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He bowed his head and left her to the company of her companions.
Charlotte was soon claimed for another dance and it was not until she had pledged all but two of her waltzes that she discovered herself looking up into the unsmiling face of Captain Delsey.
‘I saw you had a queue of eager partners, most of them old comrades of mine,’ Jack said, one eyebrow arched. ‘May I hope that you have saved a waltz for me?’
‘Yes, sir. I pencilled in the one before supper and the one after, you may choose which you prefer.’
‘I am committed to Miss Julia Handley for much of the evening,’ Jack replied, ‘but I shall be greedy and ask for both those waltzes, if I may?’
‘Yes, if you truly wish it.’ Charlotte looked at him a little uncertainly.
‘Miss Handley is my cousin,’ Jack said, a gleam of devilry in his eyes. ‘May I bring her to you, Miss Stevens? Her mama was unable to accompany us this evening and I am duty bound to see that she is in good company—and to look after her.’
‘Ah, I see,’ Charlotte said, lifting her hand as her next partner arrived. ‘Excuse me, sir. I am engaged for this next...’ She turned to offer her hand to the good looking but rather pompous young man who had introduced himself as Lord Johnston and secured a set of country dances with her.
‘Johnston.’ Jack inclined his head. ‘Glad to see you up and about again, sir.’
‘Ah, Delsey.’ Charlotte’s partner looked slightly red about his neck. ‘Nice to see you. Yes, I am quite recovered from the, ah...accident now.’
Charlotte threw a puzzled glanced at Delsey as she allowed her new partner to draw her into the group of people forming the sets. Something was a little odd in the way the two gentlemen had greeted each other, but she could not quite fathom it, and her partner had no intention of enlightening her. He proceeded to talk about his estate in Norfolk, where he had a very special herd of Jersey cows, and his hopes of breeding from them in the future.
‘It is the quality of the milk, you see,’ he explained kindly, as Charlotte struggled to follow his flow. ‘They give so much more cream—and that’s where the money is. I have every intention of owning the biggest and best herd in the country.’
Charlotte murmured something that seemed to please him, though since his conversation, though turned from cows, was all of a rather bucolic nature, she was relieved when their dances ended and she rejoined her mama.
‘Ah, here you are, my love,’ Lady Stevens said. ‘You must be very warm. Will you not take a moment to eat one of these ices your brother has just procured for us?’
‘Oh, that would be nice, Mama,’ Charlotte said but even as she reached for a lemon ice, Viscount Delsey brought his companion to her and bowed before them.
‘Lady Stevens, Miss Stevens—may I present you to my cousin Julia Handley. I have explained that her mama entrusted Julia to my care this evening. She has friends here, but I thought she might keep company with you for a while? I was about to procure some champagne...if I could tempt you, Lady Stevens?’
‘Thank you, but we have these ices for the moment and more than enough for all. Will you not partake, Miss Handley? It is rather warm and they have already started to melt a little.’
‘I could fetch some fresh ices, if Miss Handley would care for it,’ Matt said, his expression, his sister thought, one of a man struck by lightning.
‘Oh, no, one of these would be delightful,’ Julia said and accepted a strawberry-flavoured ice from his hand.
Jack moved closer to Charlotte, murmuring in her ear, ‘You seemed puzzled just now by my reference to Lord Johnston’s health?’
‘I thought he looked quite fit and well.’
‘The matter of a little disagreement that ended with a duel,’ Jack said. ‘I stood his second since he could find no other willing to undertake it—and I fear he came off worse. The other fellow’s ball grazed his arm, but his own ball was way off the mark. He should never have been such a fool as to challenge Lord Harding over the matter of a dropped card.’
‘Lord Harding?’ Charlotte was chilled, a trickle of alarm sliding down her spine. ‘What makes you say Lord Johnston should not have challenged him?’
‘The card dropped to the floor from Lord Harding’s hand. Johnston swore it had come from his sleeve and Harding denied it—since it could not be proved, Johnston should have apologised, but he is rather stiff-necked and would not. Therefore, it was impossible to prevent the duel. I asked both if they would withdraw but...’ He shook his head and his eyes held an unfathomable gleam. ‘I have told you a secret no gentleman would disclose to a lady. Have I sunk beyond reproach in your eyes?’
