If there was fault to be found with Davenport, it was that he kept too much to himself.Yet, he had come to her aid without hesitation.She loved the way he still held her close, quietly positioning himself to keep her safe.
This spoke well of his character, did it not?
“Thank you, Lady Fullerton,” he said, his voice a deep and authoritative rumble, as Caruthers was shown the door.“My sincere apologies for disrupting your party.”
Lady Fullerton was all smiles.“Nonsense, Your Grace.My party shall be the talk of London tomorrow and every hostess will be green with envy that I snared this coup.You and Miss Farthingale, secretly in love, and now you are to marry!And to declare it at my rout!It is wonderful, simply wonderful.”
She called for her butler to bring champagne for everyone.“I shall offer a toast to your good fortune and many, many years of happiness.”
They both thanked her sincerely.
Tulip hoped they might get adayof happiness out of this fiasco.
After the toast, the orchestra resumed playing.
It happened to be a waltz.
“Would you care to dance with me, Miss Farthingale?”Davenport asked.“I believe it is expected of us.”
She stared up at him, dismayed because he was incredibly handsome.Perhaps it was the splendid way he looked in his formal evening attire, the impeccably tailored jacket that molded to his muscles and made his shoulders look so broad.Perhaps it was the heat she noticed in his piercing, dark eyes that had her melting a little as he stared at her while awaiting her answer.
All of that magnificence was capped by glorious waves of dark hair.
She smiled at him in gratitude, but also felt some hesitation because she was worried about what would happen once their betrothal announcement was shown to be a hoax.
But for tonight, they were a young couple in love.“Yes, it would be my honor.”
He led her onto the dance floor and took her in his arms with the confidence of a man who knew how to hold a woman and make her melt.
Oh, she was so out of her depth.
The butterflies in her stomach were in a mad flutter and her legs were in danger of turning to sand and crumbling beneath her.
She understood why a young lady could fall in love with this man.
But whatever had possessed him to make this sacrifice for her?
“Thank you for everything,” she said with heartfelt sincerity as the music started because there was no denying he had defended her reputation tonight.
“No need to thank me, Miss Farthingale.I did you no favor.”
“Please call me Tulip, for we are now betrothed and a certain familiarity ought to be acceptable.But…how can you deny your good deed?You saved me from Caruthers and from my own foolishness.It was quite valorous on your part.”
“You think so?Well, no matter.We’ll continue the conversation at your uncle’s home.”He said no more as he guided her with obvious proficiency around the floor.
This man had all the skills and made everything look easy.
She followed his lead and remained silent as they danced, for she was trying to make sense of him.He now looked severe and authoritative, yet had shown himself to be wonderfully valiant and protective.
He sighed upon noticing her dismayed expression.“You think I am angry with you.”
She nodded.“Aren’t you?And do you not have every right to be?”
“No, I knew the risks involved in coming to your rescue.But I also knew this might work out well for us.”
“How?”She did not see any advantage to him in taking her on as his wife.
Well, perhaps there was one.He would no longer be considered eligible and hunted down by every debutante wishing to snare him.It could be more accurately said that they were hunting the title and not the man himself.
