But the look on Fletcher’s face.
She sipped from a glass of lemonade and looked around the room while accepting congratulations from the women around her. Fletcher and Swynford entered the ballroom.
Fletcher looked nice tonight. He wore a fine blue jacket that she thought might be new. He’d combed his hair into the style that was currently fashionable, forward and over hisforehead. Swynford, whose wife had become a close friend of Louisa’s, said something to Fletcher that made him laugh.
She didn’t think she’d imagined it. When Daniel had banged his pocket watch against his glass to get the attention of everyone in the ballroom and announced that Lady Louisa had consented to be his wife, Fletcher had looked stricken. By coincidence, he was right in Louisa’s line of sight when Daniel made his announcement. Fletcher quite looked like he’d been punched directly in the sternum. Then he closed his eyes and left the room.
Louisa had wanted to tell him first. She felt she owed him that. Fletcher was her oldest friend. He must have been upset that he learned news so important when everyone else did, but not from her directly. Unfortunately, Louisa was trapped by well-wishers and couldn’t get to Fletcher to apologize. And, sure, now he looked happy enough speaking with… drats, what was her name? Some pretty young debutante who seemed to hang on Fletcher’s every word.
But Louisa had seen his face.
Daniel appeared at her side again. She smiled at him, which made the women around them titter. He smiled back and offered his arm. “Dance with me, my love.”
“Of course,” she said, glad to be escorted out of the crush.
Shecouldlove him, she reasoned as they waltzed. There was much to love. Even now, he danced like he’d been taught to since birth—perhaps he had, Louisa knew not the way of dukes—and she would have struggled to keep up had he not had a firm hand and the ability to lead her.
She caught Fletcher dancing with the young woman he’d been talking to. A brunette. Louisa could not remember her name. One of the Countess of Caernarfon’s friends.
The song ended. Daniel bowed politely, winked at her, and said, “Excuse me, my dear, I have some business to attend to. I’ll be back before you miss me.” He kissed her hand and left the ballroom.
Fletcher politely left the woman he’d danced with and then approached Louisa. She braced herself for the conversation they needed to have and gestured for him to follow her. They walked off the dance floor and into a slightly less crowded part of the ballroom. When he stood before her, they both began speaking at once.
“You first,” said Louisa.
“Congratulations again on your betrothal.”
“Thank you.” Now that Daniel wasn’t hovering, she felt she could speak more freely. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you myself. I planned to this week, before the formal announcement appears in the paper, but. Daniel, apparently, could not hold back his excitement.”
Fletcher pressed his lips together. “Indeed.”
“I hope you are not too cross. I didn’t want to make a public announcement. I wanted to tell my friends directly.”
“It’s all right,” said Fletcher. “As long as you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”
“I am.”
“Then I wish you the best.”
“You say that like this is good-bye.”
Fletcher frowned. “Isn’t it?”
“I don’t see why.”
“These days, a lot of our friendship involves going places together. Won’t Rotherfeld be the one to escort you places now?Surely he would not approve of his wife socializing with an unmarried peer.”
“He knows you and I are merely friends. I’ve told him many times. He cannot control who I socialize with.”
“If he’s your husband, I’m pretty sure he can.”
Louisa crossed her arms. “Well, welcome to the nineteenth century, Fletcher. Women are allowed some measure of freedom now.”
Fletcher looked unconvinced.
“Oh, so you would keep your wife on a tight leash, should you marry? Hide her in your house and not allow her to socialize with others?”
He tilted his head. “No, but if one of her friends were an eligible bachelor, I might take issue with it.”
