A small smile curved her lips. “Forgive me, Lord Lymington. I didn’t think you’d want todance with me.”
Samuel did want to dance with her, and with no onebuther, but all he said was, “You’ll remain where I can see you for the entire evening. When you’re ready to retire, I will escort you to your bedchamber. Is that understood?”
Emma bowed her head, and said meekly,“Yes, my lord.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t trust your uncharacteristic obedience for a minute, Emma.” Still, he offered her his arm, and escorted her downstairs, mainly because he hadn’t any other choice.
As soon as they entered the ballroom, a half dozen gentlemen rushed to claim Emma’s hand.
She remained true to her promise, dancing only with Dunn and Lovell, and then Samuel himself before claiming a twisted ankle, and retiring to one of the gilt chairs with Lady Crosby for the remainderof the evening.
An interminable evening, and a surprisingly painful one.
Samuel hadn’t expected to get any pleasure from this ball, what with a murderer likely running loose in his ballroom, but he also hadn’t anticipated the wrench in his chest as he watched Emma holding court from her chair, bestowing one flirtatious smile after another on her crowd of admirers.
He’d hoped never again to be cursed with the sight of Lady Emma Crosby, but as he watched her charm and dazzle the gentlemen who surrounded her, it occurred to him for the first time how difficult it must be for her to wear that masque,how exhausting.
If it caused him this much pain towatchLady Emma Crosby, how much more pain did it cause Emma tobeher?
The evening dragged on at a miserable crawl until at last the supper hour drew near. Lady Lymington had been glaring at Samuel all evening for leaving his young female guests languishing on the sidelines while he glowered at Emma, so he invited Lady Flora to dance while Emma was safely engaged with Lovell and Lord Dunn on the other side of the ballroom.
“Forgive me, Lord Lymington, but you don’t look as if you’ve enjoyed yourself this evening. Are you not pleased with the ball?” Lady Flora asked as Samuel escorted her to the floor.
Samuel, who’d always been fond of Lady Flora, managed a smile for her. “No. I confess I’m not much in the mood to dancethis evening.”
“Not since you had your two dances with Lady Emma, at any rate.” Lady Flora looked up at him with thoughtful dark eyes. “Oh, but I forgot. It’s not Lady Emma, is it? It’sMiss Downing.”
Samuel blinked, surprised that Lovell had confided such a closely guarded secret to Lady Flora. “I see you’re in Lovell’s confidence.”
“Of course. Lord Lovell and I don’t have secrets from each other anymore, Lord Lymington. Honesty between us was one of the conditions of my forgiveness.”
“That was…shrewd ofyou, my lady.”
“Not really, my lord. Despite Lord Lovell’s struggles this past year, he’s never been one to keep secrets. They make him miserable. So you see, thissuits us both.”
Samuel stared at her, rather amazed at her intuitiveness, but perhaps he shouldn’t be. She was no longer the credulous, naïve child she’d been when he left England, any more than Lovell was. “You know, then, about Emma’s—that is, Miss Downing’s efforts to prove Lovell guilty of a despicable crime?”
Even saying the words aloud tore at Samuel, making the wound in his chest bleed afresh, but Lady Flora looked surprised by his words. “Is that the way you see it, my lord? How odd. I rather think she was trying to provehiminnocent.”
“But—” Samuel began, then broke off as the truth of Lady Flora’s words struck him.
Emma had never denied she believed Caroline Francis’s accusations against Lovell at first, but that had been at the very start of the season. She’d only known Lovell a few weeks before she began to suspect Caroline was lying, and since then, she’d been working to prove him innocent.
But the lies she’d told Samuel, her betrayal—
“Lord Lymington?” Lady Flora asked, concerned. “Are you unwell?”
“No, I…the lies, Lady Flora.” Samuel’s voice was hoarse. “How…how did you forgive Lovell for the lies he told you?”
“Ah, the lies. Lies are difficult to forgive, but have you forgottenyouforgave Lord Lovell’s lies,just as I did?”
He had, yes, but that was different than Samuel forgiving Emma.
Wasn’t it?
“He’s mycousin, Lady Flora.”
“Yes, of course. You care for him, just as I do, and so we bothwantedto forgive him. We did it for our own sakes as much as for his. We’re meant to consider forgiveness divine, but I’ve always thought there was a trace of selfishness in it.”
