“I am sorry,” she murmured to herself softly, as though, somehow, he was able to hear her. “I am so very sorry.”
* * *
“I dohope Lord Talbert will join us soon.”
Tara resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“My dear sister, you must not be so eager. You danced with Lord Talbert only two days ago and he has come to call upon you once since then. I am certain that he will be eager to seek out your company, of course, but pray do not think that he will be theonlygentleman who will do so - and certainly do not give the impression that he is the only gentleman you wish to speak with.”
“But he is a most admirable gentleman, is he not?”
“I am certain that he is, but that does not mean that you must pursue him. If he is desirous of your company, then he will seek you out. You must do all you can not to appear overeager,” Tara warned, a little concerned that her sister was not listening to her. “You do not know the gentleman particularly well.”
“Which is precisely why I must spend a good deal more time with him,” came the rather sharp reply as Mary swiveled her head around, in evident search of him. “He is very handsome andclearlykeen to spend time with me.”
“Be that as it may, you must still be cautious. I will speak to a few of my acquaintances and discover more about Lord Talbert. If he approaches you and wishes to spend a little more time with you, then by all means speak with him. But do not let your heart yearn for him - it is much too soon for that. Find out more about him first, discover whether he is truly worthy and if his character is of an amiable sort. You must realize, my dear sister, that marriage is an everlasting situation. You cannot simply march into it believing that you know someone well, when in truth you do not.”
Her sister let out a heavy sigh but eventually gave a small nod.
“You are warning me to be careful, which I accept. After all, I have put you through, I quite understand your concerns.”
Allowing herself a small breath of relief. Tara gave her sister a quick smile.
“Thank you. I am sure that this soirée will be most enjoyable, regardless of whether or not Lord Talbert arrives.”
Her sister stepped closer and linked arms with Tara.
“Mayhap you might consider also making your way into conversation with someone other than the other wallflowers?” she put to Tara, one eyebrow lifting gently. “There is no reason for you not to engage yourself in company, and there are certainly a good many people here who I am sure would be very glad to make your acquaintance.”
“Idoengage myself in company,” Tara protested, weakly. “It may not be as much company as you enjoy, but I still do have a few acquaintances.”
The conversation was cut short as Mary suddenly grasped Tara’s arm all the tighter.
“Look!”
Tara blinked in surprise at her sister’s sudden exclamation, turning around to look in the same direction as Mary. The only thing she saw was a broad-shouldered, distinguished fellow coming into the room, led forward by their host for the evening soiree, Lord Bannister. She considered him, a little surprised at the sudden rush of heat which began at her toes and then swept upwards through her.
Their eyes suddenly met and, despite the strangeness of the moment, Tara found herself smiling. The man’s lips quirked, and his eyes sparkled as they continued to look at one another. And then he was forced to turn away as his host said something, leaving Tara to return her attention to her sister, a smile still present on her lips. She had never felt such a thing before and to be so suddenly aware of that gentleman, to have her heart beat a little quicker and her body warm itself in such an odd fashion was very strange indeed, although it was not a sensation that Tara disliked!
“You saw him then?”
Tara nodded.
“I did. What about him is important?”
“Did you not hear?” Mary released Tara’s arm and clasped both of her hands together. “I am certain that they just announced the arrival of Lord Pottinger! I have heard so very much about him, have not you?”
In an instant, every single bit of happiness she had felt shriveled up and blew away as Tara looked first at her sister, and then across the room to where the gentleman now stood.
“I do not – I have not heard much about him,” she answered as her sister threw up her hands and let out such an exclamation so loud that Tara’s face burned with embarrassment, and she turned away a little.
“How can you not know of him? All of society has been speaking of Lord Pottinger’s return! Apparently, he is one of the most eligible gentlemen in all of London for, whilst he is a Viscount, he is known to be extremely wealthy and owns a great deal of land and property. He has been gone for some weeks and no one knows why he left society and now, why he has returned so quickly. I am certain that there must be a reason for it, however.”
“That does not mean that you have to be the one to find it.”
Mary laughed.
“Indeed not, but can you imagine ifIwas the one to capture the heart of Lord Pottinger?” Her sister clasped her hands together, letting out a sigh of evident contentedness. “That would be extraordinary!”
