The process of the dance made conversation difficult for a period, and when they were away from listening ears again, Tristan dove into his explanation. “I have a wager with a group of my friends, and the last of us to marry must pay out a sum to each of the other six.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “How many of them have married?”
“Three.”
Caroline nodded, her eyes growing narrow. “Which was your true motivation for offering for me, I presume.”
“Not entirely. That was for a number of reasons, chief above all, your striking personality. But I will admit the wager was a motivating factor.”
“Hm.” Caroline pinched her lips in a flat line. Her blue eyes sparked, and Tristan could immediately sense he’d said the wrong thing.
“Listen, Miss Whit?—”
“We will run out of time soon. We ought to discuss what we’ve come here for.”
He took her by the hand and raised it above her head. She looked up into his eyes as they proceeded with the dance, giving him an unblinking stare he felt clear to his toes.
“I’ve come here to dance with you,” he said.
Caroline broke the eye contact between them and released a low sigh of long-suffering, but the tinge of pink to her cheeks meant she was not immune to him. “Can we be serious?”
“I am always serious.”
“I would like to accept your offer,” she said, forging ahead.
“Which offer was that?” He was hazy on the details. Her smile swam in his thoughts instead, clouding everything else. The woman intrigued him. Anyone who would invite their maid’s sister to live with them out of sheer charity was worth taking notice of. There was nothing she stood to gain from that scenario. Tristan tried to recall what offer she could mean. “You’d like me to speak to your brother?”
“James won’t be of much use. If it is amenable to you, I would like your assistance in reinstating Mr. Dennison’s affections. He believed himself capable of marrying me once.I think you are right, and he can be made to feel that way again.”
Caroline was beautiful, whip-smart, and a good conversationalist. Of course Dennison would want her if he was reminded of those things.
“There is the matter of him feeling deceived,” she continued. “That is my greatest obstacle. But I think, with time, he will understand.”
Tristan’s hand tightened slightly on hers. There was the strangest feeling in his gut, as though he didn’t like the idea of helping her win Dennison back. Yet he could think of no valid reason for feeling that way. There was nothing inherently wrong with the plan. It was his fault she had lost Dennison to begin with, and Tristan owed her his assistance.
Caroline must have taken his slow response or tightened hand as hesitance, for she began to speak again. “If that feels unfair to you, I can make it worth your time.”
Well, that was intriguing. “How do you propose to do that?”
They lowered their hands, moving to the next and final portion of the dance, where they would be intermingling with other couples. She would need to speak in something of a code. “I will assist you with your similar dilemma.”
“I have lost no one,” he reminded her.
“You need to find someone if you do not wish to lose your wager, correct? I will help.”
She wanted to help him find a wife? “How?”
Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, drawing his attention there. Tristan nearly missed his queue and stumbled before dragging his attention away. He needed to pull himself together.
“I am not sure yet, but I will think on it,” she finally said.
It was good enough for Tristan. He didn’t necessarily needher help to find a wife, but perhaps she would know women he’d not yet considered. When the song ended, she dipped in a curtsy and he lowered his torso in a bow. When they lifted their attention to one another again, he felt a tug in his chest, which he promptly ignored.
“You have yourself a deal, Miss Whitby.”
Tristan hadn’t remained longat Almack’s, but he had made certain to take his leave of the Whitby women before departing, promising to call on them later that week. The idea to rent a box at the theater came to him in a fit of madness, and he saw to the arrangements before dispatching a letter inviting Caroline, James, and their mother to accompany him. He scheduled a dinner at the Clarendon following the entertainment and was gratified the following day when a note was delivered accepting the invitation.
It had been written by Caroline, evidently, for the final line was a post script.
