Page 17 of A Hint of Scandal (The Mismatched Lovers #2)

S erafina discovered, to her secret delight, that Ogden had been forced to hire a carriage to take his party to the Hadleigh Ball on Friday. And in fact, he’d also engaged both the coachman and the groom for the rest of their stay in Town. “We have to keep up appearances, my dear, whatever the expense,” she’d overheard him saying to Araminta, “when our Letty is attracting so much attention. We don’t want Mr. Talbot thinking we are not well off, with all that might entail.”

Araminta had agreed with him, which in itself was unusual, as she was usually the more miserly of the two. “You are quite right, my dear. We certainly don’t want Mr. Talbot to think we are out merely to catch a man with a fortune for Letty.”

Probably she hadn’t seen the irony in her statement. But whatever the cause, they now boasted a fine hired carriage in which to pay calls on people in Town or for rides out to the park for Letty to be seen by the beau monde, which of course meant her suitors. For this reason, the carriage possessed hoods that could be lowered in clement weather, although, for the outing to Hadleigh House, which stood in Berkley Square, the hoods were up. A fine wintry drizzle was falling, dispelling any inclination spring might have had to show its delicate nose.

Letty, beside herself with excitement at the thought of another ball and all the handsome young men who were about to fall at her feet, had already been reprimanded by Araminta. “Young men do not like young ladies who are too forward,” she snapped, as her daughter settled her diaphanous skirts onto one of the carriage seats. “You do not wish to be thought of as fast. That would never do.” Letty was wearing another new gown and, Serafina had been forced to admit, looked quite ravishing.

A ridiculous longing to be able to look ravishing herself had settled in her bosom and refused to relinquish its hold on her. However, a quick glance into the mirror in their bedroom before she’d descended the stairs had told her that she herself did not look in the least bit ravishing, but rather plain and boring in a gown she’d owned for several years now. Admittedly it was made of cream silk, accounted for by the fact that it had once belonged to Araminta, but nevertheless it was not the height of fashion as gleaned from Letty’s magazines, and nor was it new. A little mischievous voice inside Serafina was busy complaining that if she were to see Max tonight, she would have liked to have been more strikingly attired in order to make a better impression on him. She hushed the voice.

The journey to Hadleigh House took very little time, despite the roads being busy with other carriages all heading in the same direction. The Earl and Countess of Hadleigh, Araminta informed them as they joined the throng waiting to alight at the doors, were amongst the most influential members of the ton . A kind word from Lady Hadleigh could be the making of a girl and lead to the forging of a very advantageous marital state.

Not that she was likely to have a kind word for Serafina, who had no illusions of grandeur. However, despite her avowal to lock away her infatuation, she couldn’t still the wild beating of her heart at the thought she might be going to see Max again, and that he might renew his request for her hand. Time, and much mulling over of his offer, had produced in her, amongst other things, a realization that she was unlikely to receive any other offers, and that if she had to marry someone, then surely marrying a man she was already infatuated with might be for the best. Even if he wasn’t similarly infatuated with her.

The alternatives, once carefully considered, didn’t bear thinking about. Suppose, for example, Ogden and Araminta found someone like that old duke Letty had mentioned to marry her off to? Not a duke, obviously, as they would be reserving one of those for Letty, but possibly an old man in need of a nurse for his twilight years, or as a stepmother for his brood of children, who would, of course, be unmanageable. Both possibilities were abhorrent and depressing, so she’d come out tonight almost convinced she could accept Max’s offer. Despite her continuing inner sadness that the offer hadn’t been made out of something more than practicality.

Their driver maneuvered the carriage into place by the large doors into Hadleigh House and a liveried footman stepped up to let down the step and open the door for them. Ogden descended first and handed first Araminta and then Letty out onto the pavement. He then turned his back on Serafina. But a gloved hand was extended, and in surprise Serafina took the young footman’s hand as he helped her out. However, the look in his eyes as his gaze ran over the parlous state of her gown had heat rushing to her cheeks. The pity of a servant was not something she could ever become used to.

Biting back her embarrassment, she smiled and nodded to him and followed her family into the house, her head held high as though she were Cinderella in her fine, fairy-godmother-made gown about to meet her prince.

If anything, Hadleigh House was more splendid than the Ponsonby’s, being constructed on a larger scale, with higher ceilings, wider rooms, bigger chandeliers, more people and what sounded like louder music. Already, a fug of warmth filled the air, bringing with it the inevitable aroma of exotic perfumes worn by men and women alike and smothering any scent that might have clung to the displays of hothouse flowers in every alcove.

