There was a boldness to his request which did give Christina pause, even though she had already accepted. The waltz was the dance that everyone watched, the one that the ton would be speaking of for the next few days, and given that they had already shared one waltz, would they not speak of this even more? It might bring whispers of a formal connection to the lips of the ton, might have them expecting courtship soon to follow, but she was not quite prepared for that. They were not prepared, for they still had so much mystery and confusion sweeping around them.
And yet, she did not care. It was not as though any part of her was in any way willing to refuse.
“You appear to be frowning at something, Lord Pennington.”
Another voice came from over Christina’s shoulder, and she took a step to her right, catching the delighted smile on Sophie’s face as she did so.
“I thought this conversation looked to be a very pleasant one indeed, so I came to join you all.” Lord Granton beamed at each of them in turn, his eyes alighting on Christina and lingering for a moment. “Tell me, what are you speaking of?”
Lord Pennington cleared his throat gruffly. “Lord Coventry has just asked Miss Oldham to save him her waltz this evening.”
Much to Christina’s surprise, Lord Granton’s expression darkened in a single second, making her breath catch lightly. His brow furrowed, lines pulled across his forehead, and his jaw set tightly.
“That is most unfair, Lord Coventry,” he stated, folding his arms over his chest and glaring now at Lord Coventry. “The gentlemen of London do not do such things, I am astonished to hear it.”
Lord Coventry chuckled, which, if anything, only made Lord Granton’s scowl grow. “I am sorry that you are upset by my determinations, Lord Granton, but I am afraid I am quite set upon what it is I desire. And I desire to stand up with Miss Oldham this evening.”
“As do I,” Lord Pennington snapped, making Christina’s eyebrows lift. “But you thought it best to take hold of this evening before it has even begun!”
“If you will excuse us, we are going to continue with our walk now.” Sophie put a hand on Christina’s arm and smiled warmly at the gentlemen, bringing a quick end to their heated discussion. “Until this evening.” She bobbed a curtsy, as did Christina although her gaze quickly returned to Lord Coventry. The quirk of his lips made her want to giggle, but she managed to maintain her calm outward expression as she too took her leave, having no desire to bring any further upset to either LordPennington or Lord Granton. Fighting the desire to look back at Lord Coventry over her shoulder, she slipped a hand through her sister’s arm and let out a small, soft sigh.
“Goodness, Christina!” her sister exclaimed, the moment they were out of the gentlemen’s hearing. “You have not only Lord Coventry eager for your interest but also Lord Pennington and Lord Granton. If Lord Coventry had not asked for your waltz, I believe that Lord Pennington would have done so. Lord Granton’s disagreement with Lord Coventry’s action was also quite startling; he seemed most displeased.”
Christina smiled but dismissed her sister’s remarks without too much concern. “There is only one gentleman that interests me, as well you know.” Her smile slipped. “By showing me such interest, however, he is making his consideration of me known to the ton, and that was not meant to be our intention, not as yet. It was to be slow and careful and – ”
“It is slow and careful,” her sister interrupted, gently. “Yes, the ton might note that he has danced the waltz with you for a second time, but it is not as if you are courting – not as yet. Allow yourself to be glad in this, Christina. It seems that, even with all your difficulties and sorrows, you are slowly moving back towards Lord Coventry and he to you. Is that not what you want?”
Her heart cried out at once, fully aware that yes, this was exactly what she wanted, but all the same, fear restrained her joy. The strangeness of the footman’s disappearance from the house, the worry about who had sent those letters in the first place, and the concern about what could happen to them now all filled her mind, darkening her thoughts. “It is what I want, yes,” she admitted, quietly. “But part of me is still afraid that we will be separated once again – and this time, it shall be forever.”
The knock came notfrom the front entrance but from the servants' door at the rear of the house, well after dark.
Thompson appeared in the drawing room with an expression that was equal parts disapproval and alarm. "My lady, there is a young man at the kitchen entrance who is asking — rather urgently — for you specifically. He says his name is George."
Christina rose to her feet so quickly she knocked her teacup from its saucer. "Bring him up at once, Thompson. Through the servants' stair, if you please — and do not mention his arrival to anyone else in the household."
The butler's eyebrows rose, but he did not question her. Some minutes later, George was ushered into the small back parlor, and Christina's composure nearly broke at the sight of him.
He was thinner than before. His coat was damp from rain, and he clutched a small sheaf of papers to his chest as if they were the only things of value in the world. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his hands would not stop trembling.
"George." Christina gestured to a chair. "Sit down. I will have tea brought."
"No — no, miss, please, don't trouble yourself. I only came because — " He swallowed hard. "He found me. Lord Pennington. He came to the lodging house this afternoon, and I barely got out. He was asking for me by name, miss, and I — I had nowhere else." His voice cracked. "I'm sorry. For all of it. I'm so sorry."
"Tell me," Christina said, gently. "Tell me everything."
And he did. Haltingly, in broken sentences that sometimes trailed into silence, George told her how Lord Pennington —though George had not known the name at the time — had approached him at a pub frequented by servants, had offered him thirty pounds to leave Lord Coventry's household and take a position with Lord Bedford.
"It were — it were in my hand, miss. Thirty pounds. I'd been at cards and I'd lost more than I should have, and he sat down beside me like he were a friend I already knew, and he said — he said he knew of my troubles." George's shoulders hunched. "And I took it. I took it, miss."
His duties after that had been to report on Christina's movements — who she spoke with, where she went, and who called upon the house. And on one morning, he had been given a sealed letter to deliver to Miss Oldham.
"The letter I received," Christina breathed. "The one I believed was from Lord Coventry."
George nodded miserably. "I don't know what it said. It was sealed when he gave it to me. But you cried, miss. I heard you through the door and I — " His voice broke. "I knew then that something was very wrong."
Christina sat very still, absorbing the weight of his confession. The room was quiet, save for the ticking of the clock and George's unsteady breathing.
"You did the right thing coming here," she said at last. "You will stay tonight. I will have a room prepared in the servants' quarters. Tomorrow, we will arrange for you to go to Lord Kinsley's household in the country." She paused, then added: "George, I need you to write all of this down. Everything you have told me — the dates, the payments, the instructions. Write it in your own hand and sign it. Can you do that?"
