Nathaniel could feel himself stiffening, and his cheeks heated. “Lady Delilah?”
“No, Lady Jane, of course. I saw her with my own eyes.”
Nathaniel sighed with relief, and he nudged against his old friend. “Thank you for telling me, but no need to mention anything to anyone about that. Mother will be far too excited that I was seeking her out.”
Thomas stifled a laugh, and after what felt like an age, the music was over. The group began to move toward the ballroom, and out of the corner of his eye, Nathaniel spotted Thomas offering Emily his arm.
Emily looked down at it and blushed, and when she looked up at Thomas, Nathaniel could see her beaming. He tried to be as discreet as possible, but he listened in, as Thomas said to Emily, “I will come tomorrow to your house to begin the painting, if that is alright with you. I needed a couple of days to collect the proper materials. I want everything to be perfect.”
“Oh, I'm certain it will be,” Emily replied, a big smile crossing your face, both looking entirely oblivious to all the other people in the room. “You're such a talented painter, Thomas.”
This time it was Thomas’s turn to beam, and Nathaniel rolled his eyes, turning back towards the ballroom. He escorted his mother there and listened to her chatting about the various people, all the while searching for Jane in the crowd.
Finally, he spotted her standing next to her aunt and uncle. His mother pulled him along when he realized that he had stopped to stare at her. But he couldn’t help it. Jane was practically shimmering with gold and to Nathaniel, she looked like a goddess in her cream muslin, with golden gloves and golden jewelry adorning her body.
“Mother, I—” he began, ready to pull away from her, to make sure that he asked Jane for the first dance.
But instead, he turned around and came face to face with Lord and Lady Mortimer and Delilah. On his arm, he could feel his mother stiffen as well as he did. Lord and Lady Mortimer looked about as pleased as they always did. Only this time, Nathaniel could tell that Lady Mortimer was attempting to be kinder. There were more people watching, after all.
Delilah was beaming up at him, and she curtsied. Nathaniel could feel his chance to ask Jane to dance for the first dance slipping away from him as the musicians began to warm up their strings.
Delilah said, “Lord Balwood, as promised, we are seeing one another again at Lady Constance's soiree. Your Grace,” she said to his mother and curtsied again.
His mother greeted her, as well as her parents, and then Nathaniel did what he knew he was expected to do.
He offered Lady Delilah his hand, and he said, “Lady Delilah, if you would do me the honor of this first dance.”
“I would be delighted, Lord Balwood,” she said, slipping her hand into his. Trying hard not to grimace, Nathaniel led her away to the dance floor.
Unfortunately, it was a waltz, and Delilah seemed all too pleased to be in his arms again. If it had only been a few days after her incident on the balcony those two years ago, Nathaniel's old self might have crumbled at the feel of soft, curvy Delilah in his arms.
He glanced down at her face and the smile that had charmed him so long ago. But now he felt wooden, and he felt even worse when he saw a young man take Jane out on the dance floor instead of him.
“How wonderful, Nathaniel,” Delilah purred, her hands holding tightly to his, her fingertips pressing a little too hard into his shoulder as they danced. “It has been two long years since last we danced, and you have missed it, surely? I know that I have.”
Her eyelashes fluttered in a flirtatious manner. Even though only two years had passed, Nathaniel felt a thousand years old in his maturity. No longer would those sorts of machinations work on him.
“You're right that it has been two years or so since we last danced. But there have been many dance partners since,” he replied with a smile, making hers fall.
He didn’t know what Delilah was trying to do, but he certainly didn’t ever want to give her the impression that he missed her in any way or wished for her company again. His eyes trailed to Jane again. Her expression looked just as wooden as he was sure his own did. But the man looking down at her seemed very pleased to be dancing with her.
I'm sure he is pleased. Not only is Jane very beautiful, but she has money behind her. I wonder what his intentions are?
His blood boiled as he remembered the conversation of the two young men in the gentlemen’s card playing room of Emily’s coming-out ball. They were like two ravenous wolves circling their prey. He was sure that there were not many young men in that room who had good intentions when it came to Lady Jane Caldwell.
He frowned when his subconscious responded to his questions of Lord Claridge with,His intentions are surely better and more honorable than your own. You are not simply courting her for her money, but making her believe that feelings are involved as well.
“You know,” Delilah said. “It is very rude to your dance partner to not speak to them or look at them when they are dancing with you. You have grown rather feisty and bitter in your old age, haven’t you, Nathaniel?” she teased as they spun around the dance floor.
“Time will do that to a person, Delilah,” he said stiffly. Glancing once more at Jane and the man, his hand tightened on Delilah’s in his anger. “Who is that man?” he asked her.
“Ah, you don’t know? You haven't heard? That is the man who has taken over the earldom from the deceased Lord Claridge. From what I've heard, he's been living in France for many years, but he has returned now to take up residence in London and to join in the swirl of social engagements, of course.”
“Lord Claridge. So, he must be Jane’s cousin,” he said under his breath, a little fear growing inside him.
The man was not only her cousin and family, but he was also handsome, well-dressed, and he looked very pleased to be in Jane’s company. People married cousins every day, if for nothing else than to keep the family line within the family.
“What was that, Nathaniel?” Delilah asked, and he shook his head.
