Lord Hulkson asked.
This surprised her. “I do not understand, my lord.”
“He has been looking at us for some time now. It is making me feel as if I am doing something wrong.”
She frowned and turned to look at Adam, but this time, he was speaking with the man she had danced with earlier, Lord Midhurst. It was strange seeing those two together.
“You have nothing to worry about, my lord,” she stated. “I am not the one he is looking at.”
They kept on dancing for a while until Caroline came to meet them.
“Caroline! There you are. I thought you had vanished,” Magnolia said, before introducing Lord Hulkson and Caroline to each other.
“My lord, would you mind terribly if I take her away?” asked Caroline. “I do need to speak with her right away. It is very urgent.”
Both Hulkson and Magnolia stared at her friend. “Of course,” Hulkson said, before Caroline took her away.
“What is it?” Magnolia asked.
“Nothing,” Caroline said, laughing. “I said that to get you away. Can we go get a seat? I am awfully tired.”
Magnolia was surprised by her friend’s actions, but grateful that the dance was over. “You are too clever by half, Caroline.”
“Look! There’s punch over there,” Caroline said, pointing to the part of the room where refreshment was being served. “So. How is your day going so far?”
“Did you see Adam?” Magnolia asked as they walked to the table.
“Adam? No. I didn’t. Did you?”
Magnolia nodded. “Yes. I think he mistook me for someone else.” Each of them took a glass of punch.
“I do not follow,” replied Caroline, as they went to take seats close to the wall.
“I meant – when he saw me, he thought I was someone else. I
think he was going to fill in my card – and then, when he saw my face, he just froze.”
Caroline laughed. “He must not have known you were the one he sought after.”
“I understand that. But his eyes! It was as though he was seeing me for the first time. You must know it is making me a bit conscious of myself, and I do not like it.”
Caroline chuckled. Then, as they went on talking, Aunt Dorothy walked up to them and announced that it was time to leave.
Magnolia went back to Lord Hulkson and tendered her apologies. Very soon, the three ladies left in their carriage.
A Mysterious Quest of a Seductive Lady: A Regency Historical Romance Novel Page 7
