The way that his eyes danced about as he smiled at her sent a gentle, curling sensation into the pit of her stomach. Elizabeth could not explain it, for it was the most unusual sensation, and one she had not experienced before, but yet, it was not entirely unwelcome.
“I am to dance this evening, yes.” She offered him a small smile. “I am afraid that I have only just arrived and therefore my dance card is entirely empty.”
“I do not think that a bad thing in the least!” Lord Winterbrook exclaimed. “Rather, I find it quite delightful, for it means that I will have the choice of dances from you this evening.” Elizabeth smiled and handed him her dance card, looking at Lady Yardley, who was, for some unknown reason, smiling very broadly indeed. Recalling what she had said about a gentleman falling instantly in love with her upon introduction, Elizabeth’s cheeks warmed. Surely Lady Yardley could not think that Lord Winterbrook would be such a fellow! “Have you permission to waltz, Lady Elizabeth?” Lord Winterbrook lifted his head, his pencil poised over the card. “I should not like to sign my name there if you are not permitted to do so.”
For some entirely confusing reason, Elizabeth’s cheeks grew hot.
“Yes, I have been given permission to waltz, Lord Winterbrook.” It was a question which she had been asked before, so why she should become hot and flustered when Lord Winterbrook had asked her the question she could not quite understand.
“Wonderful!” Lord Winterbrook wrote his initials, then handed the dance card to her. “I look forward to our dance, Lady Elizabeth.” With a smile, he inclined his head towards her, and then to Lady Yardley. “And now I shall leave you. Excuse me.”
Her eyes fastened themselves to him as Lord Winterbrook walked away. She could not understand why his presence had made her feel so unaccountably odd but all the same, she could not pretend that she felt nothing.
“You see?” Lady Yardley laughed, her arm through Elizabeth’s. “You shall have every gentleman in London falling at your feet this Season, I am sure of it. Lord Winterbrook is just the beginning.”
Elizabeth managed a smile.
“I hope that you are right, Lady Yardley,” she answered, carefully. “And I hope that I will not make a fool of myself dancing the waltz! It has been some time since I stepped out for such a dance.”
“I am certain that in Lord Winterbrook’s arms, you will be more than contented,” Lady Yardley said firmly. “You need not fear. This evening is the beginning of a wonderful Season for you.”
Chapter Four
Excitement sent a thrill through Felix’s veins as he rode his horse faster and faster, chasing the carriage. One of the men who rode with him waved his pistol, coming alongside the driver, who had been going at a somewhat sedate pace.
“Stop!” Felix exclaimed, as his men surrounded the carriage. “You must stop at once!” He kept his eyes fixed on the coachman, for on occasion a coachman had himself been armed, but it appeared that on this occasion, the man was nothing of the sort. When the carriage came to a stop, the coachman held both hands up on either side of his face, the reins now languishing in his lap. “A very wise decision.” Jumping down from his horse, he waited for the men to take their positions. One stood in front of the horses, still astride his own horse, with the other by the coachman’s side, holding a pistol threateningly in the coachman’s direction. The third man stood back, ready to assist in whatever way was required. “Now.” Walking to the carriage, Felix tapped on the window, peering inside. “Open the door and come out - and if you do not, then I shall come in myself.”
The door was eventually pushed open and without hesitation, Felix stepped to look inside. He was met by the white faces of the two people within. One was an elderly gentleman and the other a young lady. There must be a connection between them, he supposed, studying them in silence. Was she his daughter? He appeared a little too old to be her father but, then again, Felix considered, he might have been a gentleman who had married later in life and thereafter, fathered children much later on in his years.
“Good afternoon.” He inclined his head. “I have come to unburden you from some of your wealth.”
“Is that so?” The gentleman looked straight out at Felix. His dark eyes glinted in stark contrast to the whiteness of his face. “And what if we have no wealth?”
Laughing, Felix shook his head.
“A likely excuse,” he grinned, “but one which has been offered to me on many an occasion already. I am afraid that I do not believe you.”
“But it is the truth.” The young woman blinked rapidly as tears formed in her eyes, but Felix was unmoved. He had already seen many young women fall into floods of tears at the thought of having some of her precious possessions taken from her. “We have so little.”
“And from that supposed little,” Felix stated. “I shall takesome.” Waving his pistol gently, he looked first at the lady, and then at the gentleman. “Do not think that I am afraid to use this if required.” This was, of course, a complete lie, for there was no circumstance that would induce Felix to shoot anyone, particularly when they had done nothing wrong. “You must have some jewels, miss?”
The young woman’s tears began to fall down her cheeks.
“The only thing I have is my locket.”
Finding it from around her neck, she took it out for him to see and, to Felix’s surprise, it was a very simple, unadorned locket. No doubt it had some sort of sentimental value, although it was nothing overly expensive.
Felix shook his head.
“I do not believe that is all you possess. You must have something more, perhaps in your luggage?”
“And what luggage is it you think we have?” The gentleman’s eyes pierced his again. “Did you not see that as you approached our carriage? We have no luggage to speak of. Here I have only one bag for myself and one for my niece.”
“Your niece?”
The man nodded.
“Yes, this is my niece, Miss Whitford. I am Mr. Harrison, her granduncle. I promise you that we have no wealth. I have used near all of it to take Miss Whitford to London in an attempt to find her a suitable match… before thetonhears of her circumstances.”
