Lord Harlston took his seat beside her and leaned over. “Lady Valeria,” he said, “you must accept my heartfelt apology for what’s just happened. I take full responsibility for the reprehensible behavior of my guest. That should never have happened to you.”
“It isn’t your fault,” Valeria assured him.
But she couldn’t help seeing him just a little differently now than she had a few minutes ago. He was very charming, yes, and very kind, and she appreciated that he had gone to the trouble to have this party and to invite her. He was one of the people she had met so far who seemed fully open to having her as part of his social circle.
But he had been content to debate the matter of her guilt or innocence with Lord Milton, and Lord Woodsford hadn’t even been willing to entertain the discussion.
She couldn’t help seeing the difference between them. She thought she would never be able to forget what she had seen tonight.
She turned her attention back to her dinner plate as conversation resumed around the table, allowing the sounds of talk, and eventually laughter, to drift over her.
The party was back on track. Things had begun to seem normal, even calm again.
Still, as the meal progressed, Valeria found herself turning every few minutes to glance at Lord Woodsford.
The two of them didn’t speak to each other through the remainder of dinner. It was almost as though something so dramatic had happened that theycouldn’tspeak to each other again.
But she could feel him next to her. She knew he was looking at her from time to time as well.
And when Lord Harlston stood at the end of the meal and asked who would like to stay for coffee and music, Valeria knew at once that she wasn’t ready to leave the party yet.
Chapter 14
“Well, you certainly enjoyed yourself last night,” Duncan said.
Valeria looked at her cousin across the chessboard. “Was it so very obvious?”
“Extremely obvious,” he said, rather wryly. “And to tell you the truth, not something I ever expected. Of course, I knew that Thomas had feelings for you—”
“You did?”
“He’s my closest friend, Valeria,” Duncan said, half smiling, half laughing. “Of course I knew of his feelings. And you must admit, he’s not a verysubtlegentleman, is he? I daresay most of the guests at last night’s dinner party were able to pick up on the way he feels about you. It was made very clear as he was throwing Lord Milton bodily from Harlston Manor!”
“Was that terribly embarrassing?” Valeria asked. “I wouldn’t like to think that I caused a scene.”
“Oh, you didn’t cause anything,” Duncan said. He advanced his bishop and sat back in his chair. “No one thinksthat. All you did was show up at a party to which you were invited. You were very well behaved. Anyone with a head on their shoulders can see that you were the victim of last night’s debacle.”
“But how many of them do you suppose that is?” Valeria asked. “Because I know that some people were starting to wonder whether Lord Milton had the right of it by the end.”
“Nobody blamed you,” Duncan said. “And those people—the ones who were wondering whether or not he had a point—you didn’t see their faces as he was being thrown out, did you?”
“No,” Valeria admitted. “I was too busy watching—”
“Watching Thomas,” Duncan said, grinning. “You really couldn’t keep your eyes off of him, could you?”
“Oh, no. Was it obvious?”
“It might have been if anyone had been paying attention. Fortunately, there was something going on at the time that was a bit distracting. I think I was the only one who was looking at you.” He took a sip of his tea. “Are you going to move, by the way? It’s your turn.”
“Right,” Valeria said.
“Having a bit of trouble concentrating on the game?” Duncan asked knowingly.
“Well… what were you saying about people’s faces as Lord Milton was being thrown out?” Valeria asked.
“Oh,” Duncan said. “Well, they looked wretched, to tell you the truth. The lady and the gentleman who had spoken up to say that maybe he was right, that maybe he ought to be listened to—they both looked horribly ashamed of themselves. It was obvious that they realized how wrong they had been to entertain his words, and that they wished they could withdraw their support.”
“So you don’t think there’s anyone left who would speak against me like that?”
