Jonathan glanced over his shoulder. “No, I am not acquainted as yet.” He frowned. “Did you say, the Earlof Moncrieff?”
His friend nodded. “I am, though he is not present in London this Season, I understand.”
Worry began to bite at Jonathan’s heart, but he shook it off. If Lord Moncrieff was not present, then he did not need to have any concern whatsoever. His daughters would not know of the matter between himself and their father, he was sure, for a gentleman did not speak to his daughters about any such financial affairs. “I do not know these two ladies, no.”
The curious look on Lord Kettering’s face remained. “Shall we go and converse with them, then? I shall introduce you, of course,” Lord Kettering stated decisively, refusing to accept any hint of a refusal from Jonathan. “This way, I, at least, will have some minutes of enjoyment at this soiree even if you will not!” The twinkle in his eye made Jonathan smile ruefully, seeing that his friend did not truly mean such a thing. All the same, he followed after him and tried to put a smile on his face as he approached the ladies. Despite his friend’s best efforts, however, Jonathan knew that he would not feel any great enjoyment in anyone’s company. Not when he had Lady Susanna still fixed so firmly in his mind.
6
“Now, if he comes to speak with you – or if you are to be introduced to him – you will have to make sure that no overwhelming swell of emotion overtakes you and is visible in your expression.”
Susanna winced. “I am not sure I can do such a thing,” she said, uncertainly, as both she and Lady Ellen made their way into Almacks. The assembly rooms were as they always were — deceptively plain for so hallowed a venue, the walls a pale cream, the chandeliers modest compared to the great houses of Mayfair, and the refreshments famously disappointing. A tray of dry cake and tepid lemonade sat on a side table near the entrance, untouched. And yet, to be admitted through these doors was the mark of social acceptance, and Susanna did not take it for granted. The orchestra was already playing from the gallery above, a lively country dance filling the room with its bright melody. “Even when I think of him, my heart quails and my whole body trembles!”
“But you are strong,” Ellen stated firmly. “Stronger than you might think. You have already endured an entire year ofcarrying this burden alone, and that has given you a good deal of strength, Susanna. You only have to realize it.”
Not at all certain that she had all that Ellen had suggested, Susanna swallowed her answer and only nodded, trying to believe it. Looking around the room, she glanced behind her to where Lady Kilthorn stood, only a short distance away, watching them with a smile on her face. She was not the sort of chaperone who felt the urge to draw particularly near to them, it seemed, leaving them to traverse society mostly on their own. “Your aunt will follow after us, I presume?”
Ellen nodded. “I am sure she shall. She has told me that some gentlemen prefer to speak to young ladies without a chaperone present, though that is not always a good thing. The roguish gentlemen are mostly inclined towards flirtation – something they would not do when a chaperone is present. However, that way, I suppose, one can tell which gentlemen are worth considering and which are not!”
Susanna smiled. “I suppose so.”
“Now, let us make our way through the room and see which gentlemen we can take notice of – and which to avoid,” Ellen suggested, with a smile. “And if Lord Lancashire is present in any group, you are not to ignore his presence nor walk past him for fear that he will see you. No, we will make sure to show him that you are not in the least bit troubled by his presence.”
Susanna could only nod, almost a little afraid to disagree with Ellen, given her confidence and determination. “If you think it would be best.”
“It most certainly will be.” With a lift of her chin, Ellen took Susanna’s arm and began to move through the crowd with ease, smiling warmly at various acquaintances beforebeing welcomed by a young lady whom Susanna did not know.
“Ah, Lady Theresa! How very good to see you again.” Ellen smiled and then gestured to Susanna. “Might I introduce Lady Susanna, daughter to the Duke of Somerset? Susanna, this is Lady Theresa. Her father is the Earl of Moncrieff.”
“The Duke’s daughter?” Lady Theresa’s eyes widened for a moment, only for her to flush and then drop into a perfect curtsy. “Forgive my astonishment, Lady Susanna. I have already been introduced to the Duke of Somerset’s daughter, and I did not realize that he had more than one.”
Susanna flushed with embarrassment. “You would have been introduced to my younger sister, I think. Lady Maude?”
“Yes, yes, that is right!” Lady Theresa’s eyes widened, as did her broad smile. “Such a genteel young lady. There are so many gentlemen seeking an acquaintance with her that I felt myself a little overawed by her presence!”
Susanna said nothing to this, silently wishing that Lady Theresa would stop speaking about Maude and instead change the subject to something else.
“And now here is my sister.” Lady Theresa gestured to someone to Susanna’s left, and as she turned her head, a young lady with the same fair hair as Lady Theresa came to join them. “Evelina, might I introduce Lady Susanna? She is the daughter of the Duke of Somerset. You are already acquainted with Lady Ellen.”
Susanna smiled, hoping that Lady Evelina would not continue in the same vein as her sister had done. “Good evening, Lady Evelina. I am very glad to make your acquaintance.”
“As am I.” Lady Evelina smiled, but toSusanna’s eyes, it was cooler than her sister’s. Mayhap Lady Evelina took a little longer than her sister to be warm in her acquaintance. “The daughter of the Duke of Somerset, you say? I thought he only had one daughter.”
The sting of pain against Susanna’s heart was severe enough to make her wince visibly.
“Well, now you know that the Duke has two daughters!” Ellen’s voice was cheerful but overly so. “Lady Evelina, are you enjoying the Season thus far?”
“I am, yes.” Lady Evelina did not say a word more about the Duke, and for that, Susanna was grateful. “There are so many gentlemen eager for my acquaintance, I find myself delighted at their interest! There are not enough dances for them all, which is a great pity, for I should very much like to dance with every one.” She let out a trill of laughter. “I am used to getting whatever it is I desire, so I find it quite delightful to be able to choose which of them I shall stand up with and which I shall discard!”
Susanna, who did not have any of the same interests as Lady Evelina had described, felt a twinge of jealousy which she did her best to ignore. All the same, she dropped her gaze to the floor, choosing not to respond to such remarks, given that she did not know what to say. But as she glanced up again, she caught Lady Evelina studying her with an odd, assessing look — the kind of look a chess player might give a piece not yet in play. It was gone in an instant, replaced by the same cool smile, and Susanna told herself she had imagined it.
“And now here is one gentleman who has not yet signed my dance card but whom I would very much like to dance with all the same!” Lady Evelina waved one hand and fluttered her eyelashes, and Susanna did her best not to turn her head to see which gentleman it was. She could not tellwhether or not Lady Evelina had meant for the gentleman in question to hear what she had said, but silently thought that if she had, it was a very bold remark indeed!
“Lady Theresa, Lady Evelina.” A gentleman bowed his head, then came to join them all. “How good to see you both.” His smile was warm, and as Susanna took him in, she found a frown pulling across her forehead. There was something about him that was familiar, but she was sure she had not met him before.
“Might we introduce Lady Ellen and Lady Susanna?” Lady Theresa gestured to each of them in turn. “This is the Earl of Tunbridge.”
“How good to meet you.” Susanna smiled and then dropped into a quick curtsy.
