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D ru had always enjoyed dancing, and tonight was no exception.

Though there had been an abundance of food, she had eaten sparingly so she could dance without being miserable.

Mr. Hollis had asked her to dance first. While she found that she liked him a good deal, she had found her gaze wandering as they danced, looking for Lord Martindale.

He had been nowhere to be seen, so when the first dance had ended, she had excused herself and gone looking for him.

It had surprised her that he had offered to hold Penelope while Ariadne and Julian danced, but then again, he seemed most kind.

She only wished she could have seen him doing so.

Or perhaps not. Already she was far too fond of the earl.

Seeing him with a babe in his arms might have been disastrous, as far as her heart was concerned.

Still, she wished to dance with him and was glad she had sought his company.

While she could understand his being weary after a day spent laboring in the fields, he might have slipped away unnoticed, causing her to miss this opportunity.

She had him now as a partner, though, and would make the most of it.

The dance was lively, and she moved with abandon, enjoying every moment the music played.

When she joined with Lord Martindale, those delicious shivers rippled along her spine, something that had not occurred when she partnered with Mr. Hollis.

Dru made the most of the time she had with the earl, and he twirled her about as the lively music played on.

All too soon, it came to an end, and it was as if she could see him withdrawing from her. She wanted to help him, but she knew he would refuse to talk about his experiences during the war, what she believed to be the root of his troubles.

He took her hand and placed it on his sleeve to guide her away from the other dancers.

She recalled seeing his bare forearms, his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows when he had helped in the Huntsworth harvest on Monday.

Those forearms had been a thing of true beauty.

If she were a painter or sculptor, she would have pleaded for him to be her model so that she might capture them on canvas or in marble for eternity.

The earl did look weary as he told her, “I must be off, my lady. I still have another day of harvesting tomorrow, as well as my own estate’s celebration to attend the following day.”

Their gazes met and held. She did not want him to leave.

“Stay,” she whispered.

He shook his head. “I cannot.” He did capture her hand and bring it to his lips for a tender kiss. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Lady Dru. Perhaps you can even get Lord Tilsbury to dance with you,” he teased.

Then he was gone, and Dru felt cut adrift. Her heart grew heavy.

“Ah, Lady Drusilla,” a familiar voice said.

Turning, she saw Mr. Hollis before her. “Might we dance to another tune? I so enjoyed our first dance.”

“I thought I would see if your uncle might dance with me,” she said. “Perhaps later, Mr. Hollis. My brother-in-law suggested I dance with some of our tenants.”

Disappointment filled his eyes, but he stoically said, “Of course. I hope to see you shortly.”

Dru found Viscount Tilsbury, sitting in a chair, tapping his foot to the music, which had started again by this time. She took the seat next to him.

“I saw you dancing, my lady. You do so with such joy, just as Lady Tilsbury did.”

“I am flattered to be compared to your wife, my lord. Have you danced since her passing?”

The viscount sighed. “I have not. And I vowed I never would—until we are united again and can dance together in the afterlife.”

“That is a pleasant thought. I never thought about dancing once I am gone.”

“Oh, I think about what comes after death all the time,” he told her.

“It is because I am closer to my time of passing than you are. I believe we are reunited with our loved ones when we leave this earth, and that we do all the things with them that brought us joy. For me, that would be dancing with my wife.” He paused, his eyes misting.

“Just think, an eternity with the woman I love in my arms. Now that, Lady Drusilla, is what heaven is all about.”

She laughed merrily. “I like your version of heaven better than ones I heard about from some vicars.”

“God is good,” Lord Tilsbury said. “He knows what pleases us. Being with my wife was heaven on earth. Why wouldn’t I have the same in the true heaven?”

“Why not, indeed?” she mused. “Very well. I shall go dance with others then.”

He took her hand. “I saw you dancing with Edward. I think he enjoys your company a great deal.”

She hesitated and then said, “I believe he might.”

“And your feelings?”

“I am a little confused about that, my lord,” she admitted.

“Not everyone falls in love, my lady, much less as quickly as I did with Lady Tilsbury. I hope that you are lucky enough to do so. If you are not, then my wish for you is that you will find a gentleman whom you can call friend and companion. One who will be someone you enjoying being a wife to.”

She lifted his hand to her cheek and held it there a moment. “We will have to see what my future holds.”

Dru excused herself and danced with several others. Lucy had told her to feel free to dance with anyone, be that a guest or one of the tenants. She danced with two farmers, Mr. Wayling, Judson’s valet Tim, and even Harry, her favorite groom at Huntsworth.

By now, it had grown dark, and Mr. Hollis approached her again, a cup of lemonade in hand.

“Might I offer you something to drink, Lady Drusilla?”

“Thank you. I was feeling parched.”

She accepted the cup he offered, as well as accompanying him to a couple of chairs. As she sipped her lemonade, he asked her questions about herself. She told him some about her life at Marleyfield but mentioned how much she was enjoying her visit to Surrey.

