Page 21 of The Lady Was Lying (Greydon #3)

Chapter Nine

B ecause she had previously declined to join her family at the Marquess of Hereford’s Annual Winter Ball, Belinda timed her descent that evening to coincide with their departure from the house.

After impatiently waiting upstairs until they had disappeared through the open door, she swept down the staircase in a whirl of satin so she could join them without being interrogated.

Sebastian had been the last one out the door, and either he had forgotten something or she had not been as quiet as she’d thought, because he reappeared in the doorway before she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You’re coming with us?” he asked, stepping back inside the house with a quizzical expression on his face.

“Someone has to monitor Jane’s suitors,” she replied evenly.

He stiffened. “Are you suggesting I’m not up to the task?”

“Not at all, but you don’t know many of the gentlemen as I do.”

“I’m sure that is true.” His lips turned up as he shook his head slightly.

“Even so, I assure you that I have everything under control. Jane is not the sort to sneak out of ballrooms. When she is not dancing, she remains with me or Emmeline. There has been no opportunity for her to be taken advantage of or otherwise led astray.” His lips turned up even more. “You don’t need to worry.”

“Perhaps not.” Belinda folded her hands at her waist. “But you’ve allowed her to dance with Lord Edwin more than once.”

“That is also true.” Sweeping his arm out, he gestured for her to precede him through the doorway. “Jane can dance with whomever she pleases. There is no harm in sharing a dance.”

“Perhaps not,” she repeated. “But?—”

“I am aware of Lord Edwin’s reputation,” he interrupted. “As is Jane.”

“She should not waste her time on men who are unworthy of her.”

“A dance here or there doesn’t qualify as wasted time. Refusing to dance with eligible men who have behaved in a respectable manner toward her only invites speculation and drama, whereas being esteemed by others and known for kindness will only serve Jane well.”

“If it were up to me, she’d avoid men like Lord Edwin entirely.”

“Should she avoid all the men you’ve kissed?” Sebastian asked as she placed her right foot on the block to climb into the carriage.

“Ha. Very funny. For your information, I’ve never kissed Lord Edwin,” she tossed the words over her shoulder before disappearing inside. The sound that escaped from Jane’s lips when Belinda slipped into the carriage was far too loud. And far too excited.

“Surprise.” Belinda attempted to match her sister’s enthusiasm with a wide smile.

“You’re joining us?” Jane asked, clapping her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Belinda shrugged, not wanting to admit that she hadn’t trusted herself to attend, and really not wanting to admit that part of the reason she’d convinced herself to attend was because she believed James would be there.

She did not want her sister to get the wrong idea.

“It was a last-minute decision. I promised you my assistance, and I can hardly support your endeavors from home.”

“It’s hard to argue with such sound logic. I’m so delighted you’ve changed your mind. We’re going to have the best night together.”

Belinda hummed noncommittally.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sebastian asked as he settled onto the plush bench next to Belinda.

“Not at all,” she replied honestly.

“Everything will be fine,” Emmeline assured them, reaching out and patting Sebastian’s thigh. Unlike Belinda and Sebastian, Emmeline was an eternal optimist, and it seemed as if she had full confidence that Belinda could attend the marquess’s ball without engaging in any behavior worthy of scandal.

Belinda could only hope that she was correct.

* * *

The ball was an undeniable crush. The scandal sheets would probably mark it as a great success, but Belinda would be hard pressed to agree, because she wasn’t having any luck identifying another suitor for her sister.

Jane was obviously esteemed by everyone she encountered.

She had been jolly and cheerful all night, but at no point had she appeared smitten, or even moderately infatuated, by the men who flocked to her side.

Belinda was caught off guard when her sister suddenly appeared at her side, grabbed onto her arm, leaned close, and with a twinge of panic in her voice whispered, “Can you dance with the duke for me?”

“What?” Belinda shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

Jane’s face scrunched. “I need to go to the ladies retiring room and—” She gestured over her shoulder where James was headed in their direction, weaving through the crowd.

“You can’t wait?”

“No!” Jane practically shouted, more agitated than seemed necessary.

“But—”

“Belinda,” Jane whined. “Please dance with Avondale for me.”

