Any time that was thwarted it made her feel like a failure.
“But we’re hoping to coax the couple to Town sometime after the summer,” the duke said, taking his wife’s hand and sliding into the crook of his arm with an indulgent look at her. “If we do, we’ll be certain to hold a soiree and invite you all. I know she’d love to see you.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Marianne said, and then nodded to excuse herself as another group of stragglers entered the foyer and the duke and duchess turned to greet them.
She followed Finn and Aunt Beulah into the ballroom. They were announced and the eyes of the room turned toward them. Normally that didn’t trouble her, for the people around them were always looking through her, looking at Phineas. He was a catch, after all.
But tonight their gazes lingered on her. Whispers began as ladies talked behind their fans and gentlemen who she was certain didn’t even realize she existed now took a longer look at her in her new gown.
It seemed daring was, indeed, a draw. It made her a little hot and dizzy, frankly. Were they speaking unkindly of her? Did they think her a fool for putting herself on display as she had?
Their aunt excused herself and made her way toward her group of friends, and that left Marianne alone with Finn. He turned toward her, her brow slightly wrinkled.
“Marianne,” he said, and in his voice she heard all those questions she’d wanted to avoid in the carriage.
But before he could ask them, a voice from one of the nearby groups called out, “Delacourt!”
He looked toward them with a flash of annoyance and then back toward her. “Forgive me. I have something to discuss with those gentlemen. I hope you’ll save me a dance later.”
Marianne almost laughed. Her dance card was only ever filled by Finn’s name or the occasional name of a gentleman who was his friend, like Sebastian. The idea she had tosaveanything was absurd.
But she was happy enough for the freedom from whatever questions he would ask and waved him to go before she started through the crowd herself on her way to the wall.
“Good evening, Lady Marianne,” a gentleman said as she passed him, and she inclined her head as she continued her way through the crowd. Had that been Mr. Lanford? The third son of Viscount Lanford? He hadn’t spoken to her in years.
“Lady Marianne,” came another voice of greeting, from another gentleman who nodded as she went by.
Yet another inclined his head with a brief smile. She was utterly confused as she reached the wall and took her normal place there to stare out at the crowd. Only this time some of them were looking back at her. It was entirely odd.
Normally it was only Sebastian who ever found her on the wall. And just as that thought entered her mind, she found him in the crowd. And he was, indeed, watching her as he often did. But tonight there was a different expression on his face than normal. It was more intense, more focused. She smiled at him and she saw him draw a breath in response.
He took a step her way and her heart leapt but before he could close the distance between them a gentleman stepped into her line of sight, closing her off from her view of Sebastian.
“Good evening, Lady Marianne,” the man said.
She blinked. It was Mr. Lanford again, the first man who had greeted her as she made her way through the crowd a few moments before. “Mr. Lanford,” she said, forcing her words out past a suddenly dry throat. “How nice to see you.”
“And you,” he said. “Since you have only just arrived, I hoped that your dance card might not be full yet and that you might honor me with the next.”
He smiled as she said it and in her shock at the question she examined him. He didn’t look to be making fun of her or be forced by some unknown reason to ask her for the dance. He seemed sincere, even if she didn’t think she’d ever danced with him before.
She glanced over his shoulder, but found Sebastian was no longer where he’d been standing earlier. It seemed there would be no battle for her attention. She’d probably only imagined Sebastian’s interest anyway. Once he realized he wouldn’t be forced to entertain her, he’d likely been pleased and moved on to more interesting quarry.
“Lady Marianne?” Lanford said, a little more gently.
She forced a laugh. “Of course. I’d be happy to dance, with you, sir.”
He held out an arm, which she took and then allowed him to lead her to the dancefloor and the quadrille that was just beginning.
Sebastian stood in a corner of the ballroom, drink clutched in his white-knuckled hand, and he watched Marianne. He had been doing the same all night, it seemed he couldn’t stop himself, and so he’d seen her dancing virtually every dance. When she hadn’t been spinning around the floor, she’d been chatting with gentlemen of varying quality. She’d also been watched by a great many others.
What was most interesting was how utterly unaware she seemed to be of the splash she was making just by wearing a more audacious gown and arranging her hair like a goddess who had deigned to come down from Mount Olympus and allow her subjects to worship.
She seemed equally unaware of how being an observer of it all made Sebastian burn. Howcouldshe be aware? Aside from one brief look at him after her arrival, she hadn’t noticed him at all.
And now she smiled at the gentleman who was just leaving her side and noticed the next one who was stalking up on her, ready to stake his brief claim on her attention. But to Sebastian’s surprise, she didn’t look excited by the next attendee, but exhausted. She ducked to the left, obviously pretending she didn’t see him and then weaved her way through the crowd.
Where was she going?
