Harrison turned and waited for her to join him. “Have you changed your mind about sitting with me?”
“For a woman who rarely has an opportunity to dine in the company of a gentleman under the age of eighty, I would be delighted to join you for the meal. And given that you and I seem to share conversation easily, another circumstance I rarely experience, dining with you would make for a most pleasant event. However...” She blew out a breath and lowered her voice. “Temperance seems to be enjoying herself this evening, something I do not recall ever witnessing, but I just noticed Clementine watching her cousin as well as perusing Gilbert, and...”
“You want me to dine with Clementine so that Temperance can continue enjoying herself,” Harrison finished for her.
Gertrude blinked. “And here I’ve been under the impression you’re somewhat oblivious when it comes to understanding the feminine mind, but you didn’t even hesitate with understanding where I was going with that.”
“I’m afraid you’re giving me far too much credit, Gertrude. But, my mostly oblivious nature aside, I’ll certainly do as you ask, although who will you dine with tonight?”
“I’ll join Mrs. Davenport and your sister, which might be a prudent choice anyway since I have a feeling those two are rapidly moving forward with their plans to repair to Newport.”
“My sister is going to Newport with you and Mrs. Davenport?”
“That does seem to be the case. Mrs. Davenport is thrilled to have a young lady to sponsor into Newport society, so thrilled in fact she’s encouraged Edwina to use her given name—Hester.”
“I didn’t realize Edwina was quite this determined, but...” Harrison frowned and considered her closely. “Your feelings have been hurt by this, haven’t they?”
Not particularly caring to discuss her feelings, hurt or otherwise, Gertrude gestured to where Gilbert had joined Permilia and Asher. “I’m fine, truly I am, but by the expression on Gilbert’s face, you won’t be fine if you delay your speech much longer.”
Harrison leaned toward her. “You’ll save a dance for me after dinner?”
Gertrude’s heart gave a bit of a flip even as she forced herself to shake her head. “You and I have already shared a dance. Because there are limited dances this evening, you should ask some of the other ladies in attendance to take to the floor with you.” She grinned. “Besides, since I’ve confided that I’m suffering from laces that are far tighter than I’m used to, by not dancing with me, you’ll be helping me maintain an adequate supply of air.”
He returned the grin, and after bowing over her hand while placing a kiss on it, he turned and strode across the room, leaving her feeling more than a little light-headed, and this time not due to a lack of sufficient air.
Realizing she was beginning to draw attention from a few of the guests, probably because they’d caught her watching Harrison far more closely than she should have, Gertrude turned on her heel and walked to the side of the ballroom, craning her neck as she tried to find Mrs. Davenport.
Panic began trickling through her when she found not so much as a glimpse of her employer. The panic quickly increased when she realized that, even though she’d vowed to keep a close eye on Mrs. Davenport, that vow had all but been forgotten while she’d danced with Harrison.
Knowing there was no help for it but to go in search of her missing employer, Gertrude began moving through the ballroom, hoping with all her heart that Mrs. Davenport had not seen fit to use Gertrude’s distraction with Harrison to get herself into any troubling shenanigans.
Chapter
Thirteen
Pushing aside the panic that threatened to overwhelm her, Gertrude drew in a large breath, regretting that action a second later when she began wheezing, her lungs apparently not having enough room to accommodate so much air. Just when she began feeling decidedly light-headed again, though, someone began pounding her on the back, the pounding immediately diminishing her wheezing, although it set her eyes to watering.
Lifting those eyes, she found Mrs. Davenport standing beside her, watching her with clear concern.
“Goodness, dear, what in the world is wrong with you?”
“She’s obviously suffering from having her laces tied too tightly,” Edwina said, stepping around Mrs. Davenport before she reached out and pressed a handkerchief into Gertrude’s hand. “I take full responsibility for your unfortunate state, and do know that from this point forward, I’ll not dismiss claims of not being able to breathe so easily.”
Gertrude dabbed at her eyes. “We would have never gotten me into this gown if not for your efforts, Edwina. I simply need to remember that gulping in air is not a luxury I can afford for the rest of this evening.”
“I fear you won’t be able to eat anything either,” Edwina said.
“Which will make it easier for me to get into smaller sizes in the future.” Gertrude tucked the handkerchief into the sleeve of her gown. “But enough about my unusual condition. Tell me, what have the two of you been up to while I’ve been occupied?”
Mrs. Davenport’s smile was far too innocent. “Nothing of any consequence. We’ve simply been discussing fashions and what Edwina will need to bring to Newport.”
“And you were discussing those fashions theentiretime I was occupied?” Gertrude pressed.
Mrs. Davenport’s smile dimmed. “I did use the retiring room at one point, but that’s hardly a matter of interest to anyone.”
“Did you encounter anyone of interest in the retiring room?” Gertrude asked.
Mrs. Davenport, to Gertrude’s concern, waved that aside. “There are always interesting ladies in a retiring room, but what I find more interesting is how much time you’ve spent with Harrison this evening.”
