Chapter 26
The London season provided a vast number of galas and balls from which to choose every night.
Card parties, soirees and ridottos amused some, while many more were drawn to the ballet, opera and theater offerings of Covent Garden.
Tonight, in need of distraction, Georgina opted to join a special gala hosted by Lord Byron at his home in Piccadilly.
Everyone of high fashion—together with a good number from the fringes of society—would be there.
Since marrying his husband, Mr John Edleston, several years before, Lord Byron had produced some of his best works, a testament to his happy and contented life.
While Georgina did not care for the fine art that hung on gallery walls, she could appreciate a good poem.
Lord Byron was an accomplished poet, as well as a profound and powerful orator in the House of Peers.
He was, therefore, highly popular, while his charming husband delighted their friends with his musical ability and witty banter.
Lord Byron had a twisted foot, which prevented him from being a graceful dancer in the conventional sense.
However, he moved with his own grace; further, as an attentive host, he ensured everyone’s dance cards were full.
As Georgina wandered across the marble tiles into Lord Byron’s grand entrance hall, her eyes were drawn up, past the many levels towards a vast skylight that revealed the darkening sky outside.
She followed the other guests, traipsing up a monumental gilt staircase and into a magnificent ballroom decorated tastefully with ornate furnishings.
There was plenty of space for dancing, chatting on sofas and mingling over the refreshment tables.
The wide variety of guests ensured the evening would be lively and eventful.
As the suite filled up with a jovial crowd, the music began, and couples took to the dance floor to form the opening set.
Georgina wore black trousers, a coat of dark blue superfine, a crisp white shirt and a neat cravat tied at her throat, concealing the bruises left by Mrs Gardner’s thug. The rub of the cravat served as a painful reminder of the precariousness of her situation.
Georgina exchanged greetings with Mr Edleston and Lord Byron, her eyes sweeping across the room. Her gaze involuntarily hooked when she spied Elizabeth standing off to the side, engaged in animated conversation with Miss Mei Chen and her mother.
Elizabeth, attired in a striking gown of white with a shimmering silver overlay and a beautiful diamond necklace, turned in her direction, her own expression softening as their eyes locked.
She smiled serenely at Georgina. Vivid recollections of the night in Vauxhall flashed in Georgina’s memory, and she sensed her cheeks heat.
Her pulse leapt, that trill of butterflies released in her belly once more. Georgina considered throwing caution to the wind and striding across the room toward the Countess, but an arm slipped unceremoniously through hers, preventing her from moving.
“What is the latest in your dramatic escapade, George?” Colt quizzed, turning her away from Elizabeth and moving her in the opposite direction.
“I am not sure where to begin. I heeded no one’s advice and went and confronted Ellis and Montgomery. They drugged me with some substance or other and then lured me into a wager.”
Colt regarded her with his mouth agape.
“They pitted Arthur’s promissory notes against Henry’s watch. I lost.” Georgina ground her teeth together, braced for the censure destined to fly in her direction.
Colt stepped back as though she had struck him. “The watch?” His good-looking countenance had contorted in horror.
Georgina nodded. “I was not in my right mind, I suppose. My only consolation is that they seem to like causing pain, and so I doubt they will damage the watch. Not while they might use it to taunt me.”
“And what about your father? How do you plan to ensure his protection? They have shown themselves capable of violence.”
“Ellis and Montgomery have given me until Sunday to settle the debts and return the faro box. By that time, my father will be safely on his way to Yorkshire. I am confident their evil clutches do not extend that far.” Georgina accepted a glass of wine from a passing attendant.
She looked over at Elizabeth, who had resumed talking with Miss Chen.
Georgina wondered for a moment if she should be jealous, then concluded just as swiftly that Miss Chen would not be Lady Mortimer’s type.
Far too docile. “How is Sarah? You were both acting rather odd last night.”
“We were?” Colt’s pitch made his voice crack unexpectedly.
Georgina flashed him a suspicious look. “A little distracted.”
He laughed. “Naturally, we were distracted. We have been anxious about you, George. Sarah would like to see you settled, you know.”
Georgina sipped her wine and glanced around the room. “Not much chance of that.”
“Has Prudence continued to haunt you about town? Or has she finally reconciled that your little romance in Cornwall was the end of it?”
“It’s difficult to say. I noticed her earlier, with Lord Ravenscroft and Mr Dalrymple. But she has not made an approach. The evening is young.” She sighed.
“And are you convinced that your priggish lover is innocent in the Mrs Gardner affair?” Colt challenged her.
“Elizabeth is not my lover.”
“Not for want of trying. Your calf-eyes are rather fetching.”
Georgina glared at him. She had allowed her guard to slip and done little to conceal her feelings of late.
“You should have a care, though, George. If she is not the angel she claims to be, I suspect your heart would not recover.”
“What sentimental nonsense,” Georgina feigned. She excused herself and hurried away from her best friend’s concern.
