by Abby Ayles
“I haven’t seen Regina all night,” Miss Hartfield admitted. “I am beginning to grow concerned.”
“You know how she is,” Lady Morrison reassured her. “I’m certain she’s reacquainting herself with our library.”
That sounded promising. A lady who liked to read, that sounded like the type of woman he would like to marry.
For all that he had enjoyed flirting with the women around him during his travels, he wanted someone very different to settle down with. Someone sensible.
It made him glad he had decided not to look for a wife on the Continent. There were of course the logistics of taking a lady so far away from her home. And then there was his father’s inevitable disapproval of a non-Englishwoman for a daughter-in-law.
But more than that, he was known on the Continent, and therefore his tastes were known. Or rather his supposed tastes. No one would believe him when he said he wanted a quiet, unassuming sort of person. Someone to talk with, someone who could appreciate long walks and quiet companionship.
Here, back home in England, nobody knew of that. So when he said that he wanted someone who would enjoy reading, they believed him.
Miss Regina sounded like a book lover. Perhaps he should try his luck with her.
There was that beautiful lady he’d run into, however…
But she might not truly be related. It could be his eyes deceiving him, what with everyone wearing masks and red hair being so memorable in and of itself.
“What is this Miss Regina like?” he asked.
He knew that he was being blatant, but he had no time for subtleties. He had tonight and that was it. He must bring someone home to his father or lose everything.
“She is very shy,” Miss Hartfield cautioned. “I must warn you, my lord, she is as a daughter to me. If you are setting yourself for her I shall have to subject you to the most rigorous of interrogations.”
John laughed. He rather liked Miss Hartfield as well. Perhaps she was available. “And for yourself? Surely you care more about who you are marrying than who your sister marries.”
“If you think that, then you think wrong.” Miss Hartfield smiled.
“I can try and find Miss Regina for you,” Lady Morrison said. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Miss Hartfield replied.
John inclined his head towards Lady Morrison, signaling his agreement. After she left, he looked back at Miss Hartfield.
Now that her friend was gone, he could sense a slight change in her air. It was not that she became unfriendly. It was more that he could sense a wall being raised between them.
No, not a wall. A gulf. A river. Something that did not prevent him from seeing her but prevented him from getting close. It was something that told him he ought not to try.
Was this why she was considered so desirable, despite not being considered the most beautiful? Most men probably sensed that gulf and decided to try and forge it. That they must cross it, by hook or by crook.
Men tended to like a challenge that way.
But John was not in the mood for a challenge. He’d had plenty of that in his time over on the Continent wiling away the hours.
And even if he had wanted a challenge, he did not have the time for it. He had to get engaged and quickly, this evening even. It would take far more than an evening, he thought, to persuade Bridget Hartfield to marry him.
“Perhaps you would like me to introduce you to my sister Natalie?” Miss Hartfield suggested.
And there was his confirmation. He was not going to win the hand of Bridget Hartfield. But no matter. He was sure that if her sister Natalie was at all like her, he would manage just fine.
“Certainly,” he said, indicating that she lead the way.
Miss Hartfield led him over towards where the center of the dance floor was. There were swirls of couples moving about. So much so, it was hard to keep track of anyone.
John thought, however, that he could catch a glimpse of the young lady he’d run into. She was laughing at something her partner was saying. She had a bright, lovely smile.
He found himself stupidly hoping that Miss Natalie Hartfield might be that woman. It was shallow of him, true, but if he had to find a woman this night he wanted her to be that one. She moved with such grace and lightness, such energy. It entranced him.
“That is her, there, in the green dress,” Miss Hartfield said. She indicated the woman that John was looking at.
John had never thought of himself as a particularly religious man. But he did think about quickly sending up a thank-you to God for granting him a break at last.
“She’s quite lovely,” Miss Hartfield went on. “And lively. A husband would never have a dull moment with her around.”
Then she paused. “I must apologize. I’m being rather forward and presumptuous. It is not my goal to… sell my sisters like cattle.
“I know that many women are anxious to see their daughters wed well. In truth, I can hardly blame them. But I have never wanted to be the kind of person who pushes that onto the men around her.”
“It does make things rather awkward for the men,” John acknowledged.
Miss Hartfield gave a small laugh. “Yes, it does.”
“It seems that your circumstances have most likely changed?” John hazarded.
Miss Hartfield nodded. “Our father has pressed upon us the need to marry, as soon as possible.”
John laughed. Miss Hartfield looked at him, startled. He waved a hand at her. “I apologize, I was not laughing at your expense. I’m sure your situation is most frustrating for you.
“It is only that I am in a similar situation.” He sighed. He saw no reason to keep it a secret. “I trust that in confiding in me, I can confide in you as well?”
Miss Hartfield nodded. “I can assure you, I’ve kept greater secrets than whatever you are going to unleash upon me.”
That made him smile. He hoped that Miss Natalie had the same temperament as her sister. “My father has made it clear that I must find myself a partner. This is my last chance at doing so.”
