“We’re matchmakers. It’s what we do,” Lucy replied with a sigh. “It does make it difficult, however. I’ve noidea how Berwick feels about Lavinia. Have they even met?”
“Yes,” Thomas replied. “They met at rehearsal the other night, apparently, and Lavinia took a liking to him.”
“But we’ve picked Berwick for Rebecca,” Delilah said to Lucy with a note of desperation in her voice that she couldn’t quite seem to quell.
“Rebecca?” Thomas echoed. “I thought she fancied me,” he added with a grin.
Delilah lifted her chin. “I’m trying to do you a favor by distracting her.”
“Who said I wanted such a favor?” he countered, raising his brows.
She opened her mouth to retort, but then snapped it shut, averting her attention from his handsome face. She’d found herself inexplicably perturbed with Thomas ever since her teatime conversation with Lucy. After all these years, he had finally decided to look for a match, and he’d chosen the exact same Seasonshewas looking? That seemed entirely selfish to Delilah. Thomas knew she was quite busy this Season. The least he could do was wait till next Season to find his bride. Not to mention it had hurt her feelings to know that he’d asked Lucy to aid him and not her. Didn’t he know Delilah and Lucy were a pair? Didn’t he wantherhelp?
And not only had he not asked her, he hadn’t even mentioned it to her. He’d left Lucy to tell her. Over the last two days, Delilah had struggled with her feelings, and hadn’t yet decided exactly what to say to Thomas about it or even if she should say anything. Too bad it wasn’t in her nature to keep silent.
Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Delilah and Thomas. “We may have picked Berwick forRebecca, but we’re forgetting one of the essential truths of matchmaking.”
“What’s that?” Delilah asked, her gaze scanning the ballroom for Branville.
Lucy tossed her head. “Sometimes the matchees are not agreeable to the matches. If that’s the case, it can make things nearly impossible.”
“We must convince them,” Delilah retorted, frowning. She and Lucy had participated in some complicated matchmaking in the past, but this Season’s antics were becoming troublesome indeed. None of their plans were materializing the way they’d hoped.
“Convincing rarely works, dear,” Lucy pointed out.
“Yes, best of luck with that,” Thomas replied, scrunching up his nose.
“But isn’t part of being a good matchmaker making the matches realize that sometimes you know better than they do?” Delilah was not ready to give up on the matches she’d already settled in her mind.
“That’s also true,” Lucy replied with a sigh.
“Then I refuse to give up,” Delilah declared.
Lucy waved a hand in the air. “All we can do at present is continue with the plans we have made and hope for the best.”
“What plans?” Thomas asked, scratching his cheek.
Lucy eyed him up and down. “Are you quite certain you don’t want to help us distract Lady Emmaline Rochester from Branville?”
“Quite,” Thomas replied with a nod.
“Very well, Huntley,” Lucy said. “Who would you like me to match you with?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
One hour later, Thomas escorted Lucy across the ballroom in order for her to introduce him to Lady Emmaline Rochester. After Lucy had put him on the spot in front of Delilah, he’d been forced to lie and say he had no idea who he should be matched with, and that had only served to make Lucy steadfastly talk him into meeting Lady Emmaline. How could he possibly know she wasn’t the love of his life, Lucy argued, when he’d never so much as met the woman? In the end, he’d been forced to concede the point or explain why he was so adamant in his refusal, and it had seemed the easier of the two choices to agree to meet Lady Emmaline and get it over with.
Of course, the last thing he wanted was to help put Delilah in Branville’s way, but Thomas supposed he owed it to Lucy to assist in her scheme at least temporarily, since she was doing her best to help pair off Lavinia.
“Lady Emmaline,” Lucy said, a wide smile on her faceas soon as they approached the stunning blond. “Have you met my dear friend, the Duke of Huntley?”
Lady Emmaline nodded and smiled and said all the correct things, but Thomas knew immediately she was barely paying attention to him. Nevertheless, he dutifully asked Lady Emmaline to dance, he laughed at her unfunny jests, and he willingly trotted off to get her a glass of lemonade, while the blonde shot longing gazes across the room toward the Duke of Branville.
Lucy was right. You could put two people in each other’s paths, but you certainly couldn’t force their feelings. If that were possible, he would force himself to forget about a match with Delilah. Everything would be much simpler that way. Instead, he kept glancing across the room at her, where she hovered at Branville’s side. It rankled him. What happened to her plan to be elusive? Had she discarded that notion entirely? Here he was playing attendant to a young woman who clearly didn’t give a toss about him, while the woman he was desperately in love with threw herself at another man. How had he got himself into this situation?
At least spending time with Lady Rebecca was enjoyable. That young lady was interesting to talk to, and her interest in him was certainly preferable to Lady Emmaline humoring him.
Thomas had the sinking feeling that he’d gone about handling the entire situation incorrectly. Perhaps it had been a mistake to declare to Lucy that he was ready for a match. He’d partially hoped she would take the hint and pair him with Delilah. Instead, the duchess had immediately pushed him toward Lady Emmaline, which made him wonder how seriously she was taking his request. He’d really only told Lucy he wanted a match in order to attempt to make Delilah jealous. He’d assumed Lucywould try to match him with Lady Rebecca, and he’d hoped the more time he spent with Lady Rebecca, the more Delilah would look at him as a potential suitor.
