Page 11 of To Woo a Wicked Widow

“Here you are, my dear. Safe and sound again.” Mr. Garrett bowed, his eyebrows arched in innocence. “Lady John.”

Charlotte finally focused on her surroundings enough to find Jane staring at her darkly, from beneath lowered brows. Oh dear. What on earth must she look like after such an encounter?

Dumbfounded, she stood before her cousins, quite at a loss for words or actions. Dazed by the overwhelming pulse that still throbbed through her, she could only glance from one to the other of them, praying one would be her savior.

“I will look forward anxiously to our next meeting, Charlotte.” He kissed her fingers, the warmth of his lips like a banked fire. With a final flourished bow, he turned and strode into the crowd.

Stunned, Charlotte simply stood still, the chatter of the ballroom subsiding into one sound—the pounding of blood in her ears.

“Charlotte,” her cousin said, grasping her arm until it hurt, “we must remove at once to the retiring room.”

Distantly thankful that someone had taken charge of her, Charlotte followed docilely as Jane towed her back the way they had come. They descended on an empty corner and her cousin pushed her into a chair.

“Sit there. I must find a footman”

“Whatever for?”

“To send for some lemonade from the refreshment table. I’ll go wet my handkerchief to repair your face and see if I can do something with your hair.” Jane fired off the strategy as efficiently as any general, then picked up her skirts and hurried away.

Charlotte leaned back against the chair and sighed. She had managed to survive her first encounter with a rake with few people the wiser, thank God.

Jane reappeared, clutching a glass of lemonade.

“Tark would be proud of your martial skills, Jane.” Charlotte grinned, although Jane seemed not to enjoy her compliment.

“You hold your tongue.” She thrust the glass into Charlotte’s hands. “Dear lord, he’s mussed this whole section on the left side. Here.” Jane dug into her own coiffure and produced two pins. “What on earth were you thinking, Charlotte? To be ravished at Almack’s on your first night out!”

“I was just congratulating myself that it wasn’t worse. At least no one knows what happened.”

Jane looked daggers at her, then produced a wet cloth and pressed it to Charlotte’s mouth. “Wha ah oo doing?”

“Your lips are swollen, dear. You have that delectable, very well-kissed look.” Jane’s eyes took on a distant aspect and her lips curved into a nostalgic smile. “Excellent after an evening in bed with your husband.” The smile vanished, replaced by lips pressed into a thin line. “Disastrous in the public rooms, however. You’ll be lucky if it’s not being discussed over every breakfast table in the morning.” She blotted Charlotte’s swollen lips once more. “Now, the lemonade. The sugar will guard against shock and the astringency of the lemons may help the swelling.”

Jane plucked the glass from Charlotte’s hands and shoved it against her full lips. She drank deeply, savoring the cool, sweet liquid. She had no idea being seduced was such thirsty work.

“You must pull yourself back together and return to the ballroom in all haste. You will set the tongues to wagging even worse if you do not.” She gave Charlotte a withering look. “As I feared, it is more difficult to secure a partner and hold his attention this evening. Yet you must attempt to do so in order to divert everyone from your unfortunate behavior.” Jane pressed the sodden scrap of linen to Charlotte’s temple. “I am particularly concerned that Elizabeth and Georgina did not attend tonight.”

She shook her head and Charlotte sighed. Two of their friends, also widows, had not quite gotten over their husbands’ deaths.

“Where is Fanny? I would have thought she would be here, certainly.”

“She had a last-minute invitation to Lady Beaumont’s masquerade. She said it suited her better to make a dramatic unveiling.” Jane dropped into the chair next to Charlotte. “I doubt she will lack partners during the night.”

Charlotte cut her eyes toward her cousin. Her arch tone spoke for itself. However, she did not doubt it either. Her other friends were another matter. “If we could have the men to ourselves somehow we might have a better chance of Elizabeth and Georgina making an impression on them.” Charlotte took another sip of the lemonade as she turned her mind to the problem of her friends.

“Yes, these gentlemen who are left on the marriage mart have had the most beautiful girls fawning over them all Season. We need to get them alone.” Jane paused and grinned. “Not alone that way, although I for one would not turn down such a tryst if offered.”

“Jane!”

Her cousin had the grace to blush. “You have no right to say anything at the moment, Charlotte. In any case, we need to spend time with these gentlemen and make them see how our sterling qualities surpass those of the younger ladies. As we would at a house party.”

“But who of our circle is able to host such a thing?” Charlotte slumped. Their situation seemed more doubtful given the reality of their situations. “Neither Elizabeth’s nor Georgie’s circumstances will allow it.” Upon her husband’s death, her best friend Elizabeth and her children had returned to her parents’ home. Georgie had fared even worse. Currently, she was housed only by the grace and charity of her complaining sister-in-law, Mrs. Reynolds.

“I suppose I might be able to persuade Theale to allow me use of one of his estates,” Jane said. “He was quite affected by Tark’s death. He and his brother were very close. Of course I couldn’t tell him why I need the use of it.” She sighed and looked sad for the first time that day. “I do miss Tark, you know.” She glanced around the almost empty room. “I will not marry again. He made some canny purchases in real estate. As a result, I’d be a fool to relinquish my jointure.”

Charlotte tried to fix her cousin with a stern stare. The woman who had been her dearest friend and companion all her life had taught her well that all women were not conventional. Despite Jane’s sweet face and soft, womanly body, her heart and soul thrived on breaking society’s rules whenever she could. She had done so for most of her thirty years. “Then why do you wish to meet gentlemen again? Surely nothing can come of such attentions if you have so made up your mind?”

Jane patted her arm. “For the same reason you indulged in Mr. Garrett tonight.” She smiled sadly. “Tark is dead, not I. And male companionship is so . . . stimulating, wouldn’t you say?”