She blanched, her gaze darting from Lucien to Robert and back again. “My lord, I don’t think—”
“Why, yes!” Aunt Fiona exclaimed, making Lucien wonder briefly if she’d completely lost her mind, as well. “You are the Duke of Monmouth’s niece. Surely you’re allowed to dance.”
“But I don’t want to d—”
“Allow me to insist,” the viscount pressed.
Lucien stood back and watched, feeling like a master puppeteer as everything fell into place without his having to say a word. If Robert’s idea of a favor was to be able to converse with and feed Rose, he was welcome to do so—though that seemed like a very large waste of time.
Alexandra agreed to dance the quadrille with Robert. For a moment Lucien considered taking the floor as well. That, though, was not what he wanted—to touch her fingers in passing and relinquish her immediately to some overweight peer. When he danced with her tonight—and he would—it would be a waltz.
Chapter 11
Alexandra watched Rose turn, dip, turn again, and take her partner’s hand. If the girl did one thing truly well, it was dance. Of course, watching her from the side of the room instead of the middle of the dance floor would have made the view even more satisfactory.
“You’ve taught her well.” Lord Belton uttered his compliment in the same smooth tone Lord Kilcairn used when he wished to be charming. The viscount’s efforts, though, weren’t nearly as effective as the earl’s lures. In response to Robert Ellis’s compliments, nothing the least bit shivery happened to her. Instead, she felt rather annoyed that he would try such a tactic on her.
She waited until the dance brought him back to her side. “Her skill is natural, my lord. I take no credit.”
“Ah.” He stepped away and then around and back again. “You’ve a fine talent yourself.”
“Thank you, my lord.” At the moment, dancing was a talent for which she was exceedingly grateful. She couldn’t have turned down the viscount’s request without causing a scene, and just standing still beneath the eyes of thetonwas difficult enough without worrying about tripping or missing a step.
“My pleasure.”
She glanced at her partner in time to catch him looking across the wide, mirrored ballroom at Kilcairn. The earl leaned against the wall, oblivious to the young ladies nearby trying to catch his attention. With everyone watching, she didn’t dare glare at him, but he seemed to know her feelings. Giving a slight, sensuous smile, he lifted an eyebrow.
Obviously he was up to something; he wasn’t even attempting to look innocent. And she had a good idea what that something must be. “Lord Belton,” she asked as she and her partner met again, “did Lord Kilcairn put you up to dancing with me?”
The viscount blinked. Alexandra reflected that young ladies didn’t ask such direct questions, particularly of their social superiors. But she was not trying to snare a husband, nor to impress anyone with anything other than her success with Rose. If she was being too blunt, she blamed it on Kilcairn’s influence and aggravating manner, anyway.
“I…generally don’t require another man to convince me to dance with a beautiful woman, Miss Gallant.”
She met his gaze. “Not generally,” she repeated. “Well, though I thank you for the gesture, your gallantry isn’t necessary. I don’t require dancing with a handsome gentleman to convince me to do my duty by Miss Delacroix.”
He looked surprised again. “You speak your mind, don’t you?”
“I have found it pointless to do otherwise. Fortunately, I am in a position where I have very few people to impress. Everyone else knows exactly what they think of me without us ever having had occasion to meet.”
“Good God,” the viscount muttered, but in the flash and swirl of dancers she couldn’t tell whether her response amused or appalled him.
Whichever it was, at least he was a gentleman. Lord Belton finished the quadrille with her and guided her back to Mrs. Delacroix before excusing himself from their group—in something of a hurry, Alexandra thought, though that might simply have been her interpretation. Rose, out of breath and flushed with excitement, joined them a moment later.
“Oh, did you see? The Marchioness of Pembroke was right in front of me! And I think I saw the Duke of M—”
“Not too excited, Miss Delacroix,” Alexandra reminded her with a smile. “Calm, and quiet. Remember, they—”
“They should be as thrilled to meet me as I am to meet them,” Rose finished, giggling.
“I would be thrilled to be introduced to any of them,” Fiona stated with a scowl. “Everyone just ignores me, like I’m not even here.”
“If only that were true,” Kilcairn agreed as he joined them.
Alexandra stepped up to his broad shoulder. “Don’t do that again,” she murmured at his back.
“Do what?” he said to the air.
“If I want to humiliate myself, I can go dance naked on the refreshment table. I don’t need you or your cronies to embarrass me.”
