A muscle ticked in Tristan’s jaw as he observed the young woman. Lady Feliciawasattractive, and a practical, respectable marriage was precisely what he had been taught to want.
He wondered if he would seem an appealing suitor to the young lady and her ferocious aunt.
Tristan's family had money. An inheritance from a noble uncle had been turned into fruitful investments by his father, who had an extraordinary knack for numbers. But it wasn’t the sort of wealth noble families boasted, and his knighthood was honorary and could not be inherited or bestowed on future generations.
“Dance with her, at the very least,” Collier urged.
“As you wish.” Tristan shot his friend a congenial smile, then a nod, and strode through the guests mingling as they waited for the musicians to begin.
While crossing the room, he spotted his sister standing at the ballroom’s edge with her friend, Miss Hyacinth Bridewell. They didn’t seem to notice him. Indeed, they were whispering to each other, and both appeared upset.
Tristan frowned and changed course, nudging a gentleman aside to get closer to his sister.
Nothing bothered him more than seeing Emma unhappy.
Then, just as he offered a muttered “pardon” to a lady blocking his path, Emma and Miss Bridewell clasped hands and rushed out of the ballroom.
His curiosity turned to worry as he made his way toward the ballroom’s threshold. Lord Harley, a fellow member of the Paleontological Society, caught his eye and planted himself in Tristan’s path.
“Brooke, good to see you. When is your next lecture?”
“Thursday.” Tristan kept flicking his gaze to the ballroom threshold.
Lady Felicia passed in his periphery, and Harley prattled on, though he’d missed half of it. After nodding politely for several minutes that felt like hours, he held up a hand to forestall more small talk.
“Forgive me, Harley, but I must attend to my sister. I hope to see you Thursday.”
The nobleman looked befuddled as Tristan took his leave, but it didn’t matter. Tristan cast one glance back at Lady Felicia, then pushed her from his mind.
Emma took precedence.He’d been protective of her since childhood, especially after the death of their mother. Their father had become a shadow of himself for years afterwards, and, for a long while, it had been only the two of them, seeking solace and family in each other.
Finally, he slid past a cluster of chatting ladies and crossed the ballroom’s threshold. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he spotted Emma, and let out a relieved breath.
She approached from the far end of the hall.
“There you are,” she called brightly. “You’re just the person I hoped to find.”
“Likewise,” he said, as he allowed her to draw him off toward an alcove with a potted palm. “Are you all right? You left the ballroom with Miss Bridewell quite abruptly, and I was worried. Is something amiss?”
“I’m quite well, but I do have an important favor to ask of you.”
“And what favor is that?” He rarely denied his sister anything.
Emma smiled up at him. “I’d like you to ask Hyacinth for a dance.”
“Oh.” That was a surprise. Tristan’s only goal this evening had been to ask Lady Felicia to dance. That had been his plan, and it always felt a bit as if something inside him was unraveling when his plans went awry.
“Please, Tristan,” Emma said. “You might enjoy it. A certain odious gentleman is showing her attention she does not desire, and I’m hoping a dance with you will convince him to hie off.”
So it was to be a rescue mission. He bent to speak quietly. “Emma, I’ll ask Miss Bridewell to dance if you wish me to, but I have no intention of pretending to claim her publicly.”
“You need not ‘claim her.’ Goodness, that sounds rather barbaric. But if you dance with her, it will at least distract the rotter for a while. Then Hyacinth can make an excuse if he continues to pursue her.”
Tristan drew in a deep breath. “You mean an excuse because he’ll presumeIam pursuing her?”
He wasn’t skilled in social niceties, but he knew that an unmarried man had to take care with how he interacted with unmarried ladies.
Emma planted her hands on her hips. “Would that be such a terrible fate? Hyacinth is lovely and bright. And she’s very interested in paleontology.”
