“I could use something to drink and perhaps a card game. If you’ll excuse me.” Beresford bowed deeply and then left.
Louisa looked around. She spotted Daniel speaking with a man she did not recognize. They laughed together, and Daniel put a hand on the man’s arm in a way that looked oddly…familiar? More than that. Not merely friendly. Flirtatious? Intimate? Was this the school mate he’d mentioned?
Louisa approached slowly.
“It was so muddy, and his boots were so thoroughly stuck, that when he walked forward, his boots came clean off, leaving him with just his stockinged feet in the mud,” the man was saying.
“Oh, dear,” Daniel said, still laughing. Then he spotted Louisa. “Richard, this is my fiancée, Lady Louisa Petty. Louisa, this is my dear old friend, Lieutenant Richard Hanley.”
Louisa allowed her knuckles to be kissed, and then said, “Hanley?” She searched her mental list of peerage names. “Any relation to the Earl of Chatterton?”
“My older brother,” said Mr. Hanley.
“Richard serves with His Majesty’s Army. He fought at Waterloo.”
“Oh, indeed. That is remarkable. How heroic of you.”
Hanley smiled and nodded.
“Do you still serve?”
“I do, although we are not presently at war. Mostly I turn up at a camp outside London every few months to march around and do drills.”
“In case we do go to war?”
“Yes, although that is not currently a pending possibility as far as I know.”
Louisa nodded and searched her mind for a topic. “You do not normally live in London?” Louisa could not recall ever seeing him before.
“No, I prefer the country. I generally stay at Chatterton House, which is well north of London.”
“Are you married?”
“Louisa, you need not…”
But Hanley smiled. “It’s all right. I am not married. Although I am afraid of the debutantes’ mothers, so let’s not spread that information too far.”
Louisa smiled, mostly to be polite. “If you change your mind about that, put your uniform on. The women of thetonwould swoon for you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Daniel was giving her a look like he wanted her to shut up. Perhaps she had spoken too much or pushed too far, but Hanley did not seem offended.
Still. “Well, I will leave your gents to your conversation and go see if I can find some lemonade.”
“Do not stray too far, my love,” said Daniel.
“I won’t.”
She walked over to the refreshments table, wondering the whole way what the relationship between Daniel and Richard really was. Likely they were just old friends, but she’d never seen Daniel behave that way with anyone.
She was probably inventing things, drawing ridiculous conclusions, but as she poured herself a lemonade, she found herself looking around for Fletcher. They may be on the outs right now, but he’d be honest with her if he knew anything.
* * *
Anthony tossed his cards on the table after making a disgusted grunt. “Every last one of you cheats.”
“Beresford is just mad because he forgot how to count cards,” said Atherton, raking in his winnings.
