“We have no desire to beggar anyone, you see.” He winked at Lady Finley. “And compromises are possible.”
It was a risky strategy to appeal to the lady. That would set every gambling man in thetonagainst him. But the women ruled society, and that’s where he wanted to be. So he took the risk of throwing in with the ladies who always wanted more power over their men.
“Interesting,” murmured Lady Finley, but she was interrupted by the exquisite timing of the countess.
“What are you doing here?” snapped the dowager. He was confused for a moment, but then he realized she was speaking to Miss Allen. The girl had sidled up to see what was going on, as had everyone else at the ball. Indeed, the orchestra had stopped playing in order to watch him being tossed out on his head. “Don’t you have a dance partner right now?” the countess demanded.
“I do,” responded Miss Allen with a twinkle in her eyes. “I am promised to Mr. Bates.”
“So you are,” he said. “Pray forgive me.” Then he turned to his host and hostess, bowing quickly before them. Lastly, he turned to Miss Spalding. He expected her to be annoyed with him, but instead of anger, he saw rampant speculation in her gaze. As if she were thinking very hard about him, and he was very curious as to what was her conclusion. “I should very much like another dance,” he said as he kissed her hand.
She snorted. “I am sure you would, but alas, my card is full now.”
It wasn’t, but he didn’t argue. “Another time, perhaps.” He paused a moment wondering if he should warn her about her kinsmen come to look for her. But he hadn’t the time as she cut into his thoughts.
“I still want my dagger back,” she said under her breath.
And she might very well need it, but he had no time to delve into it. Meanwhile, he had to entertain the lively Miss Sadie Allen. He took her hand and escorted her to her place on the floor only to be surprised again by Miss Spalding.
She and her partner took positions beside them. This particular dance divided the group into sets of four and so now he had an excuse to watch her. Except her partner quickly made it clear as to why he was there.
“I say, did you return a necklace just to be allowed in a ball? My sister’s come out—”
“Dickey,” he said, using the idiot’s shortened name. “Pay attention to your partner.”
“Of course, of course,” the man intoned as he bowed to Miss Spalding. “But you see, I know the, um, jeweler who repaired Miss Spalding’s necklace.”
Yes. Every bad gambler in town knew where to pawn his goods. Meanwhile, he smiled at his own partner. “Are you having a good evening, Miss Allen?”
“It’s not boring,” the woman responded. “You almost kept up with me and Lord Arlo during the waltz.”
He cast her a rueful look. “I’m afraid I got carried away with—”
“Do you know my sister?” Dickey interrupted. The man jerked Miss Spalding across from him with unnecessary force just so he could keep talking to Reuben. “Lovely girl. Adores me. I could convince her to add you—”
“Are you all right, Miss Spalding? Your partner seems ham-handed.”
She answered with a roll of her eyes. Miss Allen was less polite. “Mr. Wells is well known to us,” she said dryly.
“Wells—well known,” Dickey chuckled. “Good one.”
As if that joke hadn’t been made a thousand times.
He would have said something scathing, but the dance picked up tempo and they were busy moving in and out of the pattern. He was an accomplished dancer, so he moved with ease despite the way his attention was fractured. He needed to keep an eye on Lord and Lady Finley. Though the footmen had receded to the walls, Reuben was still one bad move away from being thrown out in disgrace.
“Have you always danced this well, Mr. Bates?” Miss Allen asked.
“I learned recently the same way everyone does.”
“By being hit with a fan during dance instruction?”
“The instructor wouldn’t dare.”
He grabbed Miss Spalding’s hand this time, feeling the length of her fingers as they spun around. He’d always admired strong hands, especially in women. And long fingers seemed the epitome of class, especially when compared to his thick, blunt digits. He’d been in too many fights to have beautiful hands.
“My sister is quite handsome, you know,” Dickey pressed. “She’s likely to be quite popular this Season, as soon as she’s out.”
They separated into lines as a pair of dancers spun down the center. Off the dancefloor, Lord and Lady Finley had separated, each speaking in low voices to their closest friends, no doubt seeking advice. He knew the parties in question. He’d taken time to learn everything he could about them and their friends. But he couldn’t figure out what was being said while he was hopping around in this dance.
