David’s brows shot up. “Lady Elspeth? Did she happen to say anything about me?”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Annabelle said as she took a flute of champagne off the tray of a passing footman. David and Marianne did the same. “A lady never discusses her private talks with other ladies.”
“I see,” David asked, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Lady Elspeth had said to Annabelle. Had she told her he was an unredeemable mess? He supposed that news would spread like wildfire through the ballroom if so.
“David,” Marianne interjected. “Do you fancy any of the ladies you’ve met tonight?”
David took a sip from his flute. “Fancy them? I just met them.”
Marianne waved a hand in the air. “I only meant do you find any of them to be particularly attractive, either in countenance or bearing?”
David shook his head. “They were all quite lovely. But for all I know, they don’t fancy me.”
“Don’t be difficult, David, just answer the question,” Marianne replied, a smile covering her face.
“Very well.” David sighed. “Lady Elspeth impressed me. She asked me about my time in the army and our lives in Brighton.”
Was it his imagination or did Annabelle frown? He was about to open his mouth to praise something about Lady Heloise but a familiar-looking man with dark-blond hair in fine-cut evening attire came striding up to them.
The man bowed to Annabelle. “My lady. Good to see you again.”
Annabelle made a perfect curtsy. Her face remained completely blank. “Lord Murdock.”
Murdock! Of course. He looked different in his formal evening attire, but he was the same man who’d been discussing the bets on Annabelle’s marriage status at White’s.
“I’d hoped you had reconsidered and would do me the honor of dancing with me, Lady Annabelle,” Lord Murdock said.
Reconsidered? That must mean he’d asked Annabelle to dance earlier, and she’d turned him down. That was interesting.
This time Annabelle smiled at him prettily before saying, “It would be my pleasure, my lord.”
Murdock gave them all a self-satisfied smirk, while Annabelle handed her champagne flute to her mother. Lady Angelina’s eyes were wide as tea saucers watching Annabelle leave their little group.
David observed them with a decided frown on his face as they made their way to the dance floor. That blowhard had bet money on whether Annabelle would marry this Season. Did he intend to be the lucky groom?
The moment the couple began the waltz that had just begun to play, Lady Angelina turned to Marianne. “That’s strange. I haven’t seen her accept a dance with a truly eligible gentleman in an age.”
“Really?” Marianne asked, her gaze glancing from side to side. “Do you think she’s finally interested?”
Lady Angelina’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t know, but Lord Murdock is considered by many to be the best catch in London, especially now that Beau, Lord Worthington, and Lord Kendall are all betrothed.”
“Hasn’t he been after her all these years? She’s shown no interest before, has she?” David interjected, suddenly feeling out of sorts. He glared at the couple on the dance floor.
“He was recently tossed over by Lady Julianna Montgomery, who is now engaged to our dear Lord Worthington,” Lady Angelina added.
“Oh, yes,” Marianne replied, frowning. “I remember that name now. Julianna told me he threw a fit when she jilted him. He sounded quite unpleasant.”
“It was quite a scandal last autumn,” Lady Angelina said, nodding. Then she lifted her light brows. “But a handsome, rich marquess is always welcome back to the marriage mart. I do hope Annabelle has changed her mind about allowing him to court her. They make a lovely pair, don’t you think?”
“They do,” Marianne said, a wistful tone in her voice that David didn’t care for.
He scrunched up his nose and narrowed his eyes on the couple. Unfortunately, there was no doubt they made a striking pair. Was it his imagination, or did the marquess miss a step in the dance? He clearly wasn’t an expert at the waltz. Annabelle deserved a better partner.
Before he had a chance to examine his motivation, David pressed his glass in his sister’s hand. “Hold my drink,” he said, before stomping off in the direction of Annabelle and her marquess.
* * *
Annabelle didn’t knowexactly what happened, but one moment she was dancing with Lord Murdock, trying to remember precisely why she’d thought he was petulant, and the next she was in David’s arms.