‘Not at all,’ Charlotte replied seriously. ‘I hate it when gentlemen tell me that something I want to know is not suitable for a lady’s ears—as if we were children or too delicate to know the truth.’
‘Precisely,’ Jack said and smiled at her. ‘I believe I see a rather determined young man approaching. Your next partner, I imagine. I shall come to claim you later.’
Charlotte was duly claimed and once again found herself being whisked around the floor by a polished performer, another of Wellington’s former staff, she was reliably informed, though she thought him not quite as perfect a partner as Captain Young.
Glancing across the room, she saw Matt dancing with Julia Handley. They seemed to like each other well and were enjoying the dance, Julia looking very lovely as her eyes sparkled up at her partner.
Charlotte suspected that Delsey’s cousin might be a bit of a flirt and hoped that her brother would not fall too deeply in love with her too swiftly. However, next time she herself was dancing, she saw that Julia was once again dancing with her cousin and seemed to be enjoying herself just as much. Matt, too, had another partner, a quietly pretty young girl whom Charlotte only knew slightly. She saw Sir Percival dancing with Amelia Rushmore and Mr Rushmore was standing with a group of other young men watching the dancing with a brooding expression that might have been boredom.
As soon as Charlotte returned to her friends she was, once again, claimed by Sir Percival for the last set of country dances before supper. She found him good company and they parted with a smile and promises of meeting again quite soon.
‘I shall pay an afternoon call and perhaps you will drive out with me in the park one morning, Miss Stevens?’
Charlotte agreed to it, then turned as Captain Viscount Delsey approached her. She took his hand and was led to the dance floor just as the music struck up once more. He placed his hand firmly just above her waist and took her hand, drawing her into the swirl of dancing. A tingling sensation pervaded Charlotte’s body and she felt as if she were dancing on air, seeming light as a feather as he whirled her across the floor, appearing to carve a swathe through the other dancers as if he had some divine right. She had thought that Captain Young danced beautifully, but this feeling was exquisite, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. In that moment Charlotte wished that she might stay in the viscount’s arms for ever.
There were no words to describe the wonderful sensations that flooded through her, no way that she could understand why she seemed unable to breathe and yet could dance and dance for ever. Something inside her seemed to join with him, to become a part of her partner and lift her beyond the room and everyone in it. She felt as if she floated on a cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky...drifting away to a world where there was always sun and pleasant warmth.
When the music stopped and he released her hand it was such a shock that she almost fell. For a moment her mind refused to come back from wherever it had been and she could neither speak nor move.
‘Are you faint?’ he asked, looking at her anxiously. ‘Perhaps some air?’
‘No, no thank you, I shall be fine in a moment. I must find Mama and go into supper.’
‘I have reserved a table. Let me take you there and your mama and my cousin will join us. I mentioned it earlier.’
‘Did you?’ Charlotte could not trust herself to say more. She felt the touch of his hand on her arm as he guided her through the press of people to a table near an open window. She could feel the coolness of the air calming her heated skin and with the coolness some semblance of normality returned. ‘Oh, that is pleasant. I think I must have become a little heated.’
‘It is very warm in here,’ Jack murmured close to her ear, his breath warm on her exposed skin. ‘I felt it, too.’
Charlotte shivered with what she could only think was sensual delight, though she had never experienced anything like it before. There was something in his tone and his look that made her feel special, as if she were the focus of his attention, of his world. The thought made her feel quite giddy with pleasure and she wished that she might be alone with him somewhere private, somewhere they might make love.
What was she thinking? Charlotte came to herself with a shock. She was allowing herself to be seduced by a man’s smile, by the caress in his voice and the stroking of those compelling eyes... She was reacting like a foolish girl of twelve, instead of a young woman of more than nineteen. Viscount Captain Delsey was a practised flirt and a rake; he thought nothing of breaking hearts and she had no intention of offering hers up as a sacrifice.