Serafina gazed about herself in consternation. If Max were here, how would she ever find him?

Araminta seemed certain of where they were going, and led the way through the crowds of chattering people towards the source of the music. A veritable orchestra was seated on a raised dais at one end of a large ballroom, diligently plying their trade. Clusters of people lined the edges, some seated at small round tables, others on upholstered benches and still more standing about and watching the dancing going on in the center of the room. No sign of Max though. Nor his formidable mother.

Like bees to an exotic flower, young men flocked to Letty’s side, clamoring for her attention and vying with one another for the honor of leading her out in each dance. Serafina edged closer to her niece, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder and dropping her voice to whisper a warning in her ear. “Do not forget to leave a dance spare for Mr. Talbot. Your mama wishes you to encourage him and I have to agree with her advice.”

But Letty shook her off. “Pooh. If he’s not here to claim his dance then he’s going to miss out. I can’t possibly dance with everyone, can I?” Unlike Serafina, she didn’t keep her voice down, and several of the young men crowding around her seemed encouraged to press their suits further.

“One dance only for each of them then,” Serafina added. It would not do at all to allow Letty to dance twice with any gentleman. Not even the as yet unseen Mr. Talbot. Well, perhaps they could make an exception for him, if he asked.

Letty shot her a discouraging frown and returned to flirting with her entourage of admirers. Amongst whom the two young gamblers Serafina had warned her about seemed much in prominence. Hopefully, Letty would remember what she’d told her about them and not allow them a dance at all. The naughty girl turned her back on Serafina with determination, and her laughter rose towards the chandeliers.

Well, if she wanted to behave like that, who was she, Serafina, to stop her? As this was a totally new thought, it brought her up short. Everything she’d ever done up until this point had been with Letty’s welfare in mind. And until now Letty had been reasonably biddable, as long as Serafina hadn’t crossed her, which of course she’d tried hard to avoid. However, here in London, she seemed to have suddenly got the bit between her teeth intent on bolting out of Serafina’s restraining company.

Serafina compressed her lips. Tonight, for once, she was going to do something for herself. Instead of putting Letty before her own concerns, she was going to put herself first. Letty couldn’t come to any appreciable harm here, and she did have her mother to keep an eye on her. She could leave her to indulge herself with all her many admirers, and try to enjoy the ball for what it was. Perhaps someone might even ask her to dance if she wasn’t hiding in a corner all evening.

And perhaps if she perambulated about the room, she might find Max.

Leaving Araminta and Ogden smiling fondly over their daughter’s obvious success, she slid away from them and headed towards the refreshment room. A glass of lemonade would give her something to do with her hands, and make her feel as though she stood out less as alone amongst so many people in groups or couples.

She reached the table where a footman was serving glasses of lemonade to warm dancers and made her way to the front of the press. She was just extending her hand to take a glass when a voice sounded from behind her. “Allow me to get you a glass, Miss Gilbert.”

Max. His deep voice was unmistakable.

He’d spotted Serafina from his secluded vantage point on the far side of the room the moment she’d entered with her brother’s family, and watched her careful detachment from the crowd around Letty and her progress into the refreshment room. Buoyed up with Watkins’ advice, he’d headed after her to cut off any possible idea she might have of returning to Letty’s side. He wanted her to himself tonight.

Now, she swung around to find him standing a mere foot behind her, and their eyes met. She managed a small smile. “Why Captain Aubrey, what a surprise you have given me.” Somehow, here in public, it hadn’t felt right to call her by her first name, and she seemed to be of the same mind. If anyone had overheard such familiarity, gossip could start.

He picked up a glass and handed it to her, then took one for himself. “I had hoped to see you here, but after our last meeting I couldn’t be sure you would come.”

Warm color rose to her cheeks, bestowing a healthy and attractive glow to their normal pallor. “I am here to attend on my niece, of course.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t see her with you.”

She looked flustered as though uncertain how to answer this. Inspiration, and a fleeting look of relief, came to her. “I was just fetching her some refreshment.”

He smiled. Watkins had suggested he should smile a lot to make sure she knew he liked her company. It wasn’t hard, as after all, he did find her company interesting. A little intriguing, even. “Then why are you sipping it yourself?”

