Elowen’s chest tightened. “Do you think anyone can find love like that?” she asked.
“You will,” he said without hesitation, his gaze holding hers.
“I doubt it,” she whispered, warmth creeping into her cheeks. “Love is… not meant for me.”
Their eyes met—steady, searching—and for one suspended moment, the ballroom dissolved around them. Her gaze flickered toward his lips.
A crash of laughter broke the spell. Lord Redley stumbled drunkenly into the ballroom, colliding with a startled couple. The crowd murmured; fans fluttered; whispers spread.
Within moments, Lord Cherrington appeared, smile perfectly in place as he seized Redley by the arm and steered him toward the doors. The commotion settled almost as quickly as it had begun.
“How pitiful,” Elowen murmured.
“Indeed,” Lucas said quietly, his expression unreadable. Then, more gently, “Shall we find your mother?”
“Yes,” she said, noting how different he seemed all of a sudden. Focused. She tried to ignore her disappointment that their time was coming to an end.
He led her toward Margaret, but stopped a little short of interrupting her conversation. He offered Elowen a polite bow. “It has been a pleasure as always, Elowen,” he said, holding her gaze just long enough to convey something deeper.
Elowen nodded, still flushed and full of thought. Her pulse raced, her mind far too occupied to focus on anything else.
Amid the glittering chandeliers and swirling music, Elowen felt an impossible certainty rise within her—quiet, fierce, undeniable.
It felt, unmistakably, like falling in love.
Chapter Fifteen
“Mother, have you seen William this morning?” Elowen asked, smoothing the folds of her skirt as she settled near the window in the drawing room.
“I believe he is arranging some papers in the study,” Mama replied, her tone calm though a faint furrow creased her brow. “He promised to join us before luncheon.”
Elowen released a quiet sigh and leaned back, savouring the rare stillness. “I almost forget what it feels like to sit without a constant flurry of callers or correspondence.”
Mama smiled faintly. “It has been an odd adjustment, I must admit—but I hope dearly it will not last for much longer.”
Before Elowen could respond, the butler entered and announced with uncommon hesitation, “A visitor, my lady. Lord Redley.”
Elowen blinked. “Lord Redley? Here?” she whispered, her voice a blend of surprise and disbelief. “What possible business could he have with us?”
Mama’s expression remained composed, though the slight stiffening of her posture betrayed her curiosity. “Very well,” she said to the butler. “Show him in.”
Redley entered moments later, and the room’s tranquillity fractured. His waistcoat sat askew, his cravat hung loose, and his hair was in disarray. Bloodshot eyes flitted across the room as though searching for some hidden message upon the walls.
Margaret rose slowly, startled. “Lord Redley, you look—”
“I need Lord Trenton,” Redley cut in, his words clipped and voice taut with urgency. He paced several steps, fingers drumming an erratic rhythm against his thigh. “He must come at once. It cannot wait—not another minute.”
Mama’s calm voice interceded smoothly. “My husband will be here presently. Shall I send a servant?”
“Yes!” Ambrose barked, his hand clutching at his watch chain, twisting it as if the metal might yield an answer. “Do you understand? It’s urgent. Debts—manifests—there are consequences!”
Elowen glanced at her mother, then at William, who had entered silently amid the commotion, his eyes narrowing as he took in Redley’s state. “What brings him here in such a condition?” he murmured to Mama as he joined her side. Elowen heard him, though she doubted Ambrose did, lost as he was in his agitation.
The baroness inclined her head slightly. “I cannot say. But say nothing, William. Let your father hear the explanation first.”
Lord Redley—Ambrose—collapsed into an armchair and buried his face in his hands. Elowen and William drifted closer to their mother, watching him in uneasy silence.
“I observed Ambrose at the Hartwell ball three nights ago,” Mama murmured. “His manner then suggested something far beyond mere inebriation.”
