“Lord Tristan Everton, Earl of Silvemere,” he explained, with a low bow.
“My Lord,” she repeated, hesitantly. “I am Lady Grace Kinsman.”
Tristan nodded. There was something familiar about her name, but he was sure that he had not met her before. Surely he would remember those bouncing blonde curls and clear blue eyes.
“I am so sorry about the drink!” she said, a little breathlessly.
“Please, you must think nothing of it,” Tristan replied, a playful smile on his lips. “If you were trying to make a splash at this ball, you have succeeded most admirably!”
Her laughter rang out like sweet music in response to his joke, but then suddenly she stopped and put a hand to her mouth, almost as if she were afraid for anyone to see her laughing.
Tristan watched her with interest. Beautiful, demure, unassuming. She would make a perfect countess. “Now, tell me, Lady Grace. How is it that we have not met before?”
She smiled shyly. “I have only been out for one season,” she replied. “And last year…well, my father does not like large events very much, so we only attended a few balls.”
And no lucky gentleman snapped you up,Tristan thought. This lady was becoming more interesting by the minute.
Before he had a chance to respond, though, another presence drew his attention. Next to them, another young lady had appeared. There was something familiar about her, with her dark blonde hair and a distinctive mole under her left eye, and as he looked at her, Tristan realized that they had met before. It was Lady Diana Kingsman, who he realized must be Lady Grace’s older sister.
“Lady Diana!” he said, feigning enthusiasm. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“Indeed?” she replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at him rather coldly with her clear blue eyes.
He looked at her curiously. Truth be told, when they had met previously, at his brother’s wedding party, he had not found her at all interesting. There had been some intrigue, he remembered. She had been intended as a match for the Duke of Holloway, but it had come to nothing, and the duke had married Cecillia instead, Tristan’s younger sister. He had not thought at the time that she seemed remarkably bothered by it, but there was a defensive look about her now, as if she had in fact been wounded by the whole thing.
“I have not seen you much in society these last few years, Lady Diana,” Tristan said, wondering how she would respond.
“I have not found anything much to attract me,” she shot back. “But now that my sister is out, it is a necessity.” She glanced over at Lady Grace. “Grace, come along now. Mr. Sinclair is over there. Perhaps we can speak to him again.”
Tristan watched with amusement as Grace looked over at Mr. Sinclair, a rather unprepossessing-looking man of medium height with sandy-colored hair, then looked back at him, a faint blush tinging her cheeks.
“I would rather…” Grace began, then stopped talking as soon as her sister glared at her again.
“Do not be silly, Grace!”
Tristan gave a small cough. “Lady Diana, if I might make a suggestion. Calling your sister silly seems rather ungracious to me. Perhaps she is simply not interested in Mr. Sinclair. And who, might I ask, could blame her?”
Diana huffed. “There is nothing wrong with Mr. Sinclair!” she said firmly. “He is a gentleman of impeccable reputation, unlike some others I do not care to mention.”
Aha, Tristan thought.She has listened to the gossip about me, along with everyone else.It was nothing more than he was used to, but somehow he felt the need to protest. Lady Diana was rather infuriating, and he was determined not to let her have the last word.
“You should not listen to everything you hear, Lady Diana,” he said, watching her face carefully to see how she responded.
“A young lady’s reputation is her most precious possession, though, don’t you think, My Lord?” Lady Diana was smiling sweetly as she spoke, but there was a steely look in her eye.
Tristan knew that Lady Diana was desperate to drag her sister away from him, and his irritation began to flare. “And what do you say, Lady Grace?” he asked, turning to the other lady. He almost felt sorry for her, she looked so embarrassed, but he was determined to draw her in, even if only to further annoy Lady Diana.
“My Lord, I do not know what to say,” Lady Grace said softly, her eyes fixed on the ground.
“There you are, My Lady,” Tristan said, turning back to Lady Diana with a hint of triumph in his voice. “Your sister does not agree with you.”
“She – oh, she does not know what she thinks!” Lady Diana said, her frustration seeping though her voice. “Now, enough of this nonsense, Grace. Come along now!”
“But your sister seems quite taken with my charm,” Tristan said, lowering his voice and holding Diana’s gaze. “It is a shame that you do not feel the same.”
“Indeed I do not,” Diana replied. Her voice was icy, but there was a faint hint of a blush creeping up her face as she spoke, and Tristan could not help but think that it made her look rather pretty. She seemed to be losing her sense of composure, and thesight of her flustered expression ignited a sense of victory within him.
Tristan’s heart raced at the back-and-forth. The tension between them was igniting something within him, something that felt a little dangerous. “And what if I were to prove you wrong?”
