Chapter Two #2
“Val and Eden are leaving in the morning for Millbrooke,” Tia told him.
“They will take Mama with them. I am not certain if they plan to come to tonight’s ball.
With the wedding now over, Lia and Rupert decided to return home today, as did Lucy and Judson.
I am not certain if Ariadne and Julian will be here this evening.
” She glanced around the ballroom. “I do not see Miss Stanhope yet. Be sure to look for her, Con. She is quite tall, with a slender frame and golden-brown hair.”
“And spectacles, you said,” he reminded her. “Not many wear them to balls, even if they need to, so I believe your Miss Stanhope will be easy for me to spy. In the meantime, our hostess has instructed me to dance every set since there seems to be a dearth of bachelors this evening.”
“Thank you, Con,” Tia said. “I appreciate you doing this favor for me.”
“For us,” Hugo added. “I quite like Miss Stanhope. I do hope she can find a husband.”
Con laughed. “Well, it certainly will not be me.”
He bid them and his parents farewell and set out, moving about the ballroom, signing a programme here and there.
He had yet to see Miss Stanhope and wondered if she would even be in attendance tonight.
Then he glanced at a group of women. The wallflowers.
Some were incredibly shy. Others were plain of face.
Still others had little or no dowry. All these things made this particular group of women unpopular.
He knew a few bluestockings would be sprinkled amongst them and recalled that Tia had indicated that Miss Stanhope was one herself.
Then he spied a lady in a most inappropriate ballgown. The color was all wrong for her, and the fit of the gown poor. She wore spectacles and was speaking with another woman close to her age, one who was short, thin, and had mousy brown hair. Con made his way toward them.
As he arrived, the lady he believed to be Miss Stanhope was saying, “I do think that is exactly what Swift meant. Lilliput and Bleufuscu are made to resemble England and France. And the loathing evident between the low heels and high heels simply has to represent the Whigs and Tories.”
“But do you believe that Flimnap represents Walpole?” Con asked, referring to Sir Robert Walpole. “After all, Walpole was a Whig, and Swift’s relationship with Walpole was most turbulent.”
She looked up at him. “You have read Gulliver’s Travels, my lord?”
He frowned slightly. “I would think that apparent by my statement, my lady.”
“You are right,” she said apologetically. “I simply know of so few gentlemen who actually read. They say they do, but I find beyond what is reported in the gossip columns or horse racing results, most gentlemen do not have a particular fondness for reading.”
He smiled, knowing her statement to be true. “You are correct, Miss Stanhope.”
“You know me?” she asked, frowning slightly. “You leave me at a disadvantage.”
“Pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Lord Dyer, a cousin to Lady Tia. That is, Lady Merriman now. My cousin thinks highly of you, Miss Stanhope.”
Con took her hand and kissed it. He watched the blush tinge her cheeks. He also looked beyond the spectacles, seeing she had large, expressive brown eyes, rimmed in amber.
“I am flattered to hear of Lady Merriman’s high opinion of me.” She turned to her companion. “May I introduce Miss Tweedham, my lord?”
“Ah, Miss Tweedham. A pleasure to meet you, as well.” He also kissed her hand, causing the young lady to giggle.
Deciding he would help both of them, he said, “Might I engage both of you in a dance this evening?”
They both looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head.
“You wish to . . . dance with us, my lord?” Miss Stanhope managed to ask.
Clearly, these two were wallflowers who rarely got out onto the ballroom’s floor. “Yes, I do. That is, if you have any available slots on your dance cards.”
Quickly, Miss Tweedham thrust her programme at him. “Choose whichever set you would like, my lord.”
Biting back a smile, he signed her empty card and returned it to her.
“And yours, Miss Stanhope?”
Though she had appeared flummoxed, she had now regained her composure. Handing him her programme, she said, “Obviously, you have your pick, Lord Dyer. I am rarely engaged to dance.”
“Might I sign for the supper dance, my lady? If so, we could join Lord and Lady Merriman and sup with them afterward.”
Miss Stanhope smiled, a very engaging smile. “Please do so, my lord.”
Once he gave her programme back to her, he said, “I look forward to dancing with you both.”
He heard other nearby wallflowers begin tittering and bowed, escaping before any of them thought to pounce upon and beg him for a dance, as well.
Returning to Tia and Hugo, who now stood talking with Reddington, Ariadne, and Julian, he reported, “I have scheduled my dance with Miss Stanhope, as well as one with her friend, a Miss Tweedham.”
“Oh, dear,” Tia fretted. “I am sorry that occurred, Con.”
“No worries, Cousin. I am happy to dance with them both. I did request the supper dance from Miss Stanhope, however. I hope you and Hugo will be available to join us after it.”
“Plan on it,” Hugo told him. He looked to the others. “Would you care to join us?”
“We would be happy to do so,” Julian said, speaking for him and Ariadne. “Tonight is our last event to attend. We plan to leave for Aldridge Manor sometime tomorrow morning. It will be a nice way to say farewell.”
Reddington sighed. “I suppose I shall have to scrounge around and find a dance partner for supper then. Look for me, also.”
The duke set off, and Con went in search of his first partner of the evening, now committed to dance each number with a different lady.
He knew better than to dance twice in one evening with any woman.
Gossips of the ton were always looking for someone to talk about, and he refused to show interest in any particular lady in front of them.
As he danced the first dance, his mind kept drifting back to Miss Stanhope, however.
It seemed she hid her attractiveness, deliberately choosing an unflattering ballgown.
No woman with her intelligence would believe she looked good in the gown she wore.
And she was very pretty if you looked beyond the gold spectacles.
Con found himself looking forward to the supper dance—and his time with the pretty wallflower.