“Then we do indeed find ourselves in similar situations,” Miss Hartfield noted.
The dancing stopped, and the partners all bowed and curtsied to one another.
As everyone clapped politely, Miss Hartfield darted forward. She caught her sister by the elbow and whispered in her ear. A few young men were stepping forward to try to claim the younger Miss Hartfield, or perhaps both of them, for the next dance.
Miss Hartfield, however, seemed to politely decline them, and escorted her sister back towards John.
“Lord Ridgecleff,” she said. “If I may present to you my younger sister, Miss Natalie Hartfield.”
Chapter 7
Natalie wasn’t sure what to expect when Bridget came up to her and told her that there was a young gentleman to see her.
She hoped, of course, for someone rich and handsome. She was especially hoping that it was the young soon-to-be earl that Lord Morrison had mentioned.
When Bridget led her away from the dancing and introduced her, however, Natalie had to hold her breath for a moment.
She recognized him—he was the handsome stranger she had bumped into earlier in the evening. She hadn’t gotten much of a look at him at the time. She’d been hurrying to her dance partner.
But now she could not only look at him as much as she pleased but could do so without having to be sly about it.
He was tall, with dark blond hair and gray-green eyes. She could not see all of his features with his mask on, but she could see his strong jawline and certainly she could see how his broad stature filled his suit.
With those eyes staring down at her, he quite took her breath away. Natalie wanted to scream with happiness. A son of an earl and handsome as a hero from a novel. She had finally lucked out.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Lord Ridgecleff said, bowing to her.
“The pleasure, and the honor, are all mine
my lord,” Natalie replied with a curtsy.
“Perhaps you two could take a turn about the room together?” Bridget suggested. “My sister Miss Louisa can accompany you. I’ve lost Lady Morrison as well as Regina now and I’m starting to wonder. You know how wild people can get at the masquerade.”
Bridget’s concern, as always, was for their youngest sister. Natalie felt a stab of jealousy. Why was it always Regina who earned Bridget’s attention? It wasn’t as though she was doing anything worthwhile to earn it.
“Of course,” Lord Ridgecleff said, all courtesy. “It would be an honor to converse with your sister and Miss Louisa as well.”
Bridget smiled at him in gratitude and then turned to melt into the crowd. A moment later she returned with Louisa.
Louisa looked a picture in her soft yellow dress. She’d probably been sitting and chatting with friends all night.
“Would you mind accompanying these two for a turn about the room?” Bridget asked. “I’m afraid I must go and find Regina.”
“Of course.” Louisa smiled at both Natalie and Lord Ridgecleff brightly. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lord.”
Louisa took Natalie’s arm and Lord Ridgecleff stood on her other side. It was an open secret that Louisa was promised, although to whom, nobody knew.
The ongoing rumor, one that Natalie suspected Bridget had arranged herself, was that the man was in the Navy and so Louisa did not wish to speak his name or else it would jinx things and he should be killed overseas.
In any case, knowing as everyone did that Louisa was engaged meant that she could serve as an escort for Natalie. By placing herself between Lord Ridgecleff and Natalie as they walked, it made their activity perfectly acceptable. Especially in such a crowded ballroom where there were plenty of other people present.
“Tell me, Miss Natalie, where is it that you reside?” Lord Ridgecleff asked. “I’m afraid I was not acquainted with your family until now.”
“We are in the south,” Natalie said. “I’m afraid that we must travel often in order to take advantage of the social scene. There is precious little around us.”
“Mountbank has quite its own little community,” Lord Ridgecleff told her. “I have not been there for some years, I’m afraid. I’ve been out on the Continent.”
The Continent! Natalie had never been. Perhaps, if he did propose, she could suggest such a trip for their honeymoon.
“I’ve never been,” she confessed. “Perhaps you could tell me about it.”
Lord Ridgecleff was happy to discuss with her all that he had seen. The art sounded lovely, although spending all day in a museum was not Natalie’s preferred way to spend her time.
But the balls that he described, and the dancing halls, the new dances and the shows and the society! Natalie wanted to see all of that, and this seemed to her the kind of man who would take her there.
Oh, how could she have lucked out in such a fashion? Surely this was meant to be.
Natalie couldn’t ruin this for herself. She had to be at her absolute best and get him to propose to her. If he didn’t, and they ended the night and she had to face the scandal of her family…
And, almost worse than that, three of her sisters getting married before her. And here she had always thought that she would be married first, or perhaps second if Bridget ever deigned to look at a man twice.
She had to get Lord Ridgecleff to propose. She just had to.
In pursuit of that, she continued to ask him about his travels. It was, she had found, the surest way to gain a man’s interest. All you had to do was start him on a topic that interested him and then occasionally make encouraging remarks.
It was so different when she had been receiving men in her own home. They had all expected her to talk, and at great length. And about something other than what the neighbors were up to.
And then they had expected her to actually pay attention when they waxed on and on about some government measure or the war or the state of their forest.
