Andrew just grinned, apparently unperturbed, and Sophie fought the urge to laugh. Poor Kate—no one was taking her woes seriously. Perhaps they would if it weren’t so obvious that she’d enjoyed the process.
Andrew stepped aside, taking Amelia with him, and Sophie noticed for the first time that they weren’t alone.
Lady Drake waited behind them, her arm tucked into a gentleman’s.
Sophie gasped and peered up at the man.
It was Colonel Moore.
“I believe you’ve met the colonel,” Andrew said, gesturing to him. “He’s accompanying Mother tonight.”
Sophie bit the inside of her lip to hold back an inappropriate grin.
That sly thing!
Kate had mentioned that Lady Drake had discussed the possibility of remarrying after her children were wed, but this was the first evidence Sophie had seen that she might be seriously considering it.
She and the colonel made a good-looking pair, and the fact the colonel was a few years younger than Lady Drake only impressed Sophie further.
“Welcome,” Kate said, handling the situation more smoothly than Sophie. Perhaps she’d already known. Although if that were the case, she’d neglected to share the very important gossip with her closest friend.
Shame on her.
“I’m delighted to be here.” Colonel Moore bowed deeply. “Thank you for the invitation, my lady.”
“You’re most welcome, Colonel. I hope you have a pleasant evening.”
The group moved onward, and just as Sophie prepared to scold her friend for not sharing this scandalous news with her, footsteps sounded on the stairs behind them.
The dowager viscountess was making her way down, dressed in a shade that tiptoed the line between purple and pink. She’d been making slow progress with easing out of her habit of wearing mourning colors.
She looked at the foursome who’d entered the ballroom and then at Nicholas and Theodore, who stood beside each other in a public social setting with the intention of garnering attention for the first time in their lives.
“Has anyone…?” She trailed off.
Sophie strode over and took her arm, ushering her to join them. “No one has said a word, Lady Blackwell. At least, not on the subject you’re thinking of. They’ve not even been spared a second glance.”
Lady Blackwell nodded, but the stiffness of her bearing didn’t ease. Despite the fact that she clearly expected the worst, she was present to support her sons and daughters-in-law for their first combined ball, and that meant something.
Albert brought Lord and Lady Wembley to greet them, and then Baron and Baroness Sylvestor, followed by the Duke and Duchess of Arundel, and on and on. A continuous parade of the most highly regarded members of theton,here to support them—or just excited to have a new event to gossip about.
No one said anything about Nicholas and Theodore.
Sophie didn’t get the impression that anyone even paid them enough attention to wonder.
But why should they?
Thetondidn’t know that Nicholas and Theodore had avoided being seen together in public settings for years. They’d done it so naturally, with their differing areas of enjoyment, that it hadn’t occurred to anyone that such behavior might be odd.
So they didn’t look now, and they didn’t question, and bit by bit, Lady Blackwell’s shoulders dropped until they were back where they ought to be rather than up around her ears.
By the time they’d welcomed all of their guests into their home, the dancing had already begun.
Nicholas winked at Sophie and offered her his hand. She took it, and he swept her through the crowd and onto the dance floor, where they joined the other dancers in a waltz.
As he guided her smoothly around their peers, her heart filled to bursting.
She couldn’t believe she’d gotten so lucky.
