Chapter Twelve #2
He had a plan now. See Dilly settled and then look to his own future.
A majority of the wallflowers would not be going anywhere, whether it be this Season or next.
He might as well dance with a few. He could even sup with one, along with Dilly and her supper partner.
Just as he had practiced for years to be able to speak clearly and without much hesitation, it would take practice to attain a bride.
The sooner he began his hunt, the better he believed it would go.
They arrived at the townhouse which was the site of tonight’s ball.
The pattern of the previous evening was repeated, with them joining a receiving line and waiting their turn to be greeted by their host and hostess.
He entered the ballroom with his sister and mother, more confident tonight, greeting a few here and there of those he recognized, and then moving on.
He spied Millbrooke’s party, which was smaller this evening than it had been on the previous occasion. The duke’s aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Marley, were not present. Neither were Lord and Lady Cressley.
“Let us speak to His Grace,” Hugo said, guiding them toward the duke.
They exchanged greetings, and then he pulled Millbrooke and Dyer aside.
“I have a name for you,” he shared. “Lord Forsythe. Of all the gentlemen Dilly met last night, he has shown the most interest in her.”
“How does she feel about him?” the duke asked.
“She is taken with him. Almost a little too much after only one meeting. I wish to find out as much as I can about the earl.”
“We can help with that task,” Millbrooke guaranteed him. “We already know Forsythe from our schoolboy days.”
“Forsythe was amongst the boys our age,” Dyer continued.
“He was good at sports. Usually made the captain of a team. I respected him for choosing fairly. He did not always select the most athletic players first. Sometimes, he would choose boys who were merely eager to please. Forsythe got the most out of them because, as captain, he had taken a chance on them.”
Having always been selected last, Hugo admired Forsythe’s approach to games.
“He was average in his studies if I recall correctly,” Millbrooke added.
“Decent at languages and maths. I think geography challenged him a bit. But overall, he was a good egg. Now, you must realize that Dyer and I went to Oxford. I believe Forsythe attended Cambridge, so we cannot speak as to what happened to him after we last saw him. Still, he displayed good character then. I do not think him the type to change all that much.”
“I agree,” Hugo said. “What you have shared has greatly relieved me. Still, I plan to get to know him better.”
“Why don’t you invite him to join you at White’s tomorrow morning, say eleven o’clock?” the viscount suggested. “Millbrooke and I will be there. You can join us. That way, we can converse as a group, and he will not feel you peppering him with questions.”
“I would be most appreciative of that, my lord.” Then he asked, “What of Lady Tia? Did she mention any gentleman she was particularly fond of? I am happy to learn what I can of him if you provide me with a name.”
The duke chuckled. “Tia is very particular. While she enjoyed the dancing tremendously, it does not seem as if anyone stood out to her last night. Frankly, I can understand why. My drawing room was swamped with suitors this afternoon. I had trouble keeping up with who was who, so I know she had difficulty in doing so, as well.”
He couldn’t say why hearing this pleased him so, but it did.
“I will be on alert, Your Grace. Just pass along any name if and when your sister does provide you with one.”
“I will.”
Hugo turned, ready to get Dilly’s and Mama’s attention and have them move on. Then he met Lady Tia’s steadfast gaze. Without thinking, he stepped toward her.
“Might you have an empty slot on your dance programme, my lady?”
“Only one, my lord,” she said softly. “The supper dance.”
Damnation. If he signed her card, he would be expected not only to dance with her but also to escort her into the supper buffet at midnight.
He didn’t know if he were ready to spend that much time with her.
Then it came to him—he could do so and ask Dilly and her partner to join them.
It would make the two girls happy, supping with one another, and Hugo could also learn more about Dilly’s supper partner.
“I would like to claim it if I may.”
She passed the programme to him, and he scrawled his name across the only vacant spot. It surprised him that no one had taken that dance, which many gentlemen felt to be the plum spot.
“Then I will see you later. Come along, Dilly. Mama. We must circulate and help Dilly meet those she did not have an opportunity to be introduced to last night.”
They had only taken a few paces when Lord Forsythe appeared in front of them.
He smiled at Dilly. Dilly smiled at him.
Even Hugo could feel the pull of the couple toward one another.
And after what Millbrooke and Dyer had said of the earl, he believed Forsythe would be an excellent choice of husband for his sister.
“Good evening, Lady Merriman. Lady Delilah. My lord.” Forsythe’s eyes rested on Dilly now. “Might I have the honor of dancing with you this evening, my lady?”
“I would like that very much,” his sister replied.
Forsythe looked over the card. “I see the supper dance has not been spoken for. Do you mind if I engage you for it?”
Dilly’s smile deepened. “I would be happy to spend supper with you, my lord.”
The earl signed the programme, and Hugo said, “I will be spending supper with Lady Tia Worthington. Since Lady Tia and my sister are close friends, perhaps we could meet and spend suppertime together.”
“I would like that very much,” Lord Forsythe said.
“Then we shall see you at supper.”
The earl looked uncertain a moment, as if he were trying to gather his courage, and then he blurted out, “Might I have another dance with you this evening, Lady Delilah?” He looked to Hugo and his mother. “That is, with your approval.”
“It is granted,” he said graciously, knowing it would please Dilly. It would also let the gossips of the ton know that Lord Forsythe had a tendre for his sister.
Taking Dilly’s dance card, the earl signed it again, a pleased look on his face as he returned it to Dilly.
Bowing, he said, “I will see you later this evening, my lady.”
Once he left, Dilly beamed up at him. “Oh, thank you, Hugo.”
“I spoke to His Grace and Lord Dyer. They went to school with Lord Forsythe and deemed him quite a good man. Of course, I will still need to investigate him a bit further, but I think it is safe to say that if you wish to encourage his suit, you may do so.”
They moved about the ballroom, several gentlemen signing Dilly’s programme.
If things did not work out with Lord Forsythe, Dilly would have other options to explore.
Mama excused herself once Dilly’s programme had filled, joining friends.
After Dilly’s first partner claimed her, Hugo moved to a section of the ballroom reserved for those girls who had not been claimed for the first dance.
He went to one who was attractive, but she wore an ill-fitting gown, the color completely wrong for her.
“I am sorry we have not been introduced, my lady. I am Lord Merriman. Might I engage you for this dance?”
She looked startled by his request and nodded mutely.
“Her name is Miss Stanhope,” one of her friends called out as he led her to the dance floor.
They joined another group in the country dance, and Hugo saw that what Miss Stanhope lacked in rhythm, she made up for in eagerness.
He danced with three other wallflowers, knowing they buzzed about him each time he led another of their group to the dance floor. While he wasn’t able to converse much with any of them, due to the spirited dancing and frequent changing of partners during the dance, his confidence rose tremendously.
Eventually, he returned to where Lord Dyer stood, watching the Duke and Duchess of Millbrooke dance.
“They are well matched,” Hugo remarked.
“Eden completes him,” the viscount said. “My cousin was without purpose until his duchess came into his life.”
“Do you intend to wed, my lord?” he asked, having not seen Lord Dyer dancing yet.
“Someday,” Dyer said, a bit wistfully. “But nowhere in the near future.”
Finally, the supper dance arrived, and Hugo went to where Lady Tia stood, talking with Dilly and another lady close to their age.
“I believe this is our dance, my lady,” he said.
When he offered his arm, she looked a bit reluctant to take it. He couldn’t blame her. When her fingers had brushed his sleeve last night, he had felt an odd feeling rush through him. It was a mixture of feeling ill and elated at the same time.
Gently, she rested her fingertips on his sleeve, and Hugo led Lady Tia to the center of the room.