Already His (The Caversham Chronicles - Book Two) (7 page)

He swallowed hard and collected himself. “Ah, so pirates and highwaymen need not apply?”

She turned a dazzling smile up to him, unsettling him like a green boy. “Unfortunate for them, but no. They wouldn’t make it in the door.”

She greeted her brother and sister-in-law and took her place between the Duke and Duchess of Caversham and immediately began greeting the guests as the line began to move again.

A
fter the last of the guests passed through the line, they were finally able to enter the festivities. Alone with Lia and Ren, Elise took the opportunity to apologize to her brother and sister-in-law for her tardiness to the reception line, and the change of wardrobe. “Thank you for not getting upset.” Elise whispered as she took Ren’s left arm, unable to look into his eyes for fear she would find disappointment in them over her choice to change gowns.

Her brother looked down with hardened steel-colored eyes. “As my insightful wife has advised me, I am picking my battles.” Lia peeked her head from her brother’s right side and smiled, letting Elise know all would be well.

Only then did she sigh, relieved to have that behind her.

Her brother led their party toward the open ballroom doors, Michael, Beverly and her grandmother having gone in some time ago. They made their way through the rose-and-ivory-decorated room, the crowd parted for them until they’d made their way to the dais flanked by white flowers of different varieties on a rose colored linen. A footman arrived with a tray and she lifted a champagne flute and sipped.

“Excellent strategic move, child. Dressing down rather than wearing all those gaudy stones,” her grandmother whispered. “And a second dress for a debut will be all the rage now. Mark my word.” The gold-turbaned Lady Sewell tilted her head and raised her monocle so as to better examine the bodice of her dress, then raised her gaze back to Elise’s. “You’ve no cleavage exposed. How do you ever hope to make the sale, if you don’t let them have a peek at the goods?”

Elise and Beverly choked on their drinks, and Lia smiled serenely as her brother turned away murmuring something to no one in particular. Elise leaned over and kissed her grandmother’s cheek, thanking her for the compliments, and her grandmother added, “Sit deep in the saddle young lady, for you’re in for the ride of your life starting this very night!”

No sooner had the words been said, several young men appeared and began chatting with her and Beverly. Talk was mostly over mundane things, like the new play opening and Lord Colson’s new phaeton. But while the men spoke of races and the amusements they were all familiar with, Elise’s mind began to drift.

How she wished she could dance with Michael on this night. Earlier in the day he’d said he would waltz with her when his mourning was over. She couldn’t wait for the day they could dance it together. For now though, she had to get through this first dance, the one with her brother. She was sure he intended to give her yet another a stern warning about her behavior.

When the orchestra struck the chords of the piece she’d chosen, Ren offered his arm, leading her onto the floor. Taking her right hand in his left, and placing the other lightly on her back, he whirled Elise around the floor in the dance she waited over a year to perform.

“Was there something lacking in your upbringing,” her brother said so casually as to belie his true feeling, “that has caused this complete lack of respect for convention?”

Elise turned her gaze to his, and smiled. “No, Your Grace. I simply felt that in order to present myself in a manner more true to my real self, I needed to dispense of the trappings and frivolities that other
girls
hide behind. Society says that as of tonight I’m no longer a girl, but a young lady ready for marriage. I intend to make that point very clear this evening.”
And hopefully bring a certain someone up to scratch
, she wanted to tell him, but thought better of it. If her brother knew her thoughts, he’d never believed she’d changed at all.

“I hope that for once in your life you can find it in you to hold such comments to yourself,” he said. “It would do no good to have every rake desperate for your fortune knocking on my door. Their suit would be refused before they had the opportunity to warm a chair across from mine.”

“Which is as I wish,” she said with all sincerity, “since I plan to marry for love alone. So do not worry that I will encourage the attention of anyone unworthy of me.”

When their dance came to an end, they walked back to their seats as the rest of the guests crowded onto the floor. Her sister-in-law was deep in discussion with two matrons, both of whom had several marriageable-aged daughters of their own. As she approached their group the other women turned their backs to her, shutting her out from their discussion. This reinforced her determination to remain composed and unperturbed in the face of the derisive comments she was sure to hear from the women of
le bon ton.
She went past her sister-in-law, to stand next to her grandmother. Elise smiled as the two women left the dais, their conversation with the duchess over.

Curiosity filled her as she leaned over and asked why the two so suddenly decided to leave their company.

“I find I am having to defend your choice in gowns,” her sister-in-law said, her voice tinged with anger.

Regret filled Elise and she was about to apologize to her sister-in-law, when Her Grace added, “I merely stated that, as I observe the others of your set here in this very room, your gown is more modest in
decolletage
than most. The fact that yours is absent a three inch strip of material at the shoulders is inconsequential, the fitted bodice accentuates your slender shape, and if the curve of an ankle is going to incite a man to lustful thought and deed, then he isn’t a man we would have aligned with our family. I also reminded them that you are an extremely beautiful young
lady
with the good fortune as not to require trinkets, frills and such to impress and attract any suitor your heart desires.”

Her sister-in-law had defended her! Elise felt a tight knot rise in her throat, and she fought the urge to cry. She hugged Lia fiercely and thanked her. “I wanted to appear separate from the crowd, because I’m
not
like the others. I’m
me
and wanted to present and reiterate that fact to all.”

Her sister-in-law hugged her back with equal enthusiasm. “If anyone so much as dares to taint you with gossip pertaining to your gown or decision to not to wear gaudy jewels to weigh your slender beauty down, they will have to answer to me, I promise.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” her grandmother said, raising her champagne flute to her rouged lips. She winked at Elise. “Notice the old heifers didn’t dare say a word to me about your marvelous dress. I would have said the same as Her Grace, except perhaps not quite so politely.”

