Page 67

‘You were a triumph, my dear. An absolute triumph.’

‘Oh, I don’t know about that…’

‘No, I’ll not hear a word said. You were splendid, and so many partners to dance with.’

‘You are too kind, and yes, a lot of dance partners.’

‘Might I offer a word of caution about Sir James Hetherington? He’s hunting for an heiress.’ She frowned and shook her head. ‘Avoid the fortune hunters.’

‘I shall certainly do my best to do so,’ Eliza said, feeling that Lady Elizabeth had imbibed rather too fully, but she couldn’t believe that on the evening of her come out, she should be sat in conversation with the glittering Cavendishes, and the dashing Ellice brothers. She cast a glance at Hannah, who looked back at her.

‘Lord Somersby too. He too needs an heiress, quite urgently I’m given to understand.’

Eliza chuckled. She had danced with both gentlemen, and they had most certainly not made her list.

Chapter 30

HARYO

London

Lord Granville Leveson-Gower rarely had to exert himself when it came to members of the fair sex. He knew he was enormously fortunate to have been born with a face and form that women found pleasing. Plenty of men, too. It had served him well. Of course, for much of his life he had Bess as his anchor, and as people rarely bothered to consider anything other than his startling good looks, he had never been required to give anything of himself.

It had been lowering to discover that he had to exert himself with Lady Harriet if he meant to make any headway in that direction. It had been thus for longer than he cared to remember, but he now discovered that he was having to exert himself not just a little, but to a significant degree. He had initially rejected out of hand Bess’s suggestion that he marry Harriet, but since the kiss, he had struggled to get the notion of a match, or her, out of his head.

He watched Harriet as she sat with Eliza Courtney, clearly tired, but looking just as glorious as she had at the beginning of the evening. They had agreed to be friends, and he was happy with that, honestly, he was. At least, that was what he told himself. The thing was, he wasn’t used to being dismissed. And Harriet dismissed him.

Perhaps what was holding him back before he made a truly concerted effort to get to know her, to have her get to know him, was the fact that he needed to be very sure she was what he wanted. He had hurt her once, albeit unintentionally, and he had no wish to do so again.

He watched as Edward and Robert Ellice sauntered over and sat with the ladies. Lady Hannah and Eliza Courtney could do a lot worse than throwing their lot in with the Ellice men. They were both well connected, intelligent, honourable, and he had little doubt that they would make a success of their lives. Frankly, he would be exceedingly glad if Eliza Courtney were to marry quickly and fade back into obscurity. Preferably having married the Lieutenant Colonel and disappearing to whatever remote base the military sent him to. He’d heard talk of Canada. Having her paraded about the Ton was a significant concern for both the Grey and the Cavendish families. There was a lot at stake, and he couldn’t for the life of him imagine why they had agreed to the season, given what speculation it was likely to bring.

If the truth came out, it would be one more thing to navigate with Harriet. There were enough obstacles to overcome without Eliza Courtney becoming one of them. His longstanding affair with Bess was just the start. He sighed and wished his life was less complicated, but it was what it was. He rarely doubted his ability to talk his way out of a situation. A career in diplomacy alongside charm and looks had ensured that, but he was not completely confident that he could navigate a relationship with Harriet with success, given what stood between them. In short, he didn’t want to hurt her, but… He smiled as he watched her laugh unguardedly at something Eliza Courtney had said. Something warm bloomed in his chest. It was unsettling.

Hart ambled over to the group and settled himself next to Eliza Courtney with a tired sigh. He didn’t think for a moment that Hart had any intentions towards her, but his constant attention had already been noted and commented on. Widely. Such speculation would only serve to thrust Eliza Courtney into the limelight even further. It was irritating in the extreme.

As a result, he found himself hesitant and unsure. A truly unfamiliar state of mind. He needed to speak to Bess but didn’t quite trust her to deal with the matter with any real diplomacy.

He was still deliberating when Lady Liz sauntered over in her usual flighty manner and shuffled Hart out of the way so that she could sit with Harriet, Hannah, and Miss Courtney. Poodle Byng joined them which necessitated more shuffling around and when everyone was settled, there was a seat next to Harriet, so he took it as a sign. He ambled over to the assembled group and joined them.

Once seated, it struck him just how young they all were, and his five and thirty years made him feel positively ancient by comparison, Lady Liz excepted. He sat, accepted the warm welcome from all. Well, almost all. Harriet simply raised a brow, but he took that as her consent for him to sit beside her.

He listened to the conversation that flowed around them and noted not for the first time how Hart had clearly over indulged with the wine and was now being exceedingly silly with an equally foxed Poodle. Had he been so silly, so young at, what was he? Twenty? He wasn’t sure if he’d reached his majority. At that age, he’d been in so deep with Bess he counted the world well lost for love. He supposed he’d done his fair share of carousing, though.

‘You are awfully introspective tonight, Lord Granville,’ Harriet said, leaning closer so no-one would overhear. ‘Are you quite well?’

He looked at her. The question seemed genuine, rather than teasing, so he answered in kind.

‘I’m just thinking that beside you lot, I seem terribly old. A veritable dinosaur.’

Haryo laughed softly and looked at him. ‘Ah, but the kind of dinosaur that could gobble them all up in an instant should he choose, and they wouldn’t know what had happened.’

‘You are far too kind.’

Her smile deepened, and her eyes shone. Unexpectedly, he found himself wanting to kiss her. There, in the aftermath of Eliza Courtney’s come out, he wanted to kiss Lady Harriet Cavendish.

‘Darling, could you stop looking at me like you want to eat me? It won’t do our reputation for being simply friends any good at all if you don’t.’

He put a hand to his mouth but could not stifle the laugh that burst free. Utterly free, unbound, and not in the slightest bit social. A real laugh. His shoulders shook with it, and his eyes watered. Harriet tried to hold a firm stance, but his mirth was catching, and she laughed too, although he suspected that she was laughing at him.