“Good,” Beatrice muttered.
The carriage rolled to a halt, and a footman moved to open the door.
Edward stepped out as though nothing had happened.
CHAPTER 19
The moment Edward and Beatrice stepped inside, the hum in the ballroom swept over them like a warm tide.
The great chandelier blazed overhead, scattering light across silk gowns and polished boots, and the air was thick with perfume, heat, and sweat.
Every year, Lady Winthrop’s charity ball gathered half of London under one roof. This year, however, people seemed to be attending for more than the cause.
Beatrice felt it the instant they were announced. Heads turned, and a murmur rose and rippled through the crowd, soft but unmistakable.
Edward offered his arm with a subtlety that spoke of instinct rather than calculation, and she was grateful for it.
“Do not look so stricken,” he whispered. “They feed on dread.”
“I am not stricken,” she replied, though her pulse contradicted her.
“Ah. Simply radiant with serenity, then.”
She shot him a look. “This is not the moment for your humor.”
“It is precisely the moment,” he said lightly. “Otherwise, the evening will be intolerable.”
Behind them, a young lady in pink whispered too loudly, “She’s very pretty, I suppose. Though I cannot imagine?—”
Her companion swatted her arm. “Hush! They’ll hear you.”
“They cannot possibly,” the lady said. “It’s far too loud.”
Edward turned his head slightly, giving her a look so cold she nearly choked on her words.
Beatrice nearly smiled. “You should not look as though you enjoy that,” she murmured.
He dipped his head slightly.. “I never enjoy cruelty, but I do appreciate accuracy.”
“And what exactly was accurate?”
“You being very pretty,” he replied easily, as though commenting on the weather.
Her breath caught. “That is not—Edward…”
“Beatrice,” he returned in the same tone, amused.
She stared fixedly at a potted palm. “We should walk,” she urged.
“We should,” he agreed, sounding maddeningly pleasant.
They passed Lady Winthrop, who was beaming with practiced benevolence. “Your Graces!” she chirped. “I am so pleased you could attend. It means a great deal.”
“The cause is worthy,” Beatrice replied.
“And you are both looking quite… harmonious this evening,” Lady Winthrop noted, her eyes twinkling with what might have been hope or curiosity. “How very reassuring.”
Edward smiled. “I am glad to put you at ease.”
