He looked at the few remaining on the table and raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. If he could keep secrets, so could she.
*
Owen had delayedsending Adelia a missive with the formal invitation to the ballet. After all, he had to keep his head clear to find the killer, and something about the charming lady fogged his mind, making it hard to think of anything except her.
He and Whitely had spent a fruitless few hours hounding the halls of Westminster Palace, switching off which of them was pretending to have a nosebleed, until they’d collected two pocketfuls of handkerchiefs. None of them had an anvil sewn upon them.
By week’s end, Owen found himself looking forward to the next large social gathering of the Season. Undoubtedly,shewould attend, and he considered himself allowed to enjoy Adelia’s company as long as he was still on the hunt for the handkerchief.
After deciding to follow Lady Jane Westing’s advice and seek the help of a female—Adelia in particular—Owen arrived early at Lord and Lady Marechal’s splendid mansion and kept his eyes on the door to the ballroom. He seemed to have caught the eye and the notice of every blasted female in the place, but no sign of—
Suddenly, Adelia entered. He wondered at his own previous blindness. Undoubtedly, she outshone every other lady.How had he not noticed before?It must have been some trickery she used to remain unseen.
Now, he couldn’t take his gaze from her. It wasn’t simply the perfect fall of her burgundy silk gown, as it hugged her full bosom and flared over her curvy hips. Nor was it the way her light brown hair shone while cascading over one of her creamy-soft shoulders, nor even her willowy neck set off by sparkling jewels.
It was something unfathomable about her—the way she held herself, so removed from the flighty, silly creatures around her. Owen felt as if she were another species altogether from both the malicioustonand the giggling gaggle of young ladies.
Her brother entered a step behind, took her arm, and led her to a table.
A table always seemed to open up for earls no matter how late they arrived,Owen thought wryly. About to make his way over, he watched Lady Adelia say something to her brother prior to leaving the safety of his company.
Frowning, Owen watched her journey to the far end of the room, looking at no one, not stopping to converse, and all the while clutching her dance card in her palm rather than letting it dangle like bait on a fishhook. And now he knew how she kept her card empty.
She tucked herself into an area at the far end of the room, a tall plant beside her, its palm leaves practically covering her. And seemingly content, she glanced out over the ballroom to watch the proceedings.
“Not tonight, my lady,” Owen muttered, for his plan depended on Adelia dancing.
Snagging two glasses of champagne, he approached her. She obviously saw him coming, despite the way her head was angled. Inclining her head in greeting, she offered him a warm, welcoming smile.
That surprised him. No other woman of his acquaintance would greet him pleasantly after he had neglected her for almost a week. And he was well-aware, after how they’d finished their night at the theatre, she must have awaited his invitation to the ballet.
“You look ravishing,” he offered, surprised by his own choice of words but meaning what he said. Her smile grew, and her face, already beautiful, became breathtaking. Again, he could not believe how he had failed to notice this gem right under his own nose.
“I brought you a glass of champagne.”
She took it and murmured her thanks.
There was no point in delaying. Lady Jane said a female could gather more handkerchiefs than a man, and Owen was determined to see if that were true. To avoid anyone overhearing, he leaned toward the wall and whispered in her ear.
“Would it be possible for you to do me a kindness?”
She looked miserable and shook her head.How unexpected!Last time, at the previous ball, he had decided against asking her, but now, he thought they had a friendship, slight as it was.
She turned toward the wall as she had before.
“Please repeat yourself,” she whispered, looking for all the world as if she were speaking directly to the wallpaper.
Again, he whispered, now with his lips were against her other ear. “I hope you will hear me out. The favor is a little odd, that’s true, but important, nonetheless.”
“What is it?” she asked, and it seemed she’d had a change of heart about helping him.
“I need to collect gentlemen’s handkerchiefs. Actually, I need you to do so for me.”
She turned to him, and he had to step back for their faces were mere inches apart. Glancing around, he realized they appeared to be having an intimatetête-a-tête.
A perplexed expression slid across her pretty face, quickly replaced by one of amusement.
