Christopher plastered a smile on his face and returned his cousin’s greeting. “Charles, how splendid to see you here! Are you here with anyone in particular?”
“No, no, just mingling with members of theton,” Charles bubbled. “I find it is good for business to come to these events, and this one is my favorite. At least here, the company is always interesting.”
Graham still held his silence, leaving Christopher to carry the conversation. “I take it you have found a few investors for your shipping company this evening? From the rumors I hear, you have all you need.”
Charles shuffled from foot to foot and cleared his throat, but continued on brightly. “Well, there is never such a thing as too many investors, eh? I have not had much luck this evening, but the night is still young.”
Graham broke his silence. “Not so young. I hope you have been enjoying the festivities.”
Charles was slow to respond, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Yes, your grace, I find that the evening is proving enjoyable. And it appears that you are also having a wonderful time. Who was that lady that was leaving as I arrived?”
“Lady Alaina,” Graham answered curtly.
Christopher was quick to cut in, “Graham is on the hunt for a wife, and Lady Alaina has caught his eye.”
“Well, I can see why,” Charles said. “She is beautiful.”
Graham’s eyes darkened, and even though Charles’s comment irked Christopher as well for some reason, he opened his mouth to break the tension. Just then a familiar figure approached.
“Cousin! What good fortune to see you here. I trust you are having a pleasant evening,” Percy exclaimed as he stopped to converse with the men.
Already in a dark mood, Graham wasted no time with pleasantries. “Percy, I did not know this was a public ball. I am surprised they would let you into such an occasion.”
Percy attempted a haughty look and sniffed as if annoyed to have to answer to such a barb. “I was able to secure an invitation. I am a baron, you know.”
“We are aware of that fact; you seem to flaunt it like a dukedom.” This time it was Christopher’s turn to land an insult.
“Maybe someday it will be.” Percy chuckled as he leveled the thinly veiled threat at Graham. Too cowardly to stick around after such a comment, he quickly added, “Have a good evening, gentlemen.”
Graham and Christopher watched Percy retreat into the crowd. “Well, your cousin seems like a piece of work,” said Charles.
Christopher was shocked when Graham growled, “It seems that is the lot of cousins. If you will excuse us, Christopher and I need to check on our companions.”
Graham had already started walking away when Charles responded, seemingly unperturbed by the insult the duke had delivered, “I would want to make it back to Lady Alaina posthaste myself. She is a gem.”
Christopher tried to ignore his cousin’s ill manners, choosing to attribute them to an admiration of Alaina’s beauty and nothing more. He quickly fell in behind his friend, giving only a weak smile to his own cousin before he allowed himself to be swallowed by the crowd. Catching up to Graham, Christopher was quick to reassure him. “I am sure Percy would not do anything to insult your family here, not with so many people.”
“You give him too much credit,” Graham countered.
“Well, we can still try to find your mother, sister, Lady Charlotte, and Alaina if you wish to err on the side of caution,” Christopher acquiesced.
“That was my plan.”
The two men set about making their way through the throng of people. Unfortunately, though, at the edge of the ballroom, Graham was stopped by a boisterous man, who clasped his hand in a jovial greeting. The man was quite a bit shorter than Graham and Christopher, and about as round as he was tall, with thinning hair and a bulbous nose from years of excess drink. Christopher quickly recognized him as the host of the ball and, seeing no way for Graham to quickly extract himself, Christopher quickly sidestepped to make his way to the ladies. Even with his earlier statements of reassurance to his friend, Christopher had a growing suspicion that Percy was up to no good.
Alaina was thankful for the break in the retiring room, even if she had no need of the actual facilities.How dare Christopher?!Finding it hard to justify her anger toward the marquess, especially as a close friend of the duke, she had made an offer to start anew, and he had gone about interrogating her about her intentions! Perhaps what made his line of questioning smart more was that he was at least partially correct in suspecting her of scheming, but only to make the acquaintance of the duke. It was true that she wanted a love match, but setting about to orchestrate a meeting at the Mansfield Ball did not speak kindly of her character.
Alaina hoped that a bit of time away from the marquess would let her temper reach more of a simmer, and the dowager and her mother seemed more than happy to take their time.
However, Georgiana seemed oblivious of her plight and, having grown impatient, pulled Alaina out into the hallway. It was certainly a quieter place than the ballroom with lower, softer light emitting from small sconces placed far apart on the walls. The ladies’ retiring room was located far down the hall to allow for maximum privacy, which left it quite desolate. The only people in the hall were ladies coming and going from the room. As Alaina and Georgiana walked down the hall with a mind to rejoin the party, someone stepped out from one of the many alcoves just in front of them, causing both Alaina and Georgiana to stop short. Recognition was immediate.
“Percy!” Georgiana exclaimed, more irritated than scared. “What in the world are you doing here? You seem to be lost.” Georgiana crossed her arms in an attempt to look intimidating, although Percy towered over both of them.
“Well, cousin, I have found you, which was my aim, so I am not lost at all,” Percy responded contritely, placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt. He then turned his pale face and leering attentions to Alaina. “My lady, I do feel the need to pass along the regard of my friend, Lord Finch. He would be most put out to have missed an opportunity to see you, but I fear your rejection of him so early in the season has caused him a fair amount of heartbreak.”
Georgiana seemed unmoved by Percy’s statement. “You had best leave us alone, Percy. I would not want Graham to find you harassing us in a dark hallway. Graham has no care for your friend’s misfortunes in matrimony. On the contrary, Alaina’s rejection of Lord Finch only improves his opinion of her.”
The cousins continued to argue, leaving Alaina no opportunity to cut in and defend herself. “Well, dear cousin, that may be the case, but I am sure even your brother would not be able to make any lady his wife if a rumor about her virtue were to circulate. And who knows? Maybe Lord Finch took suchlibertieswith you, Alaina. Hewasquite smitten.”
