“The incident at Lady Benton’s party.” I frowned. I wanted to remind him of that night, of how horribly I had behaved. If he didn’t remember, I would gladly show him again so he would leave me alone.
“What incident are you referring to?” he asked in a casual voice.
I sighed. “Oh, yes, there were several.” My skin bristled. I didn’t even want to be speaking to him, much less recounting the awkwardness of that night. “It could be the moment I stopped you by the arm to keep you from leaving my side. Or when you followed me to the corner of the room to scold me and express your immense disinterest.Orwas it the moment I told you that I wanted your fortune?” I spoke so quickly I had forgotten to breathe.
He listened in silence, the candlelight catching a gleam of amusement in his eyes. He seemed almost surprised, as if he were learning all of this for the first time. Did he suffer from memory loss? Had his horse kicked him in the head?
I scowled up at him, puzzled by his reaction. There was something quite different about his face, though I couldn’t name what it was. His features were all the same, but his countenance had lightened, transforming into something I didn’t recognize. At Lady Benton’s party, he had seemed utterly irritated by me. But now, he seemed…curious. Intrigued, even.
He leaned closer, and I held tightly to the railing in shock. His blue eyes connected with mine. “None of those compare to my incident this morning,” he whispered. There was something far too intimate about that whisper, and it caused a flutter to race through my stomach. I collected myself enough to draw a breath, scowling up at him.
His lips twitched in amusement.
“Yes,” I stammered. “I suppose stepping in horse manure is marginally worse, though much more easily repaired. Unless, of course, I choose to tell all my acquaintances at tea.” I eyed him, hoping the threat would encourage him to leave my side. I craned my neck behind me. Had Sir William left the balcony?
Mr. Campbell chuckled again.
The dance was drawing to a close. I could easily scurry away to the staircase and not have to see him again. But then hemoved a few inches closer. His voice was low, his eyes boring into mine. “May I have the honor of your first dance?”
CHAPTER 6
CLARK
“No.”
The single word bounced around my skull, echoing for just long enough for me to wonder if I had heard it at all.
“Pardon?” I stammered.
“No, thank you,” Miss Sharp corrected. She stared up at me, her deep brown eyes round and innocent, as if she hadn’t just committed a wild impertinence and unforgivable social blunder.
“You will not dance with me?” I asked. I was even more fascinated by her than I had been a few seconds before. Horrified, but still fascinated. “The next dance, or not at all?”
“Not at all,” she clarified with a thoughtful look. “I’m withholding all of my dances in the hopes of securing a different partner. We have already established, quite clearly, I believe, that you and I would not make a suitable match. I shouldn’t like to waste my dances on a gentleman who has already assured me he would never be my husband.” Her posture lowered into a hasty curtsy. “Good evening, Mr. Campbell.”
Before I could say another word, Miss Sharp skirted past a trio of ladies and disappeared down the staircase. I remained where I stood at the railing, too surprised to move a muscle. Was this how she had rendered Colin that night at Lady Benton’s party—speechless and confused? I rarely felt so befuddled, especially at the hands of a lady.
After a few seconds, Miss Sharp reappeared on the dance floor. I watched her move through the crowd in her ivory gown. I scoffed to myself as she easily located an older woman with a large feather in her hair on the outskirts of the room.
So she hadn’t lost her chaperone after all.
It seemed that not only was Miss Arabella Sharp a fortune hunter, but she was a liar as well.
I shouldn’t have noticed or cared, but she looked angelic in her white gown with her hair arranged high on the crown of her head, even if her actions would suggest otherwise. In the sunlight that morning on Milsom Street, her hair had looked a deep chocolate brown, but tonight in the candlelight, it looked nearly black.
She stole a quick glance up to the balcony again. When she caught me watching her, a flush darkened her cheeks. I thought of the wide array of expressions I had witnessed on her face that evening. Her eyes were exactly the sort that couldn’t be trusted. I had felt each of her gazes to my center, sharp and inquisitive. She certainly lived up to her name.
Her rejection had been just as sharp. She hadn’t even bothered to be polite, besides adding a ‘thank you’ to the end of her secondno.My task was impossible. Colin would have to find a different way for me to repay his debt. I was now absolutely certain that Miss Sharp would never court me.
As I observed the dance floor, I caught sight of a young gentleman approaching Miss Sharp. Was this Sir William? Colin had described him as average height, with blond hair,a slouching posture, and overly long coattails. He had also mentioned something about an excess of fobs and always offering his handkerchief to ladies who hadn’t asked for it.
The gentleman fit the description through and through. Even as I reviewed the details in my mind, he extended a white handkerchief in Miss Sharp’s direction. She smiled warmly—almost bashfully—and accepted his offer. I narrowed my eyes and added ‘actress’ to her list of qualifications.
Fortune hunter, liar, actress.
What else could I discover about her simply by watching from the balcony? As the next set began, Sir William led Miss Sharp to the center of the floor and joined the line of dancers. With me, she had been cold and unsmiling, but now she was grinning like a cat before its kill, dancing with enough enthusiasm to make it clear that she hadn’t rejected me out of anything but spite.
With a sigh, I turned away from the railing. My head hurt already, and I hadn’t even been at the ball for more than an hour. My nerves had been tested all evening, even before I encountered Miss Sharp, as I had been approached by a number of Colin’s acquaintances whose faces I didn’t recognize. It would endanger Colin’s reputation if I continued to interact with his connections. But if I returned home too soon, Colin would think I hadn’t tried hard enough to charm Miss Sharp.