At least, at a ball, she could have them talk about things that interested her. The Continent, and the parties that Lord Ridgecleff had attended, very much interested her.
And if he did start to talk about something boring, it was easy enough to pretend to listen.
Louisa seemed to not be listening at all to their conversation. She walked sedately, her arm in Natalie’s. But Natalie could sense that her sister’s thoughts were far away.
She wanted to tease Louisa about it. But of course she could not, for she would have to mention Louisa’s fiancé Mr. Fairchild. She could not do that around a relative stranger.
Even if he was a very handsome stranger who might propose.
“I shall have to take you to see Mountbank,” Lord Ridgecleff was saying.
Natalie gave him her most winning smile. She had quite a lot of those. “I should take great joy in seeing it, my lord.”
“My sister, I know, would be happy to have another friend of the feminine persuasion.” Lord Ridgecleff laughed. “She is quite alone among men, poor thing. There is my younger brother and my father, of course. But then the local families all have sons as well.”
“I should be happy to make her acquaintance if she is half so charming as the rest of her family,” Natalie replied.
Of course, seeing as she had not met the younger Lord Ridgecleff nor his father, there was truly only one person she was calling charming.
Louisa looked a little alarmed at so bold a flirtation, but Natalie was not here to be coy. That time had passed. She had to win Lord Ridgecleff over and she had to do it now.
“And here I was told it was your sister who was the wit of the family,” Lord Ridgecleff replied.
“My sister Elizabeth is skilled in wit when it comes to taking a man down. If you are looking to be built up, then I’m afraid you shall have to make do with me.”
Natalie eyed the dancers out on the floor. She ought to get Lord Ridgecleff to dance with her. She showed her skills best out on the dance floor.
It showed off her figure in such a fine manner. And her ability to converse well while dancing all the steps was—if she did say so herself—unparalleled.
It might be just the thing to clinch this. Lord Ridgecleff seemed just as eager to discuss more domestic matters as she did. Bridget might accuse Natalie of being selfish. Fine. Perhaps she was.
But Natalie wasn’t stupid. That she knew for a fact. No man was so open to being so boldly flirted with and monopolized by a young lady he barely knew unless he was in the same situation that Natalie was. He must need to marry quickly as well.
It probably had something to do with the estate. That was usually what finally got men to pay attention and actually settle down for marriage.
The particulars didn’t much matter to Natalie. What mattered was that if she played her cards right, she might end this evening engaged.
She subtly elbowed Louisa. When her sister looked at her, Natalie let her gaze cut over to the dance floor.
Luckily, Louisa was sharp. “My lord, have you had the pleasure of dancing yet this evening?” she asked. “It strikes me that we have been quite monopolizing you.
“Perhaps it might please you to dance with Miss Natalie, and thereby make yourself available to other ladies as well? It is only fair that if you are attending this ball that you enjoy it to its fullest.”
Natalie did not like the implications her sister was making, but she settled for glaring at Louisa when Lord Ridgecleff wasn’t looking.
“Certainly,” Lord Ridgecleff said. He offered his arm to Natalie and gave her a smile that made her spine melt. He really was terribly handsome, much more so than any of the other men who had been courting her.
“Shall we?” he asked, and Natalie nodded.
“I would be honored, sir.”
One dance, she told herself as they headed out onto the floor. She could do this.
Chapter 8
John could hardly believe his luck.
&nbs
p; Miss Natalie was not perfect. She seemed a little too eager to hear about his time on the Continent, for one thing. She was quite bold in her flirtations for another.
Those flirtations, coupled with her good looks, told him why she was so popular. But those same things that drew a man in at a ball were the things that repelled him when he thought of a life partner.
Still, she listened attentively and seemed intelligent and witty. He could do far worse.
And the awful truth of it was, he had few other choices. Already he saw far too many women here that he had already deemed unsuitable. Or who had deemed him unsuitable.
It was a masquerade, but when one knows someone well, one can still tell who they are despite the facial coverings. By the style and color of their dresses, their bearing, and their figures, he could easily tell who was who out of the people he knew.
The few he did not know, in all honesty, he did not see himself being able to get to know. He would need a mutual party to introduce them. How could he even begin to do that?
He could get Lord or Lady Morrison to do it, but it was unfair of him. It was not their duty to introduce him to every eligible young lady as though they were paid matchmakers.
There was also the truth that none of the ladies looked as lovely as Miss Natalie.
If he was to suffer marrying someone he did not know then at least he thought she ought to be nice to look at. He never wanted to stop looking at Natalie. She was simply entrancing.
He only hoped that her personality drew him in just as much.
Not to mention…proposing marriage to a woman after meeting her that night. It was close to indecent. Most parents would balk and demand to know what made him so pressed for time.
A proper courtship required visiting the lady and her family multiple times. Each time, slowly, one progressed in intimacy. A morning call turned into a dinner invitation, for example.
Then, after some time, during which both parties got to know one another, the man would propose. What followed would be letters exchanged, walks taken, and so on. In short, more time to know one another while arrangements for marriage were made.