His eyes met hers with a quizzical look, as if he sensed her thoughts. ‘Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Stevens. I see your mama making her way here with the others and I must speak to the waiter.’
Charlotte inclined her head, not quite trusting herself to speak. The viscount was undoubtedly a charming man, but also a heartless flirt, if the gossips were to be believed. She knew that he was regarded as one of the best catches on the matrimonial market, but he was unlikely to cast his hat in her direction. Indeed, most of the matchmaking mamas had given up hope of him. So if he seemed bent on capturing her interest it probably meant that he thought there might be a chance of seducing her into a clandestine flirtation...as he might well think if he’d seen her wearing her brother’s cast-off clothing.
It seemed likely that he’d recognised her as the urchin that he’d helped escape from unwelcome attention in the street—and a girl who would brave the streets at night dressed as a youth might be capable of anything. Indeed, she might so far forget herself as to be willing to indulge in something more than flirtation, might allow herself to be seduced. The thought sent waves of heat rushing through her once more and she struggled to compose herself. She must think of something else...a cool stream trickling through a sunset meadow...
Still feeling a little uncomfortable as her mama joined her, Charlotte decided that she must be careful in future. It would not do to become too intimate with the handsome viscount. Not only could he break her heart, he could ruin her reputation.
Yet when he returned with a trio of waiters, bringing a selection of all the choicest treats and two bottles of chilled champagne, Captain Delsey devoted himself to her mama and engaged her brother for a game of cards, before engaging his cousin for a drive to the park the next day. Since he paid Charlotte no more than polite attention, she was able to school her wayward thoughts, and, by the time he claimed his next dance, she had recovered her composure.
Try as she might, Charlotte could not hold back once he swept her away across the floor, her whole being given over to the joy of the music and the feeling of floating as she immersed herself in the dance. However, she did not let her thoughts drift to the desires that had formed during the first dance and was able to breathe easily and to thank her partner when the dance ended.
‘You dance like an angel,’ Delsey murmured in her ear. ‘I shall wait impatiently for the next time, Miss Charlotte.’
The sound of her name on his lips was like a caress. Such tactics were calculated to make foolish girls fall at his feet, but Charlotte was made of sterner stuff. She must and would resist the spells he wove—she had to for her family’s sake.
‘Thank you, sir. I must always be pleased to dance with such a delightful partner.’
She made him a deep curtsy and then walked away to join her mother, her back very straight, her head high, though every nerve in her body felt as if it were being torn apart by the loss of him. This was ridiculous! She hardly knew the man and she would be foolish beyond anything to let herself be drawn into his net, simply because when she was in his arms she was ready to cast aside the world for his sake. No, no, she would keep a guard between her and the charming viscount in future. She must remember who she was and what Mama expected of her rather than allowing herself to dream of passionate love in the arms of a man who fulfilled all her girlish hopes.
* * *
Three dances later the room began to thin of company and Lady Stevens told her daughter that they should be thinking of leaving.
‘I have promised that we shall take Miss Handley home for it is on our way, Charlotte. Julia is a very pleasant young lady and I have invited her and her mama to dine with us as soon as it may be arranged. She says she would like it if you would walk with her in the park tomorrow afternoon, and I thought you would so she will call for you at two.’
‘Oh...yes, of course, Mama,’ Charlotte agreed, though she seemed to recall that Delsey had made some sort of arrangement with his cousin for the following day. Yet she had not been paying attention and perhaps that had been for another day.
Because both young ladies had danced all evening they had had little time to become acquainted, but sitting in Mama’s comfortable carriage on the way home, Julia told Charlotte that she was looking forward to becoming better acquainted.
‘Mama has many friends in town,’ Julia confided, ‘but some of their daughters are so...well, to be kind, they are silly and have not a sensible thought in their heads. I think you are different, Charlotte. I should like it if we could be friends—and I know Jack likes you.’
Charlotte’s cheeks felt warm and she was glad that it was too dark in the carriage for Mama to notice. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘He seldom dances with very young ladies, but he danced twice with you—and he stood talking with you on every occasion you were not dancing.’
