Harold sighed deeply, shook his head, and ran his fingers through his ash-blond hair before responding, “And as should you. We are going to be late for the ball.”
As though he saw the confusion on Elijah’s face, Harold quickly added, “Do not tell me you do not remember the invitation I carried with me the day you arrived?”
Elijah thought back to that day, less than a week ago. He had been exhausted and sore from travelling and had only been half-listening to anything being told to him. Likely it was why he had no recollection of any invitation that Harold might have mentioned.
“The memory eludes me,” Elijah admitted, only feeling half-guilty, for it was his cousin’s fault also for expecting him to actually take in anything when he had been in no fit state to do so. As he remembered it, he had not only been tired and hungry but also in great pain from his stomach and the fact that his rear had gone to sleep during the long carriage ride from London.
“Well, you may not remember it, but you are set to go, dear cousin,” Harold announced, showing quite the backbone. Elijah almost had to laugh. The fact that his cousin was confident enough to speak to him in such a manner, when they both knew he could no more win than a mouse could beat a lion made Harold’s effort all the more admirable. “I already accepted the invitation on behalf of both of us, and you shall not miss it, or your mother shall have my guts for garters.”
Again, Elijah bit back laughter. He wasn’t sure if Harold actually understood how true his words were. His mother would never forgive him for not following up on an invite after it had been accepted.Especially after all the rumours he had already caused over the latest Season with his noteworthy, prohibited romances and his one-night flings with any and every woman that sought out his company. All while trying to dull the pain of the knowledge that only he, his mother, and several doctors shared—that he was dying. Add to that the gambling, drinking, and tomfoolery he had been engaging in and the fisticuffs outside brothels and taverns, and his father was practically ready to disown him. Perhaps that would have been better than his banishment. At least then, his younger brother would already be set to take over, and he could slip quietly into myth and shadow without anyone really batting an eye.
But instead, Harold stood before him, looking expectant. He tapped his foot on the tiled floor and placed his hands on his hips before ordering, “Come on, up the stairs with you! I have already ordered you a bath drawn, and Greaves is prepared to shave you if we can find the time.”
“Harold, I am not certain I am feeling up to it,” Elijah protested as his cousin started to usher him up the stairs.
Had he really wanted to, Elijah could have stuck his heels right into the ground, and with his heavier weight pressed back against him, Harold would have had no way to make him move. But Elijah could at least admire his cousin’s determination, so he did not offer too much protest.
“There are bound to be a hundred ladies begging to make your acquaintance tonight, and though I am here to keep a close eye on you so you do not get yourself into trouble again, I am certain your mother would be greatly pleased at the prospect of a proper courtship blossoming in the wake of all your…troubles.”
At his cousin’s words, Elijah could think only one thing.Will Lady Belmont be there?
It was a thought that caused him actually to move in the requested direction, and his sudden change of pace almost had Harold sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs.
Chapter 9
“How did I ever let you talk me into this?” Melissa demanded as she shuffled up and down on the carriage bench, trying to scratch beneath her stays where there was an itch upon her ribs she couldn’t quite get to.
Daisy looked more than a little amused, shaking her head. “You couldn’t very well let me come unescorted with Anthony in London, could you?”
Melissa scowled back at her. She knew very well the answer to that. She wouldn’t have been a very good friend if she had allowed Daisy to attend the event alone. Though it was just for her that Melissa would ever force herself through the discomfort of wearing her stays. Only ever did she wear them when she was attending high-society events.
Otherwise, she would have been much happier without her stays on, sitting at home in her garden or researching and journaling in her study. She would have even preferred to read a work of fiction than socialise with the nobles and gentlefolk who so despised her in public while many of their wives came creeping to her door when things began to go wrong.
“Oh, stop looking quite so grouchy!” Daisy scolded, leaning forwards to tap Melissa on her knee as if to scold her. “It can’t be nearly so bad. You never know; you might actually have a little fun for a change.”
“I often have fun,” Melissa protested.In the comfort and safety of my own home where nobody ever need bother me.
Though her thoughts caused her to remember Lord Spurnrose and how he had come to bother her earlier that day, not that he had really been any bother until he had left and she had been unable to stop thinking about him.
Disgruntled, she wondered whether this ball might be just the thing she needed to do that.
The carriage drew to a steady halt before Daisy could make any remark, and instead, she looked at Melissa with an encouraging expression as the door was pulled open by one of the estate’s footmen.
“Come on, now. Best foot forward and smile on,” Daisy said, urging Melissa up and out of the carriage before her. It was as if she thought Melissa might suddenly try to commandeer the carriage from her as soon as she stepped off. Though at the thought, Melissa realised she wasn’t entirely wrong. She would have done anything to turn that carriage around if not for her friend being right. She couldn’t allow her to enter that ball alone. Yet common courtesy said nothing about her leaving early once the pleasantries were over.
And that was the only thing that kept her going as they made their way from handing the servants their cloaks to the ballroom.
As anticipated, the moment she stepped into the room, she felt all eyes turn upon her. With gritted teeth, she forced herself to meet the gazes of those who seemed loath to admit her presence. Seeing the way that several turned to whisper to their peers, Melissa thought it would be a long night even if she did decide to depart early.
“Don’t worry. I am certain they are all just wondering where Anthony has got himself off too,” Daisy said, also meeting the eyes of the onlookers, smiling despite their disgruntled scowls.
Though Melissa knew better than to believe her friend, she was grateful for the effort she made.
As they walked arm in arm around the edge of the ballroom, looking for a place to stand where they could watch the goings-on, Melissa assured her friend, “I do not care for the opinions of theton. You need not concern yourself with their staring or their whispers.”
“Perhaps if they had more about their own lives, they might be less inclined to get involved with the intricacies of others,” Daisy remarked, sounding much too much like Melissa, and they both began to chuckle.
“It sounds as though the two of you are finding the evening quite amusing.”
