Chapter Nine
By the time Arthur arrived at Graham and Roxanne’s, the festivities were already underway.
He’d spent the majority of his day helping his estate manager and a small crew of men make repairs on tenant cottages before the cold of winter set in.
His thought had always been that, regardless of his rank, he was not above helping on the estate.
His own father thought it beneath him to partake in manual labor.
He entered the ballroom without fanfare, looking around not for his sister or brother-in-law, but for Lady Daphne.
He wanted to be sure to sign her dance card before it was filled.
He saw her to one side in a group of ladies.
A couple of other older women with their daughters.
He immediately knew he would have to sign their dance cards as well as a courtesy. It would be rude of him not to.
Nearing the small group, he was met with curtseys from all the women. All eyes were on him, especially Lady Daphne’s. He felt her eyes boring a hole through him.
“Ladies. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.” He turned to Daphne. “Lady Daphne, might I sign your dance card?”
She handed it to him, along with the pencil and watched as he studied it carefully. Finally, he scribbled his name, not once but three times, and passed it back to her.
“I hope the supper dance and a waltz meet with your approval,” he said, watching her gaze at her card. A small smile formed on her lips as she saw he’d signed up for three.
Arthur turned to Lady Katherine and Lady Jane, who were watching the whole thing unfold. “Lady Jane, Lady Katherine, may I sign your dance cards as well?”
Shyly, one at a time, each handed him their dance card. There were only one or two spots taken, so it wasn’t hard for him to choose. He penciled in his name and handed the cards back to them.
“If you ladies will excuse me, I see my sister beckoning me. I’m sure she’s going to scold me for being late.”
This, in turn, brought giggles from Lady Katherine and Lady Jane, while the older ladies merely smiled.
Lady Daphne shook her head slightly. He bowed to the ladies and walked across the room to where his sister was standing, waiting on him.
Daphne’s mother walked up to Roxanne and said something before continuing her way toward another group of older ladies.
“I apologize for being tardy.” He didn’t go into details as to what caused him to be late. If his sister wanted to know, she would ask.
“I’m just curious to know if you’ve lost your mind. Courting Lady Daphne while the Earl of Bath has returned to London to secure a special license to marry her?”
“If you heard the whole story, you’d know Lady Daphne’s father never gave his permission.
The earl was told he could call on her if Lady Daphne was agreeable, that’s all.
The viscount gave me permission to court his daughter.
When the earl returns from London, the viscount intends to have a talk with him. ”
“Just watch out for yourself. The earl is deeply in debt, I understand, and has been looking for a new wife with a sizeable dowry. I don’t think he’s going to be happy to return and find you paying attention with whom he believes is his betrothed.”
“Let him.”
She shook her head. “I thought you and Lady Daphne couldn’t stand each other.”
“We got to know each other. That’s not to say she isn’t condescending and arrogant.”
“Just be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt.” She reached out and squeezed his hand before turning to attend to other guests. “Enjoy yourself.”
He nodded and watched her walk away in her dark silver gown.
It had the aura of shimmering due to an intricate addition of seed pearls hand-sewn into the gown.
Arthur only knew that because he’d heard Roxanne talking to a friend of hers about the gown.
Women’s fashion was something he had no knowledge of other than he knew what he liked.
He glanced at where Daphne still stood with the other two young ladies.
If she were trying to impress him, she succeeded.
But that was just him. He doubted she could wear anything that wouldn’t catch his attention.
She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and most men seemed to agree with him given how men turned their heads whenever she walked into a room.
The music was ending, and he realized it was time for his first dance of the evening. His partner was Lady Jane. She was a nice enough looking young woman but was painfully shy. He needed to remember that and try not to engage her in conversation that might prove difficult for her. Keep it simple.
He noticed Graham and a couple of other men walking his way, and there was no way to stop; the next dance would be beginning momentarily.
Giving his brother-in-law a nod, he continued to gather Lady Jane for their dance.
He didn’t bother to look back at the men but gave Lady Jane one-hundred percent of his attention.
She shyly placed her hand on his arm as he led her to the dance floor.
