He retained her right hand and led her off the dance floor toward Ellie and her cousin. Tess realized she was short of breath.
Edward shot them an amused glance. “You two seem to have become better acquainted.”
Tess snapped open her fan and used it to cool her flushed face. “Yes indeed.”
Ellie’s fascinated gaze snapped from Tess to Thornton and back again. She opened her mouth to say something, then clearly thought better of it, and closed it again.
Daisy bustled up with a new partner, an aging rouéwho couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her décolletage. She dismissed him with a charming smile and sent him off to find punch, then flashed Tess a look that clearly saidWe need to talk.
“Tess, my love, you look a little flushed!” Daisy’s tone was all solicitude. “Are you feeling quite well?”
Ellie took the cue. She peered closer at Tess. “She’s right. Perhaps you should sit out the next dance?”
Tess almost rolled her eyes at their unsubtle maneuvering, but grasped the chance to escape Thornton’s unsettling presence. She could feel his gaze on the side of her face. She touched her hand to her hot cheek.
“It is rather warm in here.” She sent the two men a dismissive nod. “If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen, I think we’ll visit the gardens for some fresh air.”
“Would you like us to accompany you?” Edward offered his arm.
Ellie sent him a fond look but shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you.”
As soon as the three of them were safely out of earshot,Daisy pinched Tess’s arm. “Out with it! What were you and Thornton talking about that requiredtwodances in a row?”
Ellie, on her opposite side, elbowed her in the ribs. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you, Tess! He couldn’t take his eyes off you. He looked completely transfixed. Half the women in the room nearly expired with jealousy.”
“We can’t discuss it here,” Tess murmured. “I’ll tell you when we’re alone.”
“But we can’t leave yet. We haven’t made contact with the blackmailer.”
Daisy glanced at an ormolu clock on a nearby pier table. “It’s nearly the end of the night and we’ve been here for hours. I don’t think they’re coming. Or perhaps tonight was a test, and they never intended to actually meet. Perhaps they just wanted to see which women turned up in a red dress, to narrow the field of potential contacts.”
“That’s what I would have done,” Ellie mused. “And if it’s true, then they have the advantage of us.”
“I’m too tired to think straight,” Tess said truthfully. “I’m going home. Daisy, are you coming with me, or will you get a ride home with Ellie?”
As a widow Tess had more leniency than the others when it came to requiring a chaperone. Despite the fact that Daisy was six months older, and possessed far greater worldly experience, it was Tess who was seen as an appropriate companion for her unmarried friends. Ever since she’d returned from Wansford, either Daisy or Ellie had been her guest at the ducal mansion in Portman Square, in addition to a house full of servants.
Daisy yawned. “I’ll come now. This ruff is making my neck itchy.”
“Don’t you dare talk about Thornton without me,”Ellie warned. “Promise you’ll wait until we’re all at King & Co. tomorrow.”
Daisy scowled at having to wait for the gossip, but Tess rubbed Ellie’s arm. “Of course we’ll wait. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter Eleven
Despite Daisy’s relentless barrage on the journey back from Lady Iveson’s, Tess managed to escape to her room without saying anything. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to close her eyes, considering the magnitude of the evening’s revelations, but she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She refused to answer any of Daisy’s questions in the carriage to Lincoln’s Inn Fields the following morning, and it was only when the three of them sat in the front office, each with a cup of hot tea, that Tess finally told them everything.
“You should say yes,” Daisy said, practically vibrating with excitement. “A thousand times yes. At least to the mistress part. The man’s better looking than Byron, not half as mad, and ten times as rich. If you don’t say yes, I will.”
Tess rolled her eyes at her friend’s impetuosity. “It’s not as simple as that. One reason I haven’t taken a lover yet is because if I do, they’ll realize I’m a virgin. Thornton’s only making this offer because he thinks I’ve had a score of lovers. He’s expecting me to be as experienced as heis. What do you think will happen when he realizes I have no idea what to do?”
Daisy snorted. “It’ll probably be too late, by then. And if it really bothers him, he’ll just go back to Bristol early, and you’ll be no worse than you are now. I say it’s worth the risk.”
Ellie took a sip of her tea. “It’s quite a contradictory offer, when you think about it. More like two separate offers, really.”
“What do you mean?”
