“Not at all. And believe me, I do not listen to such gossip.” He glanced around the room again. “Now, I do not know where your sister has vanished off to. You will allow me to fetch you some punch?”
Charlotte nodded, a flicker of surprise crossing her face as she did so.
“And you will not run off and find a better hiding place, you promise me?” Luke said, somewhat surprised at the words falling out of his mouth but unable to stop them.
“No, Your Grace, not if you wish for my company.” Miss Hervey looked at him rather strangely as he turned away.
He went off in search of punch, ignoring the efforts of other ladies to catch his eye. He found himself hoping, very much hoping, that she would still be there when he returned, hiding behind the flowers which matched her oddity of a gown.
* * *
Charlotte was somewhat baffled by the Duke’s approach to her and his apparent determination to engage her in prolonged conversation. She was not used to anyone paying her much attention at events such as this, let alone someone who occupied such an elevated position in society. She had wondered more than once during their conversation whether he was mocking her, whether the whole thing was some sort of joke or prank.
But the more they had talked, the more she had come to the conclusion that he was not the type to trifle with a lady. He seemed genuinely interested in talking to her, which was a novel experience for a lady such as herself.
She decided that she would stick to her word and remain in the place where he had left her. She was thirsty and wondered where her sister had got to, then saw that she was still deep in conversation with the group of young ladies she had been talking to previously. Charlotte was glad that her sister had found some friends to chat with and also suspected that she had seen the Duke approach and decided not to interrupt their tete-a-tete, knowing what she did about their strange interaction with the letter a few days ago. Charlotte had not been able to keep the secret for long and had told her sister everything about her meeting in the woods with the Duke.
Martha knew everything about Lord Harry’s letters, too, and Charlotte flushed at the thought that her sister might think she was inconstant. But it was all irrelevant, anyway. No doubt the Duke simply felt sorry for her.
He was returning now with two glasses of punch in his hands. He smiled as he came close, offering her a drink.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said, taking the glass gratefully and enjoying the first sip of the fruity, sweet liquid.
Just at that moment, her eyes fell upon another familiar face on the other side of the room. Lord Harry had just entered the ballroom, his sister on his arm and his mother walking a little ahead of him. Both ladies were elegantly dressed and smiling widely as they greeted their friends and acquaintances.
The Duke followed her gaze. “I should leave you so that you are free to converse with others.”
She felt her cheeks warming as she struggled to find the words to answer him. “Your Grace, it is doubtful that he will come to speak with me,” she said finally. It took a great effort for her to say the words out loud.
She watched as Lord Harry moved about the room, speaking to various young ladies of his acquaintance, his countenance open and smiling. Not once did his eyes scan the room to look for her. Not once did he look as if he might be even thinking of her for the slightest second.
Luke cleared his throat. “Why does he not come and speak to you? Why does he not seek you out?”
Charlotte frowned. The whole thing was humiliating enough without having to explain herself to the Duke. But she felt that he was asking out of concern for her rather than out of idle curiosity or a wish to uncover some gossip to pass on.
She turned to him. His blue eyes were fixed intently on her face. “You know what people say about our family, Your Grace. It is just as we spoke of before.”
It was his turn to frown now. “But for him to write you such letters and then to ignore you in public? It is most unusual, most – well, I am somewhat loath to say it, but I do not consider it to be gentlemanly behavior.”
Charlotte felt her temper beginning to flare. He knew nothing about Lord Harry or the things that had been said between them back when he had still dared to speak to her in public, before his mother had put a stop to his advances on her. But as she looked across the room at the man for whom she had such strong feelings, the man who had promised her, once, in the corner of a ballroom much like this one, not so very long ago, that he would do everything he could to further a relationship with her, she felt her anger begin to change its focus.
Because Lord Harry, the man supposed to be so violently in love with her, wrote her such flowery letters declaring the ardent nature of his feelings… Lord Harry, who had not looked for her for a moment, when he entered the room. Lord Harry was now engaged in close conversation with none other than Miss Sofia Thomas, the daughter of Lord and Lady Thomas. A young lady of good fortune and impeccable family. The most eligible young lady in the room, in fact.
CHAPTERFIVE
Charlotte forced herself to tear her eyes away from the spectacle before her on the other side of the ballroom. She could not bear to look at Sofia’s exquisite gown or the way she was cocking her head to one side, listening intently to every word that Lord Harry uttered. The way the light thrown from the candles that adorned every corner of the ballroom bounced off her auburn hair. And she absolutely could not stand to see how Lord Harry was standing in rapt attention, smiling at her and laughing at whatever pert little jokes she was making. It was truly unbearable.
“Miss…” The Duke began to speak.
She turned to him sharply. She had almost forgotten that he was there. “Please, do not ask me any more questions,” she said softly. “I cannot speak of it other than to say that Lord Harry is not able at present to be open about his feelings for me.”
She was trying to remain dignified, all the while wondering what on earth was going on. Up until now, she had tolerated Lord Harry’s neglect of her, but this slight was almost too much to endure. She resolved at that moment that she would write to him tomorrow in the most definite terms, and tell him that their correspondence must end unless he was prepared to be more open about their relationship. The risk of scandal was too great. And it seemed that he was not even giving her a second thought.
“Miss Hervey, my apologies. I did not wish to make you uncomfortable. It troubles me to see you distressed, that is all,” the Duke said. He had clearly seen Lord Harry’s flirtation with Miss Thomas too. It would be hard to miss, in fact.
She sighed. What had she to lose, then, to share a little of her feelings with the Duke? He had not broken her confidence about the letter, so he would not break her trust now; she was sure of it. And she had to admit it was nice to have someone to talk to, someone other than her sister.
“It pains me that he does not pay me any attention,” she confessed. “Of course it does. When we first met, it was different, and we were able to spend some time together. But as soon as his mother realized that an attachment was growing between us, she was furious and put a stop to it immediately.”