“Grandmother,” Elise said softly, her veneer of false composure close to cracking, “Mrs. Pritchard once said that I should endeavor to say nothing if I had nothing nice to say.”

“Balderdash. Go around criticizing the debutant honoree, and you might find yourself uninvited from other events of the season,” her grandmother said with just enough force in her voice to be heard by the two matrons who stood nearby.

Lia saved the moment when she said, “It seems the young bucks want a turn about the floor with you. Go, have your fun, and don’t worry about gossip. Your grandmother and I shall protect your reputation. Besides, no one would go against me or risk my wrath. For some reason I have garnered a reputation as having a terrible temper, when really they should be more concerned with Grandmother’s tongue and not my temper!”

Elise turned and as she did so, bumped into the first of her dance partners for the night. The Honorable David Sinclair caught her by the waist to keep her from falling, his hand lingered slightly longer than was appropriate.

“Lady Elise,” he said, then bowed low. “I came to ask if I may have this dance.”

“I had promised it to someone, sir. I am very sorry,” she said.

“Since the unfortunate gentleman is not on hand to have the pleasure of dancing with you, I offer myself up.” Mr. Sinclair smiled, but the effort never made it to his eyes.

Elise looked around for the dark-haired gentleman with the eggplant colored coat she’d originally promised the dance to, and when he failed to appear, she acknowledged he likely was in the card room and had forgot his promise to her. It happened to her all the time. She looked up into Mr. Sinclair’s Nordic good looks, and nodded her head and smiled.

For the duration of the dance, she forced herself to pretend she didn’t notice the way his blue eyes roved over her body in a covetous way. She got an uneasy chill when his hand lifted hers as they paraded through the parallel lines of other dancers. When the reel was over, she thanked him and turned to go back to where Beverly waited. But his hand reached for hers, and he attempted to keep her on the floor as the musicians began a new piece.

The brashness of his move wasn’t lost on her, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. Elise really did want to make her brother proud of her. Also, her deepest wish was for Michael to see her now as a desirable woman—not the hellion who would walk away from the floor leaving her partner staring at her back for his impertinent assumption she would favor him with a second dance.

Sinclair’s hand lighted on the small of her back. With the slightest pressure, he urged her to take her place in leading the procession forming behind them in the first steps of a polonaise. Just as she was about to go with him, she heard a familiar voice from behind her unwanted partner.

“Sir, I believe this dance was mine.”

His voice, deep and sure, sent a thrill up her spine. Michael had come to rescue her. He risked gossip doing this. Elise felt her heart beat a little quicker and her entire body grow warm. She turned to face Michael and he bowed to her. Sinclair did the same and stepped back.

It wasn’t a waltz, but Elise was thankful Michael had come. Mr. Sinclair’s intent on keeping her out for a second dance was unwanted on her part, and she didn’t know how to refuse him without causing a scene.

“My pardon, Lady Elise,” Sinclair said, through a forced smile. “I had hoped to be in your company a moment longer.” He turned to Michael. “My lord, I entrust her to your care.” He bowed once again before departing.

Elise stepped into Michael’s arms, the only place she wanted to be since coming down the stairs. “Thank you.”

“You looked like you needed rescuing.” He smiled at her when she looked up into his hazel eyes.

“I cannot thank you enough,” she whispered. “But you cannot do this again, Michael. People will think you had no respect for your uncle.” She followed his smooth flow as he accompanied her in the parade across the floor, his strong hand guiding her.

“The matrons might gossip, but the young ladies will all be jealous of you, mark my word.”

“What makes you say that?”

“This is my only dance tonight,” he replied. “Unless you need rescuing again.”

Inside, she trembled. Elise couldn’t help the joyous feeling that came over her whenever she was in his presence. But this? This was what she’d always wanted. She prayed he felt at least
something
beside indifference toward her. And as if her prayer had been heard by the Almighty himself, her answer came in his next sentence.

“You’ve grown into a lovely young lady, little minx. Have you changed your ways as well to match?”

She felt blood rush to her face as she tried to remember what it was Beverly said earlier this morning. Wait three seconds before answering, so as not to appear coltish and ill-mannered. After what felt like an endless wait, she finally said, “You will soon see, my lord, that I have indeed matured inside, as well as out.”

He navigated their turn, as the couples began to pair off and go in different directions. She and Michael paraded on one side of the dance floor with half the dancers, and the other half went the opposite direction. He said, “One of the things I have always admired about you Elise is your courage and honesty. At times I feel I’ve known you so long I can read you. You didn’t want a second dance with Mr. Sinclair, did you? I could sense that you wanted nothing more than to leave him on the floor, didn’t you?”

“In the past I might have done so,” she admitted. “But am learning to temper my actions. I am not the girl I was. I’d like to think I have grown up. Where I might not have cared before, I truly do not wish to hurt a gentleman’s feelings. Ever.”

“Have a care, Elise. There are more like Sinclair out there. Rakes who know how to woo a woman out of their fortunes.”

She bristled at his words. “I assure you I did not encourage him.”

“I know you didn’t encourage him. My eyes never left you as the two of you danced. It looked as though you could barely tolerate his touch.”

She settled, thankful he noticed her discomfort.”You’re very observant, my lord. Even though he is pleasant enough, there is something about him that I cannot quite put my finger on. Or perhaps it was just his presumption that I would be willing to stay on the dance floor with him. His actions bothered me such that it nearly provoked me to the point of walking away from him.”

They raised their arms for the couples on the other side to parade under them, then they took a turn gliding under the arms of the other dancers. Michael whirled her around as their dance came to an end, the music crescendoing to its finale. When he stepped back from her, she found her body missed his touch and nearness.