“Not to mention Axelby,” Emily added. “As host, it will be his duty to make sure you’re both comfortable and that you’re kept apart from anyone who might pose a threat.”
“I don’t know,” Ada said. “It feels rather risky.”
Harriet snatched a biscuit from a nearby plate. “Most things worth having involve risk in some form or other.”
“Any number of things could go wrong,” Ada told them both despite feeling as though her argument was starting to lose steam.
“The same can be said of crossing the street,” Emily pointed out. “And if the next argument you plan on making relates to your clothes, you needn’t worry. I’ll have my maid hem one of my gowns by an inch and send it over.”
“Emily, I couldn’t possibly accept.”
“As for your uncle,” Emily said as though Ada hadn’t spoken, “I’m sure we can figure out something. My brother might be of a similar size. I’ll have a word with him later when I get home.”
Ada stared at her friend – a woman she’d known for less than a year. “I’ve no idea what to say. Thank you, Emily. Thank you ever so much.”
“Does that mean you’re going?” Harriet asked, reaching for another biscuit.
Ada produced a throaty laugh that caught her somewhat by surprise. “I suppose it does.”
She smiled at her friends, hiding all her misgivings. Not just from them, but also from herself.
10
As much as he liked to pretend otherwise, Anthony’s nerves were in chaos. Contrary to his usual habit of showing up fashionably late, he’d arrived at Axelby’s home at eight o’clock sharp and had therefore been one of the first guests to enter the ballroom. It had been a great relief when Brody and Callum arrived, offering him an escape from the stilted conversation he’d been having with one of the older matrons.
Now, strategically positioned near the front of the room, he kept his gaze on the entrance while hoping Miss Quinn would show up. Naturally, Axelby had been surprised when he’d made the request to invite her and her uncle. He’d hesitated a tad too long for Anthony’s liking, but in the end, he’d relented. They were longtime friends after all, and Axelby did owe him a favor or two for covering for him when they’d been at Eton.
The orchestra started playing the first few notes of a reel. Additional couples arrived, filling the ballroom with lively chatter. Despite the anxiousness tensing his muscles, he felt more at ease than he’d done this past year. The horse he’d listed for sale two weeks prior had brought him twenty pounds. He’d sold two more since then, along with several items he’d found in the attic.
A painting by Rubens, tucked away at the bottom of a large trunk, had earned a staggering total of nearly two hundred pounds. Though he’d still need additional funds for his sisters’ debuts, it was enough to pay his outstanding bills and cover all immediate expenses.
The discovery had prompted him to carefully assess the rest of the artwork he owned. As a man with little interest in art beyond what he found pleasing to the eye, he’d never really considered the worth of his own collection.
As with most of the things that filled his house and his country estate, they’d been handed down to him from previous generations. He’d grown up with them simply being there, and as a result, he’d not really spared them much thought. Until now.
“What do you think?” Brody asked.
Anthony stared at him. And at Callum. He’d no idea what they’d been talking about. “Forgive me, but I fear I got distracted for a moment and missed the subject of the conversation.”
Callum grinned. “If I were mooning after a lady, I’d be distracted too.”
“I’m not mooning over anyone,” Anthony grumbled.
“There’s no shame in it,” Callum said. “We both think Miss Quinn is delightful.”
Unfortunately, the next lady to arrive was not Miss Quinn but rather Miss Starling. Dressed in a pale blue gown and with her hair predictably styled to perfection, she entered the ballroom with her two younger sisters. Pausing briefly, she swept the room with her eagle-eyed gaze and quickly spotted her quarry – namely him.
Brilliant.
Anthony sighed. As payment for the tea she’d invited his sisters to attend, he’d enjoyed an unpleasant visit to The National Gallery with her earlier in the week. To make certain it wouldn’t look as though they were courting, he had insisted on meeting her there and had chosen to bring his sisters along for the outing.
Unsurprisingly, Miss Starling had not looked the least bit pleased.
“If you step out onto the terrace, we’ll stall her,” Brody said, realizing Anthony’s dilemma. “You can escape to the garden for a while. Just long enough for her dance card to fill.”
Knowing Miss Starling, such a thing would be unlikely. She’d make sure to leave one spot vacant until he returned. The predatory gleam in her eyes as she started toward him was chilling. He was tempted to follow Brody’s advice, if only to avoid speaking with her at great length. But what if Miss Quinn arrived during his absence?
“Your Graces,” Miss Starling said, arriving before them too quickly. “What a delight it is to find the three of you already in attendance.”
