Besides, with the warmer weather coming, most ladies had taken to wearing their lighter gowns to these evening affairs.
“I daresay that our Claire has become quite a success,” she heard Lady Suzanna remark to her brother.
Not quite, Claire thought to herself.I have yet to see the Marquess…
After a few more dances, Claire declared herself quite fatigued and laughingly waved off two young lords.
Although she and Lady Suzanna were still not in accord, they presented a united front for all thetonto see. In the eyes of Society, they were still the very best of friends.
Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, Claire still failed to get the attention of the Marquess precisely because he was not in attendance that night.
“He appears to be very elusive, the Marquess of Draydon,” she heard one of the older ladies remark to her friends.
“You know how these young lords are,” another one tittered. “Wasting their youth on cards and mistresses.”
“Well, it matters not what they are doing as long as they have the necessary wealth for it,” her friend slyly smiled. “And I’m afraid that an elusive man does not exactly make a suitable match unless his wealth is beyond question.”
All three ladies nodded in agreement. After all, the Season was nothing but a marriage mart and all debutantes were expected to conduct themselves impeccably and to make suitable matches that would further the interests of their families.
They are mistaken, though, Claire thought to herself.If the Marquess of Draydon was so impoverished, why, there would be no hiding such from the gossips of the ton!
Satisfied with her reasoning, she decided to enjoy the rest of the evening even if Lord Draydon was not in attendance. After all, an impeccable reputation was rarely confined within the walls of a ballroom.
If she proved successful in her endeavors tonight, there was no doubt that Lord Draydon would hear of it through his numerous acquaintances as well. She would make it so that even if he were to spend the night at White’s, he would still hear of her so it would impress upon him the desire to call on them again tomorrow.
“Lady Claire, may I have the honor of this dance?”
She looked up to find the young Mister Stephen Bartlett smiling shyly at her. The third son of an earl, there were hardly any misses who paid him much attention but Claire found his shyness endearing.
“I would love to,” she said, taking his offered hand.
She allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and as they danced, she could not help but think of Lord Draydon and the preposterous gossip that surrounded him.
The ladies of thetonwere all scandalously fond of gossip and there was always fodder to be found, if one had the mind for it. A handsome young nobleman gone for several years only to mysteriously return—how could the gossip mill pass up such a chance to conjure the possible reasons both for hisabsenceand hisreturn.
Naturally, they would all perceive there to have been some issue in his wealth—or lack thereof—as the financial state of a gentleman was of prime importance in considering a match.
And aren’t all of them here for the Season for that very reason?
Even so, he regularly called on their townhouse and he was always so impeccably dressed that it was hard to think of him as anything but a wealthy young nobleman.
“Thank you for the honor, My Lady,” Mr. Bartlett bowed to her after their dance. “You truly are the soul of kindness.”
“My lord praises me overmuch,” she laughed, allowing him to lead her back to Lady Suzanna and Oliver, who remained seated.
She might not have seen Lord Draydon at the ball tonight and he might have missed her preparations. However, hedidregularly call upon them in their townhouse and she was fairly certain he would do so again tomorrow.
Claire smiled to herself. Tomorrow, she would implement her plan to catch his interest and once she had it, she would never let it go!
Chapter 10
Breakfast was an awkward affair, with everybody together in one place but with Claire stubbornly refusing to talk to Lady Suzanna or even acknowledge her presence. Oliver and Trixie frequently glanced at each other, both of them trying to fill the gap in between and then failing miserably as Claire sat there poking at her food with a stony expression. Occasionally, Lady Suzanna would offer a reply, when she was directly asked something, but she did not talk as much as she used to.
The happy, cheerful atmosphere had dissipated and Oliver hated that it was Artemus Hunter who caused the rift in his small family.
It is also partly my fault for asking Suzanna to warn Claire,he thought to himself miserably.Now, she views my sister as some sort of love rival when all we ever wanted was the best for her. Was she truly so infatuated with the Marquess that she would throw away the bonds we had built for several years, for him?
“I do wish I could go to Rotten Row, too,” Trixie announced with a petulant pout. “I am quite adept at riding and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
