Chapter Eleven #3
Odette watched them, wide-eyed. Half the ballroom watched them.
Openly requesting a second set was tantamount to declaring his intention to court her.
Jack held his breath. Should Mrs. Summerfield grant Terrance a second set with her daughter, speculation about Jack’s connection to her would be put to rest. His own parents would have to accept that, as all of Society would be aware of the events of the last few moments before the night was even over.
And if his parents did not have their sights set on that particular match, Odette’s parents would at last be willing to consider one between her and him.
Please, Mrs. Summerfield. Say yes.
The young lady’s eyes pleaded with her mother. Terrance held himself confidently, but Jack knew him too well not to see the nervous determination there. They were not only willing to begin a very publicly acknowledged courtship but also apparently anxious.
Mrs. Summerfield set her hand on her daughter’s arm, but her gaze remained on Terrance. “Of course you may stand up with her. Of course.”
Miss Summerfield’s smile bloomed beyond any Jack had seen her wear. She turned to Terrance, absolute delight written on every inch of her face. She slipped her arm through his and, together, they walked onto the dance floor. Nearly every eye watched them.
“A handsome couple,” Mrs. Summerfield observed.
“And both very fortunate,” Odette added. “There are not two better people in all the world.”
Mrs. Summerfield looked away from her daughter and to Odette and Jack. “I thank the both of you for coming so swiftly to her aid.”
“It was our pleasure,” Odette said.
“You are partners for this set and for supper, I believe,” Mrs. Summerfield said. “Do not let me keep you.”
As they turned to walk away, they came face-to-face with Her Grace.
She did not speak but offered a smile and nod of approval.
The same thing repeated itself several times, always offered to the two of them together.
The set was well underway; joining the other couples could have been managed but would have been a bit difficult.
Instead, they simply made a slow circuit of the room, made increasingly slow by the many people who stopped to comment upon the evening and their handsomeness as a couple.
They had nearly completed their circuit when they came upon Mrs. Northrop.
“I hear a great many things of you,” she said. “Your parents are hearing the same.”
“And what is their reaction?” Odette asked anxiously.
“They approve of your chivalrous and kind behavior and, it seemed to me, are beginning to consider a connection they had not before.”
Odette took in a sharp, audible breath. “Oh, Jack.”
He hesitated. “How deeply are they considering it?” he pressed.
“Deeply enough.” Mrs. Northrop’s calm serenity gave him confidence. “Continue on as you have been tonight, and by Season’s end, I will fully expect an announcement in the Times.”
Odette sighed deeply. Jack did the same. Months of worry were finally easing.
“I know this will sound awful,” Odette said, “but I am so grateful Mr. Tolmer accidentally spilled his claret.”
Mrs. Northrop nodded slowly. “Yes. Accidentally.” She offered a dip of her head and turned and walked away.
For just a moment, the reality of what the matchmaker had nearly admitted did not penetrate his mind. Odette, however, grinned.
“I am grateful she is on our side,” Jack said.
“As am I.” Odette turned a happy, joyous gaze to him. “As am I.”
***
Adelaide spent the remainder of the supper dance and much of the meal that followed inserting subtly into conversations the occasional comment about the tender scene that had played out between Miss Summerfield and Mr. Lexington as well as mentions of Odette and young Mr. Hewitt’s kindness during that ordeal.
She did not mean to draw attention to her efforts, simply to guide the impression the guests would leave with that night.
The two couples would be thought of fondly.
More to the point, they would be thought of as couples.
Maneuvering all that needed to happen that night had not been easy.
Making certain Mr. Lexington engaged her for the supper dance so she could insist he abandon her for the role of rescuing knight.
Getting enough people to stop and speak with Mr. Hewitt so that he would be near Miss Summerfield when her disappointment was first realized.
Motioning Odette in that direction as the supper dance began.
Literally bumping into Mr. Tolmer at the most opportune moment.
She likely ought to find a means of compensating him for his ruined cravat and waistcoat.
There was no means of secretly doing so monetarily.
He was quiet and unlikely to draw the notice of the young ladies of the ton.
Yet, he was precisely the sort of good-hearted and devoted young gentleman who ought to be highly sought after.
That might be the key to paying the debt he did not realize she owed him.
She would, during her various assignments, watch for an opportunity to help him secure his future.
Perhaps she might even find someone perfectly suited to the unassuming young gentleman.
Her efforts never truly ended. Every time she accepted a new post, she met new people struggling to find what they sought, struggling to secure a happy future rather than the one too often forced upon them by a society far more concerned with wealth and power than the well-being of its sons and daughters.
So long as that held true, she would continue her work.