Page 61 of An Unexpected Pleasure

Megan looked out the window at the sight of the richly dressed crowd, unable to suppress her excitement. She was not one who yearned for the glitter of wealth and sophistication, but she had to admit that it wouldn’t be bad to participate in this sort of life every once in a while.

Inside the house, many of the exhibits had been removed or pushed back against the walls, opening up the large rooms to the crowd. The largest of the rooms had been emptied completely, and a small group of musicians were set up at one end to provide music.

They had scarcely entered the house when Megan felt the same uneasy feeling of being watched that she had experienced the other day as she walked home. A quick survey of the place provided the reason. Lady Helena Scarle was standing on the stairs—the better, Megan suspected, to be seen by all—staring down at Megan with hot, angry eyes. Her lovely face was transformed for an instant into a grotesque mask of fury before she managed to pull it back into a cool, politely smiling facade. She turned to the man beside her and gazed raptly into his eyes, letting out a sparkling laugh at some witticism.

If the lady was playing this little scene for Theo’s benefit, Megan thought, she had miscalculated badly. Theo, his head turned to listen to a remark Rafe had made, was not even looking at Lady Helena.

Megan turned toward Kyria, who cast her a devilish grin. Obviously she, too, had witnessed Lady Scarle’s reaction.

“Come, let me introduce you around,” she told Megan, taking her hand and leading her toward a group of women.

Megan could see the interest and speculation in the other women’s eyes as Kyria introduced her, saying only that she was a friend of hers from America.

“Another American?” one of the women said, lifting an eyebrow. “How unusual. You are the second American I have met tonight.”

“Really?” Megan replied, not sure what she could say to that.

“Yes. What was that girl’s name—you remember, the one with that banker fellow, Barchester.”

“Oh, yes. Quiet little thing—can’t say I remember,” the woman on her left replied.

“Barchester?” Megan repeated, her stomach knotting. An American girl with Mr. Barchester?

She glanced around the room, hoping that she looked only mildly curious.

“Yes. Can’t say as I see them right now.”

“Some sort of Irish name, wasn’t it?” her companion added.

Megan had little doubt now that the women were talking about Deirdre. Mr. Barchester must have brought her to the ball with him. The thought made her a little panicky. What if Theo heard Deirdre’s last name and remembered it as Dennis’s last name? At least, she thought, she and her sister were very different in coloring, so with luck Theo would not guess that they were related, even if he met Deirdre.

As she and Kyria strolled around the room, Megan glanced about unobtrusively, looking for her sister. Perhaps she should go to the stairs, as Lady Scarle had done, she thought, so that she could look over the crowd better.

They had covered most of the downstairs when Theo and Rafe rejoined them. Rafe swept his wife off for a dance, and Megan was left alone with Theo.

“I have been besieged by chaps wanting an introduction to you,” he told her, his eyes warm on her face.

“They probably think I am an American heiress since I am with your family. Just tell them I am the tutoress, and they will melt away.”

He grinned. “Perhaps I should try that—although I fear it would scare off only a portion of them. I told most of them that your dance card was full.”

“So now I shall be a wallflower?” Megan asked with mock indignation. In fact, she had little desire to get out on the dance floor, unsure if her adolescent practicing with Deirdre in their room at home would hold up to British Society’s standards.

“Credit British men with a little more perseverance,” he retorted. “They will wangle an introduction from my parents or sisters. I have no doubt that you will be bombarded with invitations to dance.” He paused, then added, “Which is precisely why I intend to take that first waltz you promised me before any of the others show up here.”

He extended his hand to her. Megan hesitated, then put her gloved hand in his. “All right. But I must warn you—American teachers are not well versed in such social arts as dancing.”

“Then it is fortunate that British peers are,” he responded, giving her fingers a little squeeze. “Just follow my lead and it won’t be so dreadful.”

He led her to the ballroom, where a lively dance was already in progress. “A quadrille,” he told her. “One of Rafe’s favorites. He says it reminds him of the Virginia Reel.”

Megan spotted Rafe and Kyria dancing down the line of couples, flushed and smiling, and she felt a little pang clutch at her heart. Love and happiness were evident on the couple’s faces, and Megan could not help but feel a longing for the same emotion. Her mind had always been on her career, not the dream of husband and family shared by most of her schoolmates. She had never regretted the direction in which her life had gone, but sometimes there were moments, like now, when she wondered if she had given up too much to become a reporter.

But then, she reminded herself, she had never met a man who made her feel the way Kyria seemed to feel. Unconsciously, she glanced up at Theo, standing beside her. An increasingly familiar warmth stirred in her loins.

The dance ended, and a moment later the musicians struck up the beginning strains of a Strauss waltz. At least it was familiar, Megan thought. Deirdre had played the tune many times on the family piano. Still, her stomach quivered a little—though she was not sure whether it was from dread or anticipation—as she put her hand in Theo’s and let him lead her onto the floor.

They faced each other, his hand on her waist, the other hand curved gently around hers. With a slight pressure, he swung her into the flow of the dancers. The little jitter of fear vanished. It was easy to dance in his arms. Her feet remembered the steps well enough, and his grip was firm, yet relaxed, guiding her effortlessly through the movements. She looked up into his face, letting the exhilarating music pour over her as they circled the room.