“Alas, we do not speak of either of you, but of momentous news!” Such was her excitement, the young lady grasped Lord Dennington’s arm. “Are you acquainted with Lady Margaret?”
At this, the smile immediately fell from Adam’s face, his laughter turning to dust in his mouth. Surely it could not be!
“Yes, I am acquainted with Lady Margaret.” Lord Dennington threw Adam a quick look before turning his attention back to the lady. “What is it about her?”
“It is the most marvelous news!” she exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement. “Only this very evening, she received a proposal from a gentleman of high title, a Marquess, and it is believed that she has accepted him!” For a moment Adam thought that this Marquess they spoke of was none other than himself, and caught himself glancing across the room as if Lady Margaret was suddenly going to come rushing towards him, declaring that she was deeply sorrowful over what she had said, how much she regretted sending him away and how she was deeply pained over their separation… and then his heart collapsed. “It is the Marquess of Hadenshire!” The young lady exclaimed aloud again, clapping her hands together. “I am sure that there will be a magnificent wedding. I do hope that I receive an invitation!”
The other young ladies said the same and continued in this manner for some minutes, but Adam heard none of what they said. He did not smile, did not look with delight upon the ladies as they spoke. Instead, he simply found himself lost in a cloud of emotions, taking in a shuddering breath just as Lord Dennington turned to him with a frown.
Flames were slowly rising within Adam, heat burning his face. Thankfully, so many of the young ladies were taken up with the news that very few of them paid the least bit of attention to his reaction, although from Lord Dennington’s look of concern, he was aware it would not be a positive one. It was as if he had swallowed a snake which now curled and writhed within him. He was breathing harshly, emotions twisting up hard within him, but it was not as though he found himself broken-hearted over the fact that Lady Margaret was now betrothed. Instead, there was both anger and embarrassment. Anger that he had ever let himself be so foolish as to believe himself in love with Lady Margaret, and embarrassment now that not only was she betrothed, but she was betrothed to the very gentleman she had compared him to as well!
“Come.” Lord Dennington took his arm and Adam went with him without hesitation, striding across the ballroom until they had found a quieter place where they might talk. Adam closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “Are you quite all right?”
Lord Dennington eyed Adam carefully only for Adam to sigh again.
“Yes, I am. I am a little frustrated but that, I suppose, is to be expected.” Adam managed a wry laugh, but his friend only narrowed his eyes, clearly disbelieving him. “In truth, my heart does not ache nor cry over the news. Her betrothal in itself does not concern me. It is only the speed of it that has brought me some embarrassment.”
“I do not think you need to feel so.” Lord Dennington, who was a little relieved, given the way he smiled briefly and then pushed one hand through his hair, excused himself for a moment only to return with two glasses of brandy. “It is not as though you are the one at fault. Lady Margaret has chosen to betrothe herself to a particular sort of gentleman, but whether or not she will be happy, it is hard to say. You know that he does not truly care for her, and she does not truly care for him, but if that will satisfy them, then what else can be said?”
“I do not care about their happiness.” With a small sip of his brandy, Adam continued. “It is only that I find myself frustrated at how quickly she pushed me aside, only to accept another gentleman who holds precisely the same title as I.” Recalling exactly what Lady Margaret had said to him, a scowl pulled at his expression. “It is that this other fellow has more coin than I.” He sniffed. “Which is a very sorrowful reason to pick a husband, I am sure.”
With a grimace, Lord Dennington gestured across the room to where Lady Margaret herself had just walked in, but Adam turned his gaze away.
“Do you think that you would have been contented with a young lady such as Lady Margaret?” Lord Dennington asked. “You declared your affections for her, but what if she had not declared the same for you yet had remained willing to wed you? Would you have found yourself contented to be in her company? Would you have been glad to take her to the altar, knowing that your affections were a good deal more than her own?”
It was not something that Adam could immediately answer, and when his friend looked at him with a lifted eyebrow, he simply shrugged. The truth was, such a situation was not something he had considered before, but now that Lord Dennington had suggested it, he was questioning the happiness which he would have enjoyed had such a future come to pass.
“I believe I see what you mean,” he began slowly. “You are suggesting that I ought to be relieved that I did not end up securing Lady Margaret’s hand.”
“Precisely.” Lord Dennington shrugged. “To my mind, any young lady who behaves in the way that she did is not worthy of the affection and care offered by another.” He shook his head, and his jaw grew tight for a moment. “If two people want a practical match, then they should find each other. And if two people seek a marriage of affection and the like, then they equally ought to seek out a person whose desires match their own.”
A little surprised at his friend’s fervency, Adam looked at him with a steady gaze.
“And which do you seek?”
Lord Dennington chuckled.
“For myself, I am not convinced either way. Therefore, I shall remain quite disinclined towards matrimony for the moment, I think.”
Adam let out a small, dry laugh and, looking across the room, found his gaze settling on none other than Miss Millington. Immediately, it was as if he could breathe with ease again. Out of everyone in the room, she stood out to him, for she was not whispering or giggling. She did not have one hand clasped to her mouth, was not leaning in conspiratorially to hear whatever was being said. Instead, she simply talked quietly with a friend, smiling and nodding, but showing no excitement at what was being said by others. She did not make her way to another group of ladies, eager to find out what had occurred, as he had done, but instead seemed perfectly contented in her own conversation.
His heart lifted in great admiration. Miss Millington was, it seemed, very different from other young ladies, and he considered that to be to her advantage.
“I am glad to be free of Lady Margaret,” he said aloud, his gaze still lingering on Miss Millington. “You are right. I should be – and am - relieved.”
“I am delighted to hear it.” Lord Dennington slapped Adam’s shoulder, hard. “That is precisely the attitude which is required. You must not think too poorly of yourself, but instead see what you have been saved from. In time, that will give you the greatest relief, I am sure.”
“You are right, I am certain.” With a small swig of his brandy, Adam grinned back at his friend. “And despite your excellent advice, I beg of you to excuse me.”
“Why?” Lord Dennington’s eyes flared. “Are you leaving the ball already?”
“No, indeed I am not!” Adam scowled, looking around the ballroom. “I shall not be pushed away by this. Instead, I intend to greet someone else, that is all. Someone who will not be so eager to gossip as the rest.”
He did not wait for Lord Dennington to question who this particular person might be but, instead, simply stepped away, knowing full well that Lord Dennington’s gaze would follow him regardless. Coming towards Miss Millington, Adam’s smile lifted high when she offered him a welcoming one of her own. She was granted a sweetness to an otherwise bitter circumstance and, as Adam fell into easy conversation with her, all thought of Lady Margaret and her new betrothal fled from his mind.
He hoped that he would never permit himself to think of her again.
Chapter Four