“I’ll tell him you are indisposed,” Belinda conceded. “But not that I will dance with him in your place.” While her self-control had been unusually robust all evening—she’d rebuffed every man who showed even a degree of interest—it would be foolish to test her resolve.

“I appreciate it. Thank you,” Jane whispered and then slipped into the crowd.

With an aggravated sigh, Belinda turned toward her brother and his wife. They’d been whispering to each other for several minutes, paying little attention to anyone else, so they hadn’t even noticed that Jane had appeared and then disappeared.

Some chaperones they were.

Belinda tapped on Sebastian’s shoulder, and he startled as if she’d attacked him.

She snorted. “Seriously? I’ve been standing next to you all this time. Did you forget I was here?”

“What are you blathering about?” he asked, straightening the lapels of his jacket and glancing around as if he’d forgotten he was in the ballroom entirely.

Belinda shook her head and sighed again. “We have a problem. Jane is headed to the ladies retiring room”—she gestured in the direction Jane had gone—“and she is supposed to dance the next set with the duke.”

“She couldn’t wait?” Sebastian asked, mirroring Belinda’s response exactly.

“Oh no. Is she all right?” Emmeline asked, furthering her status as the kindest member of their family.

“She seemed well enough,” Belinda responded.

Emmeline placed her hand against her stomach. “I wish I could take her place, but spinning would be far too much for me today.”

“Or any day,” Sebastian added affectionately.

“Indeed.” Emmeline smiled at him. “I should go check on Jane. Will you stay here and speak with the duke?”

Sebastian nodded and dropped a kiss on Emmeline’s forehead before she went to find Jane.

Feeling rather useless, Belinda frowned as she watched Emmeline go.

The only thing she’d managed to do that evening was to keep herself out of trouble.

Behaving like a proper lady was absolutely an accomplishment, but it wasn’t enough.

How was she going to convince herself to attend another ball if the only thing she was going to do was watch her sister flirt prettily while otherwise remaining entirely unaffected?

Belinda was still frowning when James came to a halt in front of them.

As they swapped greetings, he seemed to be paying her undue attention. Why was he looking at her so closely? Was her gown awry? Was her misery apparent?

“I’m sorry to say that Jane is indisposed at the moment,” Sebastian told the duke. “It appears that she will be unable to dance with you this evening.”

“How unfortunate. Hopefully nothing serious is ailing her.” He glanced at Belinda as he spoke.

“I believe she will be fine,” Sebastian replied.

James nodded, his gaze darting to Belinda again. “Jane is a delightful partner. I shall miss her company.”

Why did he keep looking at her?

“Jane is most distressed about not being able to dance with you,” she interjected, even though her sister hadn’t seemed that distressed. “Perhaps you can save her a dance at a future ball, or you could call on her tomorrow to inquire about her well-being.”

“Absolutely.” James shifted on his feet as if he were uncertain what to say next.

“Perhaps you would be willing to dance together,” Sebastian suggested, wincing as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Not necessary,” James quickly responded. “I don’t mind sitting this one out.”

Belinda would have refused, but the fact that James had dismissed the idea so promptly caused a momentary deficiency in her brain. “It would be my pleasure to dance with the duke.”

James’s eyebrows shot up. “It would?”

“I am more than adept at dancing. You could do worse,” she informed him tartly.

“I wasn’t suggesting otherwise, but you…” He trailed off as if he didn’t know what he wanted to say before finishing with, “…never dance.”

“That’s untrue. I enjoy dancing. In all likeliness, I’ve danced more frequently than you have.

In fact, I’ve danced in this very ballroom before.

” While she had managed to avoid this particular event during her ill-fated season, the marquess had hosted a smaller engagement earlier that year, and she had danced then.

Later that same evening, in an alcove just beyond the stairs, she’d kissed a gentleman who smelled of peppermint but tasted of spirits. Although there had been nothing particularly objectionable about him, she had not enjoyed his kiss.

“Really?” James asked, looking around as if he didn’t believe her.

As improbable as it seemed, it appeared that no one had informed him of her popularity during her failed season. Or if they had, he hadn’t taken the information to heart, because he seemed quite skeptical that she even knew how to dance.

“Being proficient at dancing would be a rather ridiculous thing to lie about, wouldn’t it?” she asked, not waiting for a response before adding, “Just because I have avoided it lately, doesn’t mean that I always have.”