As the music began, Arthur noticed dancing was something she excelled at.
She never missed a step; instead, she moved as though she’d been dancing for years.
It was hard to have a conversation with her due to the dance, but he managed to get a few words in.
“Lady Jane, has anyone told you what a superb dancer you are?”
She smiled shyly, looking for the words. “Thank you, Your Grace. I’ve been fortunate to have had some excellent tutors.”
“It’s obvious you paid close attention to them. You seemed to have a love for dance.”
“Yes, I do.”
They continued until the music wound down. He thanked her again and led her back to her mother who was waiting on them at the edge of the dance floor. As he walked away, he hoped more would sign her dance card having seen him dance with her. There were advantages to being seen dancing with a duke.
Looking about the room for Lady Daphne, he finally found her at her mother’s side, with another older woman whom he recognized as the Dowager Baroness Brimley. She had lost her husband last year, and now that she was out of mourning, she was slowly reentering society.
He approached, giving a slow bow to the three women.
“Ladies. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves this evening.
” He turned to Daphne. “Lady Daphne, the supper set is about to play.” He extended his hand, waiting for her to place her dainty hand in his.
She did so without even looking at him. Where was the agreeable Daphne?
Leading her out to the dance floor, he found a spot and gathered her in his arms. She took her one free hand and pushed against his chest. “We’re not married yet, Your Grace. Please keep an acceptable distance.”
“But we’re courting, soon to be betrothed,” he said.
“Don’t forget you’re saving me from a miserable life,” she snapped.
They whirled around the ballroom in silence. Arthur had no desire in getting into a war of words with her. He would let her lead the conversation for now. Besides, he was enjoying all the eyes fixated on them.
“I received your flowers this morning, Your Grace. They are beautiful. You really didn’t need to.”
“You are most welcome. We’re courting; it’s acceptable. So yes, I needed to.”
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. No one watching would know what he was saying to her. After all, most didn’t know the change in their relationship. “What makes Daphne happy besides Sam?”
“I love to ride, sketch or paint, though I’m not very good at it. I like to read on a rainy day, though there are those who would say my reading choices are sometimes questionable.”
“Why are your reading choices questionable?” he asked.
“Some of the subject matter I choose is not deemed something a young lady should take an interest in. I enjoy reading about architecture, history, poetry, and even sometimes the latest novel,” she said breathlessly.
He smiled down at her and didn’t respond.
“You don’t approve?”
“I do approve. Reading helps improve the mind. You can’t stick yourself in one genre. You have a nice variety of subject matter.”
“Thank you,” she said softly as she repositioned her hand on his shoulder.
“Who is your favorite poet?”
“I don’t have a favorite of anything. I believe everyone should be given a chance. I’ll try everyone at least once.”
Arthur took in what she just said for a moment.
This was far from just a young, well-brought-up lady.
He’d suspected that from the moment he met her.
Hearing her articulate it gave him a newfound respect for her.
She might let the world think she was ferocious, but under all the bristling exterior lay the heart of a caring, thoughtful woman.
The music was winding down and would be followed by a procession to the dining room. He hated the idea of her being far down in the pecking order. He glanced around for his sister. He wanted Lady Daphne at his side this evening as his dining companion.
He thanked her for the dance and asked her to join him. Luckily Roxanne did appear seemingly out of nowhere to show him where to stand while others gathered. Keeping his grip on Daphne, he spoke. “Lady Daphne will be my dining companion for this evening.”
“How delightful,” she replied with a grin. “I’ll make the necessary adjustments.”
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” she said lowly as his sister walked away.
“I am allowed to choose with whom I wish to dine. I want everyone to see I’m courting you.”
She smiled wickedly. “Which is going to confuse those who think the earl is my betrothed.”
He looked down at her. She was stunning, but he knew she had a wicked side. One she didn’t let many people know she possessed. “Let them be confused. It’s the earl’s fault for this misunderstanding. He hears what he wants to hear.”
“Yes, he does. I only hope he doesn’t embarrass himself when he finds out he has competition.”