***
“Dance with me?” Elizabeth said from Georgina’s elbow, surprising her out of her musings.
A wave of affection swept over Georgina, followed by an un-natural reticence. She faltered, temporarily speechless, then nodded her agreement.
Georgina accepted Elizabeth’s hand, and they walked to the dance floor where couples converged for the next waltz. As the music began, Georgina slid her hand around Elizabeth’s waist and took her wrist in the other.
Elizabeth’s smile held both warmth and welcome.
“Are you all right, Georgina?”
A frisson of nerves, desire and dread surged through her. In truth, Georgina was overwhelmed.
“It has been a long week.” Her clasp on Elizabeth’s hand, relaxed.
Elizabeth gave a wry laugh. “You have been rather busy. I hope you were able to get some sleep last night.”
The mere mention of sleep instigated a yawn. “Joshua is quite a lively addition to my household. I was awoken at dawn this morning, when he hurried into my room with a basket containing three kittens.”
Elizabeth blinked as the waltz spun them in rhythmic spirals through the room. “Kittens?”
“Yes. He was evading Jarvis and Buckby and wished for special dispensation to keep them.”
“That was not his word,” Elizabeth stated.
“No. But now that he knows it, he has been asking for ‘dispenation’ all over the place. It’s quite amusing.”
Both ladies burst into laughter. “Was it unfair of me to foist dear Joshua on to you?” Elizabeth asked, her hand stroking Georgina’s back gently as they relaxed into the swaying motion of the dance.
“At the time, it seemed important to saddle me with a project, if I recall correctly.”
Elizabeth nodded and pressed Georgina’s hand. “Precisely. And I should apologise. I overlooked what was in front of me. You were never in need of redemption. You already were helping someone. Mr Coombes.”
Georgina’s stomach sank. Elizabeth meant to comfort her, but she would never know how desperately in need of deliverance Georgina was. No project or act of charity could ever repair the harm she had caused. She could not reverse Henry’s death.
“I daresay Joshua is grateful for the opportunity to improve his circumstances,” Georgina granted, averting her eyes. “And while I have tried to help Arthur, I have done much in my life to warrant needing redemption. I could have a house full of the likes of Joshua and still be beyond repair.”
Elizabeth’s lips twitched. “I quiver to imagine a house full of Joshuas.”
This earned another laugh from Georgina.
“It … it is good to see your smile,” Elizabeth finally said.
Georgina could not swear to it, but she felt the distance between their bodies close slightly as they waltzed. For a vulnerable moment, she allowed the warmth of Elizabeth’s gaze to melt through her.
“We should perhaps talk. Soon,” Elizabeth nearly whispered.
Georgina nodded. The tension between them had built to a point where they could ignore it no longer.
The orchestra played the final notes of the waltz, and both ladies stopped dancing. “We should—” Elizabeth began again, but a shrill voice interrupted her.
“Georgina, allow me to steal you for the next country dance.” Lady Prudence Ravenscroft cut in and left no room for dissent.
Georgina cast an apologetic smile at Elizabeth before extending her hand to Prudence. “I will happily oblige you.”
As she danced with Prudence, Georgina’s heart felt lighter than it had in days.
Confusion had dissolved into exhilaration, and this had nothing to do with the lovely redhead smiling across from her in the current dance set.
She could not deny that Elizabeth’s sweet words and demeanour had ignited a flame of hope within.
“Your thoughts seem miles away,” Prudence scolded her as the dance brought them together.
“On the contrary, I assure you,” Georgina sighed softly. “How is your ward, Mr Dalrymple? He is becoming quite familiar with a dear friend of mine, Lord Edmund Telford. I happened upon Mr Dalrymple wandering around the dark walks of Vauxhall the other evening.”
Prudence lifted her finely arched brows. “Lawrence? You surprise me. Was he alone?”
“That’s not for me to say.”
“How cryptic of you. It’s not becoming.”
Georgina smiled as the dance separated them for a few moments.
“Nevertheless, a gentleman should have some secrets from his guardians,” she said as they came together again.
“I will say, you or Lord Ravenscroft may wish to have a discreet word with him about enhancing his craft when it comes to wooing ladies … presuming his inclinations fall exclusively into that territory?”
Prudence could not hide the dismay that twisted her pretty face. “How very awkward for him. And yes. He—like you—prefers ladies exclusively.”
Edmund would be crestfallen when he learned the truth about Mr Dalrymple. His hopes of a romantic connection would be dashed yet again.
“Perhaps you could provide him with some direction. You are very skilled in that area, if I recall correctly,” Prudence quipped.
“Touché. There’s the hint of fire I remember.” Georgina circled around Prudence and took her hand, leading her away from the dance as the set ended. “Sadly, I do not feel qualified to instruct anyone in such matters. I am rather losing my touch.”
“I hope not. I liked your touch very much.”
Georgina sighed. If only she had declined to spend Christmas with her father in Cornwall.