She turned her back on him and walked away. But the quivering tension in her muscles didn’t relax until the crowd had closed between them, and he could no longer see her.
Then she closed her eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath. She would have gladly collapsed if there had been a chair at hand to fall into. As it was, though, she was being watched by far too many people, not to mention Sir Jessamyn, who was nuzzling her cheek with deep concern.
She had to find her courage, and her spine.
Elinor opened her eyes and found at least ten of Sir John’s neighbors watching her with open fascination. She bared her teeth, and they turned hastily away.Good. Later, she might feel guilty for how badly she’d behaved, but right now, she didn’t have time to make sparkling conversation about London life and high society. Muffled under the cheerful tones of the orchestra’s quadrille, the clock in the corner was chiming a warning that resonated through her bones. It was a quarter to nine, and she had no time left to lose.
If she wanted to save herself—and, maddeningly, Penelope—from the Armitages, she only had one choice. She had to find out what was making them so desperate to secure the betrothal now, tonight. There was only one person who could help her.
Elinor took a deep breath and struck out through the crowd. It was time to deal with the problem of Lucinda.
* * *
It wasn’tdifficult to find Penelope’s friends. At this ball, like so many country balls, there were too many young ladies and not nearly enough gentlemen, so Lucinda and Millie were both waiting this set out, standing together by the refreshment table. Millie watched the dancers with open envy. As her eyes followed Penelope, her hand fluttered unconsciously to her left shoulder; it would not be long, Elinor thought, before she started wearing a peacock feather of her own. If it hadn’t been for Lucinda’s cooler head and guidance, Millie probably would have given in to temptation and worn one tonight, earning Penelope’s eternal ire.
Lucinda, though…her lips might have been smiling as she chatted to her friend, but her gaze moved ceaselessly about the room, sharp and searching, taking in every detail. Who could she possibly be looking for? Elinor frowned as she glanced around the ballroom. The shifting patterns of the dance filled the center of the floor, while the older gentlemen, matrons and wallflowers flowed about the sides of the room. She squinted, taking it all in, and for one dazzling moment they all blurred into a whirl of colour and sparkles.
That’s it. Elinor sucked in a breath at the realization. Lucinda wasn’t looking for any one person—or any person at all. She was looking at all the sparklingthingsthat filled the room. All the gentry of the county had flocked to Hathergill Hall tonight, wearing their finest attire…and accessories. There wasn’t a woman there, apart from Elinor herself, whose throat, ears, and wrists didn’t glitter with her most expensive jewelry.
Lucinda would never be able to resist.
How was she to be caught in the act, though? Elinor worried at her bottom lip as she puzzled it through. It had to be soon, before the music could stop and Lucinda could be swept up into the patterns of the next dance. And it couldn’t be Elinor herself who set the trap. Lucinda knew not to trust her.
But who else could possibly be asked? Benedict was still trapped in the dance. Mr. Aubrey was sitting the quadrille out, of course, crossing his arms and glowering at the triviality of the dance, but he wore no jewelry to provide a temptation—not even a gold watchfob of the type many gentlemen favored.
That left only one dangerously unpredictable possibility.
“…And I was sick for days!” Lady Hathergill said cheerfully behind her. “I puked like a pig. Disgusting!”
The vicar’s wife made a muffled sound of horror and fled as Elinor turned. Her aunt shrugged philosophically as she watched the other woman run away. “Ah, well,” she said. “Horrible woman. Her husband only married her for her dowry, you know. He was actually in love with her sister, butsheran away with their footman ten days before they were meant to be wed. A ridiculous way to escape, if you ask me. She should have at least held out for a butler, don’t you think?”
“I—well, I suppose…” Elinor blinked. Then she put the story aside to be wondered at later. “Aunt—I mean, my old friend. I need to ask a favor of you.”
“You can always ask,” Lady Hathergill said. “But I may or may not say yes. I used to agree to everything, you know, only because it seemed so much easier not to argue. Nowadays, though, I feel quite invigorated. Almost like a different person!”
“I know.” Elinor winced. “But I need to expose a thief—one who’s ruined a young girl’s life only to save her own reputation and standing. Will you help me?”
A smile spread across Lady Hathergill’s face. She leaned towards Elinor and tapped Sir Jessamyn approvingly on his snout. “Do you know,” she said, “I’d actually believed that this whole evening would be a crashing bore. How glad I am to know I was mistaken!”
Chapter 30
For the first time that evening, Elinor was grateful for the shifting masses of the crowd that filled the Hathergills’ over-stuffed ballroom. They allowed her to hang back, safely hidden, while her aunt sailed forward to the refreshment table.
Safely hidden…but close enough to overhear. It might be good to have a partner, but Elinor couldn’t imagine any more dangerous co-conspirator than Lady Hathergill, unleashed. If her aunt announced to Lucinda and Millie what she was doing, their entire enterprise would be shattered.
But her first words were fairly innocuous, by recent standards. “Ah, there’s the punch-bowl at last. I certainly need it in a tedious crush like this. I’m positivelyreekingwith sweat. Repulsive!”
Millie tittered nervously, raising one hand to her mouth, but Lucinda only said politely, “May I fill your cup for you, Lady Hathergill?”
“No need for that,” said Lady Hathergill. “I want Millie to do something for me. Will you fetch my lavender shawl?”
“But…” Millie blinked at her. “I thought you were too hot?”
“It’s an excuse, girl!” Lady Hathergill barked, and Elinor closed her eyes in pure anguish.
She should have known better than to ever make such a doomed attempt.
But before she could even begin to form new plans, Millie breathed, “Ohhhh. You mean, you said you were hot because you wanted an excuse to drink more punch.Isee! My cousin Agatha does that sometimes, too, although she does act very silly afterwards. My mama says it’s always wisest for ladies to stick to lemonade when not in the safety of their own chambers.” And with a warning shake of her head, Millie hurried off through the crowd to fulfill her errand…leaving Elinor to wonder what exactly Mrs. Stavertondiddrink in the safety of her bedchamber.
