“Then, we had better get started.” Anna paused, her ears pricked. “For I think I hear music.”
CHAPTER 21
Jeremy hated it all. He hated that his drawing room was filled with strangers who had not come here for community or fun, but to gawk at him, whisper, and ask him stupid questions. He hated the sedate music, hated that there was no dancing, hated the loudness of so many voices, hated the posturing and parading, and hated that he was the one who had invited everyone.
Most of all, he hated that so many eligible gentlemen had answered his invitation: a duke, a marquess, a couple of earls, a viscount, a handful of barons, not to mention the sons of peers who had come along.
Just then, he spotted Sophie peeking through the door. A fleeting relief in so much chaos.
“What are ye up to, eh?” he asked, glancing down at her.
“The maids want to ken if I can play hide and seek, but I cannae find Mama to ask,” the little girl whispered.
Jeremy turned his gaze to the corner of the drawing room. There, Beatrice sat alone, staring down at a glass of whiskey that she had not touched. Pale and despondent in a black gown, so still and sad that no one had approached her yet. Maybe, they thought she was some kind of sorrowful statue.
At least it’s not a reminder of our old gatherings, eh?
Douglas would have been horrified by the restrained and, frankly, dull occasion. He would have been pushing aside chairs and rolling up the rugs, insisting on a lively tune so everyone could learn to dance a reel.
“Ye go and play with them, lassie,” Jeremy said, not wanting to disturb his sister-in-law just so she could say ‘no’ to her daughter. “And ye make sure ye win.”
Sophie deserved to have some fun, while he and Beatrice pretended to partake in this stuffy English nonsense.
The little girl grinned. “Thank ye, Uncle!” She turned to leave, then turned back. “Will ye take me to see Sprightly later?”
“I promise,” he replied.
Clearly satisfied, the girl darted off, her joyful shouts of permission echoing down the hall.
For a moment, Jeremy contemplated slipping out of the drawing room and going off to join his niece, but a voice stopped that thought before it could gather any momentum.
“You should make a speech,” Colin said, as he wandered up to stand beside Jeremy.
“Whatever for?” Jeremy replied tersely.
Colin sipped his drink, unable to hide a smile. “It is polite and expected. You are supposed to welcome everyone.”
“Didn’t I do that when I greeted them at the door?”
“That is merely the first welcome. This would be more of a... general welcome,” the marquess explained. “Although I must say, everyone seems rather content. It will be a splendid few days, I am sure.”
Jeremy cast his doubtful gaze across the gathered guests who stood or sat in clusters around the room. Some were playing games, others were in deep discussion, some were gossiping, some were observing the room in much the same manner as him, and others were out on the terrace enjoying the fresh air.
Just then, the conversation stalled, a decisive lull that even the musicians quietened their instruments for. The gentlemen stared, and the ladies immediately raised their fans to whisper behind them.
“Goodness…” Colin remarked, his eyes following the same path as the other gentlemen.
Jeremy turned to see what had captured their attention… and understood.
Anna had just walked in through a different door, wearing a midnight-blue gown that shimmered in the soft apricot light of the drawing room, the dark fabric accentuating her creamy skin and teasing the eye with the suggestion of the figure beneath. Her hair was pinned up, her face framed by wavy locks, her cheeks rosy, and her smile… irresistible.
She had entered with Katherine, the two of them talking to one another as if Anna had not commanded the room the second she stepped into it. Unaware of the attention, or ignoring it. Considering how beautiful Anna looked, Jeremy was willing to wager on the latter.
There were other ladies in attendance, but none compared to her. Even if Anna had been wearing a simple day dress, it would have been the same; she was mesmerizing, and that was part of the problem.
Jeremy sipped his drink and looked away quickly. If he didn’t look, he couldn’t be tempted.
“Have you quarreled?” Colin asked with a sly smile. “Or can you not bear to look upon such beauty? It is like looking into the sun.”