“I have always been close to Lucy, and I am becoming extremely fond of Ariadne.”

“Will you be here long?” he asked.

“I cannot answer that. Lucy and Judson have told me that I might stay as long as I wish, even until next spring when they return to town for the Season. I am supposed to make my come-out then.”

He studied her a moment. “You do not sound happy about that.”

She shrugged. “I will admit that I have mixed emotions. To be honest, Mr. Hollis, I have not seen myself with a husband and children, at least not until I came to Surrey. Watching how happy my sister and cousin are in their marriages has convinced me that I should make my come-out and see what happens from there.” She paused.

“Will you attend the Season, Mr. Hollis?”

“I have never done so. I doubt I will because it is not something my uncle chooses to do. Eventually, after I have taken up the viscountcy, I plan to do so when I become a part of Polite Society.”

“Will you seek a wife at that time?”

He did not answer for a long moment and finally said, “My younger brother wed several years ago. I believe I mentioned to you that he already has two children. I thought it best to wait until I came into my title until I sought a wife, however.”

“My brother has decided to do the same,” she said.

“In my case, the ladies of my acquaintance only know me as a solicitor. They are the daughters of other solicitors, doctors, and even tradesmen. I do not mean to sound prejudiced against the middle class, but those women might not make for a good viscountess, not having come from the world of the ton . I would hate it if I chose to wed and then my wife had trouble being accepted into Polite Society.”

“But you will mix in a more gentler society if you remain with Lord Tilsbury,” she pointed out. “You might even find someone in the neighborhood with whom you would suit.”

His gaze intensified, and Dru felt compelled to look away.

“I know we have both danced quite a bit, my lady. Would you care for a less strenuous form of exercise? We might stroll the lawns.”

Wanting to break the serious mood, she agreed. “Yes, thank you. A stroll would be lovely.”

He helped her to stand and she accepted the arm he offered. They walked around the perimeter of the dancing and then went farther afield. He told her some about his life in London and a few of his current cases.

“One thing I have done my fair share of is negotiating marriage settlements. I am in demand for that. I pride myself on doing a fine job, making certain that whichever party I represent has fair representation within the contracts.”

By now, they had drifted a good distance from the others. While she could still hear the music, the dancers were merely dark shapes.

Suddenly, he turned, taking her face in his hands. “Lady Drusilla, I must tell you how ardently I do admire you. You possess a good deal of maturity for one of such a tender age.”

Before she could reply, he bent, his lips pressing against hers. She decided to allow the kiss, mostly because she wished to compare it to those of Lord Martindale.

Mr. Hollis kissed her for a few minutes, growing bolder, finally easing her mouth open and sweeping his tongue inside. While his kiss was pleasant, Dru had no desire to return it. She felt none of the magic she had experienced when Lord Martindale kissed her.

He broke the kiss, smiling down gently at her. Apparently, he had not noticed her lack of enthusiasm—or he believed it was her first kiss and she had no idea how to respond.

“Would you—”

“Save your question, Mr. Hollis,” she interrupted, worried he was about to spontaneously offer marriage to her.

“But I—”

“If you would excuse me.”

Dru took off, hurrying away. Perhaps she was being overhasty, and he merely wished to ask if he might court her, but panic filled her, nonetheless. She did want to think about Mr. Hollis as a possible suitor, now or ever. She didn’t want any suitor.

Unless it might be Lord Martindale.

Oh, she had turned into some foolish fluffhead. “Bloody hell,” she said aloud, traveling as fast as her feet would carry her, away from the others gathered.

She needed to get notions of Lord Martindale out of her head.

She was not for him. He was not for her.

Despite how happy she had been at Huntsworth, it might be time to make arrangements to go home to Somerset.

She could write Con and see if he could arrange his schedule so that he might serve as her chaperone back to Marleyfield.

The thought of being around Mama, however, caused dread to rise within her.

Which would be the lesser of two evils—butting heads with her mother or pining over a man who would never considering wedding her?

Dru found herself at the stables and ducked inside, wanting a quiet place to be and think.

Everyone at Huntsworth, including the grooms, should be at the celebration, so this should serve as a brief sanctuary for her.

The comforting smell of hay and horse greeted her, something she was familiar with and found solace in.

She paused a moment, trying to catch her breath.

A horse nearby nickered, and she moved to it, stroking the velvet nose.

“There’s a good pretty,” she said absently.

Then she heard a low moan and froze.

Someone was here.

She held her breath, waiting. When nothing sounded, she decided she had imagined the noise.

Until it came again.

The keening started low and then rose in volume. In it, she heard both sorrow and suffering, and it tore at her heart. Then it magnified into a loud wail, causing fear to shoot through her. She knew someone was in distress and must help them.

Resolve filled her, and Dru hurried down the row of stalls until she located the source of despair.

Glancing into the stall, which was empty of any horse, she saw a man curled up in the hay, his body twitching.

Surprisingly, Toby nestled against him. Pity filled her, especially when his head whipped about and she caught sight of his face.

It was the Earl of Martindale.