Page 13 of Pursued Beyond Treachery (Harrowed Hearts #2)
L ady Stanford’s lady’s maid tucked tiny white blossoms in the twists at the crown of Susannah’s head. Like pearls in spun gold, they accented the white gown she had donned to perfection.
In an effort to add some color, she added her mother’s gold chain and matching bracelet. The maid finished her ministrations and Susannah stared at herself in the full-length mirror. Who was that woman staring back at her?
It had been years since she’d considered herself a child, but the person in the mirror was taller than she remembered, her curves more pronounced, and her cheeks less round.
Lady Stanford knocked on the door before entering. “Oh, Miss Wayland!” she exclaimed. “You look absolutely stunning. I am sure you will catch the attention of half the gentlemen in London.”
Susannah’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you, but I would settle for just one.” She peered down at her dress and whispered, “The right one, that is.”
“And who would that be?” A mischievous glint sparkled in Lady Stanford’s eyes.
“I do not know,” she lied. Was it truly a lie, though? She cared for John deeply, but what if fate was not on her side? What if she never won his regard?
The memory of the way he’d come to her over a week ago when Aunt Guthrie had been so condescending floated across her mind.
He’d been so angry she’d worried he might give her aunt a thorough set down.
In all the years she’d known John, he’d been the most even tempered, patient man of her acquaintance.
She’d hardly known him in that moment, but it had warmed her heart to know he would jump to her defense.
That did not mean he had any regard for her, though. Brothers defended their sisters after all.
Lady Stanford patted her arm. “Well, when you find such a gentleman, I beg you will let me know. Perhaps there is something Nathaniel and I might do to bring him up to scratch.”
She followed her statement with a cheeky grin.
Susannah laughed. “I shall do that.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Sir Nathaniel waited for them, his wife’s pelisse in hand. Lady Stanford smiled and slipped her arms into it, then winced, her hand settling over her midsection.
“Are you alright?” Susannah asked.
Lady Stanford inhaled deeply. “I am. Only a slight twinge. Perhaps I stepped wrong.”
Suspicion clouded Susannah’s mind, but she chose to push it away. Any woman could suffer abdominal pains.
The short drive left little time for conversation, even so Susannah doubted she’d have been able to string enough words together to sound intelligible. Excitement pulsed through her, keeping her warm even in the cold winter air.
When the pillars of Carlton House came into view, she gasped.
Kendall House, or even the Duke of Bedford’s home, were tiny in comparison to the grandeur before her.
Inside, the staircase split into two, both paths reuniting at the top where people filed through a narrow space only to turn and continue up more stairs.
Susannah’s feet froze to the floor as she looked around in wonder. She’d attended plenty of country dances, but this was like nothing she’d ever seen before.
The ball was to be held in the main court with other smaller rooms also readied for guests, the furniture having been moved for the occasion. But the crowd that filled the space left little room for dancing. Only half a dozen couples could possibly find room right in the center.
Unlike most balls, their host had not been at the door to greet them. Instead they were directed to enjoy some refreshment until His Majesty and the royal party arrived. Susannah glanced around at all the people milling about as the orchestra played.
A flash of yellow hair above the crowd caught her attention as it drew closer to them. Her heart pounded and her palms began to sweat. This was her moment. She prayed her preparations had been enough.
“Miss Wayland,” a female voice said from behind her. She turned in confusion.
The face of the lady was familiar but try as she might, she could not recall a name.
She’d met so many people these last few days that her mind could not hold onto more than a few names at a time, then she’d meet others and the first names disappeared without a trace.
A vague memory of the young woman at Kendall House floated in the back of Susannah’s mind.
“What a fine thing that we should meet again.” The woman motioned to the man next to her. “Do allow me to introduce my brother, Mr. Wallace.”
The gentleman gave a slight bow, his brown eyes dancing as they took her in. Dark brown hair curled around evenly set ears and at the temples of his wide brow. Susannah’s eyes widened. The man she’d collided with last evening.
He smiled at her. “Miss Wayland, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance—this time with much less pain involved.”
Susannah battled the urge to hold her burning cheeks. “Again, I am so sorry for my clumsiness.”
“Do not trouble yourself. I was at fault. If I’d been more attentive, we could have avoided such a collision. But you can imagine my delight when I found you share an acquaintance with my sister. She has told me a great deal about you.”
She had? Susannah had hardly spoken to Miss Wallace at the Stanfords’ dinner party, but she had not forgotten the way the woman’s attention had been focused on John. Was this some sort of jest?
“I hope they were all good things.” She tried to add a smile to give her words a note of teasing, but she really did wonder about Miss Wallace’s intent.
The brother and sister glanced at one another. “Of course,” he said. “And I now can declare that her description of your beauty was completely accurate.”
Susannah blushed at his pointed attention.
“Tell me, are you engaged for the first set?” he asked.
“I am not.”
“Might I have the honor then of leading you to the floor?”
She smiled. “That would be lovely.”
Out of the corner of her eye, John stopped. He stared at her, and she turned to greet him hoping his look of shock meant he approved of her appearance. But before she uttered a single word, he turned and left.
Her heart plummeted into the toes of her dancing slippers. What had she done wrong?