It must have been a natural reaction to taste the lemonade as he handed it to her. Her color deepened, and she glanced about herself furtively. “I shall drink this one myself and then fetch her another.”

He smiled. “I would rather you didn’t return to wait upon that rather spoiled young lady, but instead spent a little time with me.”

Let her know you want to spend time with her , Watkins had said. Make sure she knows how much you want to please her .

Serafina flustered was a sight to behold, with flushed cheeks and widened eyes, her breasts rising and falling as though she were finding it hard to breathe. Max had never truly learned to flirt, as his previous associations with women had been with ladies of a different class during his time at Oxford and in the army, none of which had begun in a ballroom. However, Watkins seemed to have a natural instinct for how to engage the feelings of a young lady of class.

“Perhaps you would care to promenade around the ballroom with me, as I cannot ask you to dance?” Max said, as this was another of Watkins’s suggestions. Did the working classes do much the same at whatever dances they might hold?

Serafina shot him a puzzled look, but when he set down his untouched lemonade and held out his good left arm, she slipped her hand into the crook. “That would be most agreeable.” She appeared to have herself back under control. It occurred to him to wonder what might have been going through her mind since that drive in the park and his rather ham-fisted proposal. He wasn’t used to putting himself in the shoes of another, at least, not unless it was another soldier on the battlefield. And especially not seeing inside the head of such an alien creature as a woman.

He steered her slowly around the dance floor, conscious of the curious stares of more than a few of the other guests. Let them stare. What made him more of a spectacle than all the other gentlemen doing exactly the same thing? His arm, of course, and the fact that he was escorting a young lady none of them would recognize.

“I fear I might have offended you yesterday afternoon,” he said, sticking to his plan to grab the proverbial bull by the horns. Not that Serafina remotely resembled a bull.

She looked up at him, her gaze direct. “I was not offended.”

Well, that was something. What next? “Perhaps I was a little too blunt in what I said to you.”

She gave a small shrug of her slender shoulders. “You were honest, and I admire honesty in a person.”

All good so far. “But in matters of… marriage, I fear total honesty is something less than romantic.”

She smiled. “On the contrary, honesty is to be admired and sought after where marriage is concerned. I would not want to enter into any contract where honesty was not at the forefront of the arrangement.”

His vow to approach her in a more romantic fashion, as advised by Watkins, seemed to rapidly be disintegrating. And she was doing the demolition. “You didn’t mind when I told you why I need to marry?”

She shook her head. “Always best to be frank from the very start.”

As this was how he’d felt himself only yesterday, he couldn’t argue with her reasoning. However, he had to inject romance in here somewhere. “But I neglected to tell you why I want to marry.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why, you wish to marry because if you don’t you won’t receive your substantial inheritance. Plain and simple. I believe there is nothing more to say on that subject.”

For a moment Max was lost for words. He’d been planning to tell her that he wanted to marry her rather than anyone else because he admired her, because he liked her, and because he found her good company, but she’d forestalled him there. Probably Watkins would have protested that those were not romantic reasons. Damn Watkins. This was not going the way he’d predicted.

She, however, was not at all lost for words. “Am I being presumptuous in thinking that the reason for your approach this evening is to press your suit?”

He nodded. “It is.” Not much else he could say.

She halted, turning slightly to look up at him, her gray eyes veiled and her expression unreadable. “Then I shall set your mind at rest. You may have my acceptance, Captain Aubrey. I agree to marry you so that you may receive your inheritance and that I might become the chatelaine of your estate. Your conditions of marriage suit me well. I shall escape my brother’s house and endeavor to perform my duties as hostess for you whenever required.” She drew a breath. “It will be, as you said, a marriage of convenience, and we will both continue to live our lives as we see fit.”

Max stared at her, all thoughts of how to smooth the way between them flown. Her demeanor had changed to businesslike, her words were calm and sounded well rehearsed. That she’d been planning how to accept his proposal seemed evident. So why wasn’t he feeling pleased?

Pushing his worries out of his head, he bowed over her hand, then lifted it to his lips. “I shall be honored to have you as my wife… Miss Gilbert.” Their easy intimacy as friends at the museum and in the park had vanished.

She nodded. “And I shall be honored to have you as my husband, Captain.” She paused. “And now, perhaps, we had better go and inform my brother and his wife. I fear my niece will not be happy that I have received and accepted an offer of marriage before her. She may need some mollification.”