Lady Lyndehurst turned back to Julien. “You have my assurance, Mr. Harcourt, that the damage will be remedied.”
Julien rose. “That is all I require, my lady.”
As he took his leave, Miss Langford did not look at him.
Lady Lyndehurst did.
There was respect in her gaze now.
By the following evening,society had begun correcting itself with astonishing efficiency. Assertions made in drawing rooms were gently amended in those same drawing rooms. Raised brows softened. Speculation gave way to approval. The marriage between Adrian Grant and Eleanor Grant nee Harcourt was declared the love match of the season. It was even claimed by many that their devotion to one another had long evident to anyone with eyes to see, and Lord Marklynne’s attentions were dismissed as a passing misapprehension. Miss Langford was not discussed by anyone. Her name was not even uttered. It was one thing to be scandalous. It was quite another for society to determine you weren’t even worthy of the air required to be mentioned.
In yet another ballroom at another event neither truly cared to attend, they stood side by side. The night was bright with candlelight and slightly raucous laughter. The musicians struck up a familiar tune and Adrian offered her his arm, leading her onto the floor.
They had danced a hundred times.
Country dances. Reels. Quadrilles that required wit, timing, and an exact knowledge of one’s place in the pattern.
He had never held her like this.
When the musicians began their tune in earnest, he turned to her without thinking. She looked up at him in surprise.
“We have never danced a waltz together,” she said.
“We have never been permitted to,” he replied. “And I find I have grown weary of waiting for permission.”
Her hand rested in his. His other hand settled at her waist, drawing her closer than any other dance had ever required.The intimacy of the hold alone might once have set her heart racing with embarrassment. Now she stepped into him without hesitation, her trust as steady as the rhythm beginning to guide their movement. After all, they had been much closer in private only a short time ago. From the slight flush of her cheeks, it was clear she remembered it well.
They began to turn.
The motion was smooth, effortless, as though they had always moved together this way. Candlelight blurred around them; the murmur of the room receded until there was only the music and the warmth of her body close to his.
“If we had danced like this years ago,” she murmured, “we might have spared ourselves a great deal of confusion.”
“Or discovered it far sooner,” he replied with a wicked grin. “Which might have been worse.”
Her laughter was like music to him, perfect as it rang out, enveloping him in a kind of warmth that had nothing to did with the press of the crowd or their current exertion..
He looked down at her, and the sight of her — no longer simply his friend, no longer the woman he had nearly lost, but his wife — struck him with a quiet force that stole his breath.
“I love you, Eleanor.”
The words were simple. They were also the truest thing he had ever spoken.
Her eyes shone. “I have loved you for so long that I scarcely know when it began. I only know that I cannot imagine any future that does not contain you.”
He drew her closer as they turned, the music swelling around them.
“And now,” she added softly, “I mean to ensure my brother finds the same happiness.”
Adrian’s mouth curved. “If you truly wish to make Julien happy, you might begin by steering your dear friend in his direction.”
She smiled with false innocence. “Caroline? Do you truly think so?”
“He has been carrying a tendre for Miss Ashworth for longer than either of them would care to admit,” Adrian said. “His restraint is admirable. His suffering less so. But given your very telling expression—do never play cards, my darling. Rich as we are, we can either afford your obvious tells—you already know about his feelings for her.”
Eleanor’s eyes brightened with amusement. “I suspected… But it will not be easy as she believes herself entirely forgettable.”
“Then we must correct both errors: his lack of action and her lack of confidence.”
