Page 4

“Are you enjoying your evening?” a lady asked her, breaking her thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, yes, yes, it is quite lovely.”

What Samantha really wanted to say wasleave me alone; I want my sister,but that was not at all appropriate.

Besides, Diana had her own life. She had a husband and a house and children, just as Samantha would soon enough, come hell or high water. The thought of that paralyzed her. There was so much more that she wished to do, and —

The Duke of Gloryfield was standing behind the lady, keeping his distance, and staring at her. He was not being what one would call warm and welcoming. Instead, it was almost as though he was daring her to break first, to look away.

It was a childish game, and she was not going to play into it. She turned back to the lady in front of her, not wanting to partake in whatever it was that he was doing.

“I know that is not how you truly feel,” the lady laughed, “but you are certainly a good house guest, I shall give you that.”

“What is there not to like?”

“Well, for one, you do not know anyone here. I know that to be true because you are all that anyone here can talk about.”

“And what exactly are they saying about me?”

Her words left her a lot more bitter than she would have intended, but she tried not to care too much about that. The lady with her certainly didn’t in any case.

“Oh, the usual things. You must want a husband; you must be here for one thing and one thing only; your father is a scoundrel, but you are very pretty. I would not pay it any heed; they say such things about every young lady.”

“They seem delightful company to keep,” Samantha sighed. “I shall have to make conversation with them, too. They must think I am such a fool for being here.”

“They are not stupid, Lady Samantha. They know that you do not have much of a choice in the matter, and though they are unsure of why Lord Drowshire invited you both, I must say that I am personally quite happy that he did. You are not like them.”

“Not amongst them, you mean. They certainly will not accept me, either.”

“Perhaps not, but I would not care too much if I were you. They are not the best company to keep in any case.”

“Then why do you?”

“Why does anyone do anything here?” She sighed. “We do what we must. Now, do you suppose you might dance tonight?”

“Certainly not. There is nobody here that I would ever dance with for a start.”

But he was still there, his eyes not leaving hers. He had quite a presence about him, even if Samantha did not truly wish to acknowledge that fact. This time, she did not fall to his challenge, and she held his gaze. His eyes were as blue as water, but they were burning into her with a heat so intense that one might have mistaken it for fire.

This time, he looked away first, making his way to Lord Drowshire. A victory, small, but a victory nonetheless.

“Ah, he seems quite taken by you too,” the lady nodded at last turning to see the Duke walking away. “Though I must say that I cannot quite decide how he is feeling about your presence here.”

“Oh, that is not in question. He cannot stand it. He wants my father and I to leave because as far as he is concerned, we are only here to elevate our status.”

“That is rather odd for Graham,” she mumbled, followed by a quicker, “Pay him no mind. He is not the happiest of gentlemen, and so I would not be too terribly upset by anything that he says to you. He does not mean it, and I promise you that there is no harm in him, not truly.”

“If you are sure.”

“Lady Samantha, there is nothing in the world that I say or do that I am unsure of. I only ever talk when I am wholly certain.”

“Do you?”

The lady laughed brightly, raising her glass to her.

“Of course not. That sort of behavior is for the boring and serious gentlemen with titles. You and I, we have many more options than that! I must go, but you should make your rounds. Introduce yourself, and I am sure that you will be very much liked, more than you expect.”

Then, just as quickly as she had appeared, the lady was gone. Samantha was alone once more, and even though she had made what she considered to be an ally, she did not even ask for her name, even though the lady clearly knewher.