‘I dare say that was so that you might be comfortable with us,’ Charlotte murmured softly. ‘I think your cousin is an accomplished flirt, Miss Handley.’
‘Please, call me Julia. I hope I may call you Charlotte?’ Julia lowered her voice. ‘Jack has a terrible reputation, but he isn’t very wicked. I am sure he would never seduce an innocent young girl as some unscrupulous gentlemen do, but he cannot help it if the foolish ones break their hearts over him. If he takes a mistress now and then...well, all men do it, you know, at least until they marry.’
‘Who told you that?’ Charlotte asked in a whisper with a quick glance at her mother to make sure she was not listening.
‘Mama.’ Julia’s eyes sparkled. ‘She said it was quite the thing for young men and better than picking up...ladies of the night from the street. But of course, it should stop when the man gets married, though she confessed that it doesn’t always do so. My father has been faithful to her for ever, but she says she is lucky—and told me to make sure that I choose a man who will love only me.’
‘What are you two girls whispering about?’ Mama asked. ‘I believe we have arrived, Miss Handley. Pray tell your mama I should be happy if she will call and then we may all be comfortable together.’
‘Mama will be grateful to you for taking care of me this evening,’ Julia said. ‘She was worried for my papa or she would not have let me go alone with Jack—and he did not truly wish for it, but he’s such a dear that he could not refuse her.’
‘In future your mama may send you with us, should she be unable to attend a function to which we are invited.’
‘You are so kind,’ Julia said, thanking her again as the carriage stopped and a groom came to open the door for her, after first knocking at her house so that her footman had the front door open and waiting for her. ‘Goodnight, Charlotte. I shall see you tomorrow.’
‘Yes. I shall look forward to it.’
Charlotte sat back against the squabs after Julia had gone and closed her eyes, thinking of the evening she had enjoyed—and the partners who had given her the most pleasure. Captain Young and Captain Viscount Delsey—both of them were excellent dancers, but very different in other respects. Of the two, only Jack Delsey had made her lose control of her senses for a short time, though Christopher Young had come to her between dances and asked if he might take her driving one day.
‘I know we are not much acquainted,’ he’d said, ‘but I feel as if I have known you all my life—and I should like to know you better, if you would like it?’
‘Thank you. Yes, I should be happy to drive out with you one day,’ Charlotte had said, smiling up into his blue eyes. ‘You must call on Papa, sir. I am sure he would invite you to dine with us one evening.’
‘You did very well this evening.’ Mama’s voice interrupted her train of thought and Charlotte opened her eyes. ‘Sir Percival seemed quite taken with you—and I believe you danced every dance, my dear.’
‘Yes, Mama, I did,’ she agreed. ‘It was the most enjoyable evening.’
‘Did you know that Captain Young is the heir of Lord Sampson?’
‘No, Mama, I did not realise that,’ Charlotte said. Lord Sampson was a neighbour of Papa’s in the country, but the estates were some fifteen miles distant and Charlotte saw little of the elderly gentleman, who was something of a recluse.
‘Neither did I until Papa told me,’ her mama said with a look of satisfaction. ‘Lord Sampson is quite comfortably off, Charlotte—wealthy, in fact. His heir will be in possession of a large fortune in the future...but I do not imagine that he personally has the funds to settle Papa’s debts. Sir Percival is not as wealthy as one might like, but at least his fortune is his own. Not every gentleman is as fortunate, my love.’
‘No, I imagine not.’ Charlotte realised what her mother was telling her. The charming officer had prospects, but if her marriage was to ease her father’s burden of debt, she needed someone already in possession of a fortune: such as Sir Percival.
Turning her face aside, Charlotte swallowed the little lump that had formed in her throat. She had liked Captain Young very much...almost as much as Captain Delsey, but while the one might perhaps offer her marriage she was fairly certain that it was far from the mind of the other. Sir Percival was a pleasant gentleman, but he had not made her flesh tingle when he held her as they danced.
Tears stung her eyes for a moment as she wished that her father had not wasted his fortune and obliged her to think of such things. She longed to be free to follow her heart, but knew that in the end she might have to settle for less than she wanted.
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