There was a crush at the Ridley ball and Claire and Lady Suzanna were in the midst of it.
There was hardly any space left for dancing on the chalk-covered floor as the members of Polite Society mingled amongst each other in their extravagant gowns, dripping in jewels.
For that evening, Claire was thankful she had chosen a lighter, less cumbersome ensemble. She had also chosen to have her hair done rather simply. Matching gloves—a must for the balls—completed her entire look.
“You look absolutely beautiful, dear heart,” Lady Suzanna remarked. “And in much higher spirits, too.”
Claire fanned herself delicately. “Lord Redmond is quite the energetic dancer. I was nearing the end of my rope towards the end of that number!”
They both laughed when Oliver suddenly appeared before them. Claire was especially astounded as he secretly disdained these affairs, although he never showed it outwardly.
“Oliver, what brings you here?” his sister asked him.
“I came with a friend,” he said tersely. “Ladies, meet Artemus Hunter, the Marquess of Draydon. Lord Draydon, my sister, Lady Suzanna, and our dear friend, Lady Claire Rowley.”
Lord Draydon emerged smoothly from the crush of people to bow gracefully before the two ladies. He was tall and appeared a little older than Oliver, with thick black hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to be mocking everyone he saw. His lips were twisted into a perpetual smirk that added to the bored elegance he exuded in spades.
“It is my greatest honor to make the acquaintance of the most beautiful ladies in London,” he said smoothly.
A charmer, to be sure.
“Lord Draydon…” Lady Suzanna mused. “I am not sure I have made your acquaintance before.”
“Milady would not know me. I have been away from London for five years.”
“Five years?” exclaimed Claire.
He smiled indulgently at her. “Yes, Lady Rowley.Five long years.”
“So, how are you finding London?” the duke’s sister asked him.
“When I left, London was such a drab place,” he shook his head. “Now that I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance, I find that it has become quite a haven from the troubles of the world.”
Claire giggled, which drew an odd look from Oliver. “Well, as it is my first Season, I cannot honestly make any comparisons. It is rather exciting.”
The musicians chose that time to strike up a quadrille. Lord Draydon bowed before Lady Suzanna. For some obscure reason, Claire felt a little pang in her chest when she noted that they made a rather striking couple.
But then, perhaps, Lord Draydon was just the sort of man who looked wonderful with any lady and Lady Suzanna was already quite beautiful on her own.
“May I have this dance?”
Suzanna met Oliver’s eyes briefly before she agreed with a smile and allowed him to lead her out on the dance floor, his first partner for the night.
Oliver turned to Claire and extended a gloved hand to her. “May I have this dance, fair lady?”
Claire smiled at him before she slid a gloved hand into his. The quadrille was a rather flirtatious dance and although not as scandalous as the waltz, it allowed for a great deal of closeness between partners. Already, she could feel the piercing eyes of other misses on her back and she knew full well why—Oliver, the Duke of Minsbury, hardly attended balls like these and he chose to dance withhertonight, the moment he arrived.
As far as she knew, Lady Elizabeth Thompson had already cast her net out for him, although Oliver never showed so much as an acknowledgment of her pitiful existence. Lady Alyssa Camden reportedly pined after him to a ridiculous extent that caused her mother no end of grief.
They would be two of those who would be hating her merely for dancing with him.
“Is there something on your mind?” Oliver asked her.
She shook her head. “I was just wondering if, by any chance, you felt some animosity for me.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you have submitted me to the intense scrutiny of at leastfiveyoung ladies who have cast their nets out for you,” she laughed. “And, no doubt, they will be casting aspersions on my character before the ball ends.”
