Page 43 of A Stranger’s Gamble

“Hardly, ma’am,” he said. “It was my fault she tripped. Helping Miss Henshaw to her carriage was the least I could do.”

“You will have to explain that to me in more depth—later. For now, if you wish to claim any part of your dance with Miss Shaw, you had better get onto the dancefloor.” Lady Seafield faced her. “Miss Shaw, this is Mr. Gilroy.”

He bowed. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shaw. Would you do me the honor of finishing the dance with me?”

“Of course.”

He winged an arm, and Sophie nodded at Lady Seafield, then allowed him to lead her onto the dancefloor. Mr. Gilroy turned out to be an excellent dancer, and Sophie found herself quite out of breath and ready for something to drink when the song ended.

“If you will give me a moment, Miss Shaw, I will fetch us some lemonade,” he said.

Sophie would have preferred champagne but nodded and thanked him. He quickly disappeared in the crowded ballroom, and she wondered who her next partner would be. She opened her dance card to see if Lady Seafield really had filled every dance as her father had said she would.

“Lord Monthemer may be handsome, but he’s still a pirate,” said a woman behind Sophie. The woman spoke in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the din so that Sophie instantly realized they intended that she hear.

“And penniless,” replied another woman. “Can you imagine a penniless pirate?”

So, word had finally leaked out that she was Lord Monthemer’s victim. She rolled her eyes. She knew society in Edinburgh loved to gossip, but she hadn’t expected to be the center of gossip here as she was in Invergarry. Sophie faced the two women. They weren’t quite as young as she’d thought. She would guess them to be at least three or four years older than herself.

“Ladies,” she said.

They both blinked as if startled to see the one person who shouldn’t have overheard their conversation had been eavesdropping all along.

“We all know that gossip is usually more lies than fact,” Sophie said. “How much of the rumor that Lord Monthemer was a pirate is truth?”

The ladies glanced at each other, clearly surprised that Sophie had confronted them.

“Have no fear,” Sophie said. “I would appreciate the truth.”

They exchanged another look, then the shorter of the two looked around before leaning closer to Sophie. “The news is contributed to a young sailor who said that Lord Monthemer paid his men well to remain silent. The young man said the marquess didn’t turn pirate until near the end of his career as a naval officer.”

Sophie started to reply, then stiffened when a man brushed against her backside. She snapped her head to the left, but the so-called gentlemen didn’t even look back, but continued through the crowd.

“Gentlemen who use a crowded ballroom as an excuse to touch a woman should be shot,” she muttered.

“Yes,” the shorter of the women agreed.

Sophie returned her attention to the women.

“My brother will happily oblige,” the taller woman said. “He loves any excuse for a duel—and hates men who take advantage of women.”

Sophie laughed. “Nae, let us not risk your brother’s life over something so trivial.”

“It’s not trivial at all,” the woman replied.

“Never mind that for now,” Sophie said. “If Lord Monthemer turned pirate, why isn’t he in prison?”

“Lord Monthemer’s father was very powerful,” the shorter woman replied.

“I heard Lord Monthemer paid his father’s debts,” Sophie said. “A pirate doesn’t pay debts.”

“Oh yes, everyone knows he paid his father’s debts,” the taller woman said.

Sophie caught sight of Mr. Gilroy scanning the room, two glasses of lemonade in hand. She thanked the ladies, turned, and headed toward the other side of the room. The orchestra began playing again, and two couples in front of her hurried to the dancefloor. She rounded two men and came face-to-face with a broad chest. Sophie took a quick step back and glanced up. Adam MacAlister stared down at her.