With a nod, Eleanor glanced at her father, aware that the only desire in her heart this evening was to find Lord Finchley. There was a good deal of anxiety surrounding that thought, but Eleanor was not about to step away from it, not after what she had received from himandwhat she had witnessed.
“I will be watching you this evening,” her father continued, with what looked like a warm smile. “Your aunt will still be your chaperone, of course, but I will step out from the card room every so often to see just how successful this evening has been. As you know, my dear, you are expected to make a match.”
Her thoughts of speaking to Lord Finchley began to fade. “Yes, I am well aware of what you expect of me.”
“Then let us hope that soon, there will be many gentlemen callers,” he said, gesturing to where her aunt stood, talking to alady that Eleanor did not know. “Go, now. I will have a look at your dance card at the end of the evening to see just who it is you have been dancing with.”
With a tightness in her throat that had not been there before, Eleanor nodded and moved away, beginning to think that her intention of finding Lord Finchley this evening was no longer a priority. If her father were to look at her dance card, if he were to come to make certain she was doing well, then that was what she would have to concentrate on.
Her heart sank.
“Ah, Eleanor, good evening.” Her aunt smiled. “Come, let me introduce you to my dear friend, Lady Stockport.”
Eleanor nodded and then curtsied as she was introduced. As she rose, however, a gentleman came towards them, his eyes upon Lady Stockport. She watched as the lady exclaimed her delight upon seeing him and then, with one hand on his arm, gestured to them all.
“Now, youmustlet me present you to these wonderful ladies,” she said, with a warm smile. “Lord Ashworth, this is my close friend, the Countess of Cumbria, with her daughter, Lady Catherine, and her niece, Lady Eleanor.”
Eleanor dropped into a curtsy as Lady Stockport introduced the gentleman as the Earl of Ashworth. As she rose again, she studied the gentleman for a moment or two. He was a stocky fellow, with fair hair brushed back from his forehead and brown eyes that held no warmth. Given the way that Catherine smiled at him, Eleanor presumed thatshefound him handsome, but for her part, she did not think him overly so.
“How very good to meet you all.” Lord Ashworth bowed low. “I must hope that your dances are not all yet taken, Lady Catherine, Lady Eleanor?”
Eleanor blinked, then looked down at her dance card. They had only just arrived, and thus, she had no dances taken as yet.“The ball has only just begun, Lord Ashworth,” she said, taking her card and handing it to him. “We have nothing as yet.”
“Capital!” Lord Ashworth replied, smiling at her as if she had answered all of his fervent prayers. “And tell me, are you permitted to dance the waltz, Lady Eleanor?”
Surprised at his question, given that they had only just been introduced, Eleanor glanced at her aunt, who nodded. “Yes, Lord Ashworth. I am.”
“Excellent!” He took a few moments to sign both her and Catherine’s dance cards. “Then it shall be the polka for you, Lady Catherine, and the waltz for you, Lady Eleanor.” His eyes fixed on hers, and Eleanor swallowed tightly, wondering at his interest. “I am looking forward to it already.”
When he excused himself and took his leave, Eleanor let out a slow breath and looked down at the floor, wondering what such a thing might mean.
“Well, it is clear to me that you have certainly caught Lord Ashworth’s attention, Lady Eleanor!” Lady Stockport beamed at Eleanor as if she ought to be truly delighted at this. “Are you not pleased?”
Eleanor pressed her lips together. “It is only a dance, Lady Stockport, though of course it is very kind of him to take the waltz. I have not danced it this Season yet.”
Lady Stockport chuckled and looked to Lady Cumbria. “You will have your niece wed within the month, mayhap!” she laughed, “and no doubt, your daughter soon after that. What a successful Season that will be!”
“Doyouthink well of Lord Ashworth?” Catherine asked as Lady Stockport stepped away. “I thought him very handsome.”
With a small shrug, Eleanor caught the twist of Catherine’s lips. “It is not that I think him unhandsome, of course. I am surprised that he wanted to take my waltz so soon after our meeting, I must admit.”
“He is a forward gentleman, I think,” Catherine replied, as Lady Cumbria nodded. “There is a simple way to remove him from your company if you do not wish for him to be there, however.”
Seeing the glimmer of good humor in her cousin’s eye, Eleanor began to smile. “And what is that?”
“Why, you must stand on his feet or trip over your own as you dance,” Catherine said, as Eleanor laughed. “That way, you can be quite sure that he will never approach you again!”
With Lady Cumbria berating her daughter gently, albeit with a gleam of amusement in her eye, Eleanor looked around at the crowd, wondering just who they might speak with next and who else might want to write their name upon her dance card. At the back of her mind lingered Lord Finchley, but Eleanor did her best to try and set him aside. There was no promise that he would be here, and given what her father had said, she was not certain she could do as she had hoped.
“Good evening, Lady Eleanor.”
She half turned as a voice came from her left. For a moment, her heart quickened as she saw the light brown hair and broad shoulders, only for it to sink low as she realized it was not Lord Finchley. “Lord Broadbent, good evening.”
“Good evening. Might I have your dance card?”
Eleanor tried to smile and handed it to him, hoping that her father, if he were watching, would be satisfied.
“And Lady Catherine?”
