“Let’s go find Alice, shall we?” Grace asked and led Selina immediately on a search for the host. It didn’t take too long to find her.
Lady Alice was surrounded by a group of women, all chattering and laughing. She turned towards the dowager and Alice as they approached her, exclaiming loudly.
Lady Alice was a beautiful, round, middle-aged woman with dark brown hair held up by pins. Her cheeks looked a little red, and Selina guessed she had had a few glasses of wine already.
Just like the dowager, Lady Alice possessed an air of quiet authority, Selina observed. Here was a woman to be reckoned with.
“Ah! Your Grace! You came!” Lady Alice curtsied politely, excusing herself from her companions and walking towards Selina and Grace.
“Of course, I came, my dear. How do you do?”
Lady Alice glanced over her shoulder, and seeing that they were alone, she sighed as she became more informal with the dowager.
“I do good, Your Grace. It’s such a pleasure to see you, you know? It’s been ages since the last time we met. You made Brigpool your home and said good riddance to all your old friends.”
Grace tittered quietly, covering her mouth with her fan to maintain some measure of decorum. “Nothing of the sort, my dear.”
“When I found out you had returned to Wynten Estate, I knew I had to invite you for my party,” Lady Alice said with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”
“Nonsense,” the dowager said, waving off the statement. “You know I would not have missed this.”
Lady Alice laughed a little too loudly. “Of course.”
“Tell me, Alice. How’s your boy?”
“What to tell?” Lady Alice replied. “If his last letter was anything to go by, he’s doing wonderfully. He mentioned that he would be with us in a few months. I won’t lie to you, my friend. I miss him a lot, but they do grow up rather too qui—”
Lady Alice stopped mid-sentence, seeing Selina for the first time. “Oh my,” she exclaimed, hand on her chest in pleasant surprise. “And who is this beautiful young lady?”
Selina curtsied low in greeting. “Good day, my lady. Thank you for having me in your home. It’s most beautiful.”
Grace smiled and placed a hand on Selina’s arm. “This is Selina Knight, my companion.”
“Hello, Selina,” Lady Alice said with a curious smile. “A pleasure to meet you, dear.” Her eyes roved hungrily up and down Selina’s body, alarming her.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Selina offered. She turned to the dowager. “May I be excused? I trust you both have some catching up to do, and I would like to visit the powder room briefly.”
The dowager eyed Selina curiously and then nodded. “Of course, my dear. Do take your time.”
Selina lowered her head in thanks, and then turned to Lady Alice. “Thank you again for your hospitality, my lady. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
With that, Selina withdrew from the two women. She walked as fast as she could, without breaking composure, to the opposite corner of the room.
The last thing she needed was for Lady Alice to consider her as a possible match for her son. Selina imagined that Grace probably noticed the same but was grateful she had let her go all the same.
She accepted a glass of wine from a passing servant, and then retired to the corner of the room. She stood in front of one of the beautiful, stained windows, sipping her wine and watching the crowd of guests.
There were infinitely far more people in attendance than she had expected. Then again, Lady Alice was a friend of the Dowager Duchess so it made sense that the party would be so popular.
With her back to the wall, Selina scanned the group slowly, hoping not to see anyone she knew. She had learned to hate big crowds, and they seldom got bigger than this.
As her eyes roved slowly through the faces of the guests, it landed on a tower of a man, head and shoulders above everyone else. Morgan.
She wasn’t surprised to see him at the party. She knew he was coming, but they had taken separate carriages before leaving the house.
Despite the distance, he looked very handsome. His hair was styled beautifully, and his clean-shaven face with his sturdy jaw made him look like one of the decorative statues that stood outside Lady Alice’s manor.
As she watched Morgan crossing the room, she noticed how much people cowered when he walked past. Shockingly, it wasn’t just women, even the men scurried away from his path, like frightened fawns in a forest.
