Chapter Three #2
She was very conscious that the love seat was tiny, forcing Mr. Walker to sit much closer to her than was strictly polite. His hard thigh pressed against her and she could feel the fine silk of his coat brushing her arm. Being so close to him felt good and it was comforting to have her hand in his.
They sat in silence for a while, the soft sounds from the ballroom muffled by the distance were pleasant, almost soothing and Gwendolyn leaned her head against the back of the sofa. Her eyes closed and she breathed deeply.
Mr. Walker rubbed his thumb gently over her wrist, releasing ribbons of warmth into her body.
She sighed and felt herself begin to drift into sleep.
She was hardly aware when her head dropped onto his shoulder, and he shifted so that his one arm slipped around her waist and eased her into a more comfortable position while he continued the rhythmic motions of his thumb on her wrist, sliding his fingers up to where her gloves ended and the soft skin of her arm could receive his tender touches.
She was only dimly conscious of his voice when he began to murmur to her.
When he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head and nuzzled against her, she nestled more comfortably against him.
*
Lord Roland Montgomery tried to keep a conversation going with the second Miss Wetherspoon as he partnered her through the intricate steps of a quadrille, but his thoughts were preoccupied with Gwendolyn Burroughs.
Such a vain, selfish young woman should not have such power over him, but he was intrigued by the hints of compassion and wit that shone out from behind her coquettish facade like brilliant rays of sunshine from behind storm clouds.
He was beginning to understand why his young cousin had been so infatuated with her.
He shook his head impatiently. He was not a young whippersnapper who fell for a pretty face and the arch batting of eyelids of a charming girl.
He had outgrown such youthful amorous infatuations, and was determined to find a sensible and practical woman to be his wife.
He would prefer her to be attractive, but he was more interested in finding a companion and partner than a work of art to be displayed in triumph at society gatherings.
“You do not agree that the summer will be particularly pleasant this year?” Miss Wetherspoon asked.
With a guilty start, Roland forced himself to pay attention to his dance partner.
“I am not sure that the Almanac is always to be trusted,” he said to cover the shaking of his head, “but I look forward to returning to my estate in the north of England when the Season ends and parliament closes for the summer.”
They conversed laboriously about the weather and expectations for the summer, but Montgomery was still pondering the enigma of Gwendolyn Burroughs.
She was not on the dance floor, which was unusual.
Her dance card was usually full and even then, young men clamored for a chance to dance with her if one of their crowd somehow missed his chance.
To be seen with the nonpareil was a feather in their caps.
Montgomery bowed politely as he thanked Miss Wetherspoon for the dance and led her back to where her sisters were gathered like a brood of clucking hens.
She quickly reported to them that Lord Montgomery was one of the dullest and most sullen partners she had ever had the misfortune to dance with and no amount of cajoling on her mother’s part could ever convince her to dance with him again, even if he was prudent and his estates brought in a large fortune.
Lord Montgomery, oblivious to and completely uncaring of such a report, took a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing footman but his moment of rest was disturbed when Mariana Winterton tugged the sleeve of his well-fitted blue velvet coat. “Please, Lord Montgomery,” she began nervously.
He turned to her with a frown. “What is it?” Her pale face was almost paper white, emphasizing the freckles on her nose, and her light green eyes were wide with worry.
“What is it?” he repeated, as she seemed incapable of continuing her sentence.
“I haven’t forgotten a dance I promised you?
” He tried to make light of her obvious anxiety.
Her eyes widened in horror. “No, my lord. Of course not. And even if you had, I would not forget myself so far as to remind you of it.”
His eyes were grave as he studied her face. “No, you would not. You have too much regard for decent behavior to be so unladylike, although I suspect your cousin wouldn’t give a toss for such things.”
Mariana was halfway between tears of indignation and a sob of relief. “That’s just it. Please,” she said again. “Gwen has disappeared with Mr. Walker and I don’t know what to do.”
A flash of rage sparked in Roland’s eyes. “I am not here to protect your cousin’s honor.” His tone was harsher than he had intended and Mariana took a step backwards, her lip trembling.
“I apologize for bothering you, only you were so kind to me earlier this evening that I thought you might help. Aunt Hester will be furious if she discovers that Gwen has compromised herself. And when she is in a rage, Gwendolyn becomes even more intractable than usual.”
Roland clenched his teeth, the vivid image of Lady Burroughs’s angry face and cruel words to her daughter during supper filling his mind.
Besides, someone had to extricate Robert from the claws of the most unsuitable débutante he had ever known.
“I will see if I can find them, although Miss Burroughs might not thank me or you for interfering in an assignation she has made with one of her lovers.”
Mariana bit her lip. “Gwendolyn enjoys flirting when men flatter her, but she is not a bad person and is not in the habit of making clandestine assignations.”
Lord Montgomery gave a quick nod. His mind had been racing as Mariana spoke.
He did not answer as he was already striding towards the door.
Discovering Miss Burroughs in a compromising position would more than answer his desire for her to learn a lesson, but he did not want her reputation to be ruined, especially if it were to cast aspersions on his family, too.
Perhaps he could save both the young lovers from a foolish error and then find another way to bring her to an understanding of the impropriety of her ways.
It didn’t take him long to find Gwendolyn Burroughs and Robert Walker.
Her bright pink dress was easy to see in the dimly lit alcove.
Robert Walker was sitting very close to her on the little love seat.
Her hand was in his and his other arm was around her shoulders.
She was looking up at him with sleepy eyes.
They hadn’t even bothered to find a discreet place out in the garden or in one of the empty rooms that led off the corridor for their tryst.
A growl formed in Roland’s throat and he was just about to leave them to their embraces in spite of his promise to Mariana and his own better sense when three young ladies came down the corridor, arm-in-arm. “I told you this muslin would tear if someone stepped on it,” one of them was saying.
“Are you sure we will find a housemaid to help us down here? It seems very quiet.”
The girls gasped as they spotted Gwendolyn and Robert Walker on the love seat, while Lord Montgomery stood near, glowering at the couple.
“Gracious,” the one with the torn dress said, quite loudly, “I had not thought Miss Burroughs to be quite so brazen.”
Another voice echoed from the entrance to the ballroom.
“Margaret, what has happened to your dress?” The lady did not wait to hear her daughter’s reply as she hurried down the corridor and then stopped, shock all over her face.
“Miss Burroughs! Have you completely forgotten yourself?” Her cry of horror drew the attention of guests just inside the ballroom, and within seconds the corridor was crowded with inquisitive onlookers, delighted to be present at the beginning of a scandal.
Gwendolyn was now sitting up straight, staring at the crowd, her face pale and her chin tilted. She tugged her hand away from Mr. Walker, who was regarding everyone with a supercilious air.
“She will never recover from this disgrace.”
“She’ll have to marry him if she wishes to be accepted into Society after this.”
“Her beauty won’t help her out of this scrape.”
Some comments rose above the general hubbub but he was furious when someone said, “Doesn’t Lord Montgomery look furious? I believe he was attracted to Miss Burroughs, but he won’t want used goods.” He wanted nothing to do with Gwendolyn’s scandal.
He cleared his throat. “Miss Burroughs, I believe your mother has been asking for you.” The dry tone and ironic glance he gave her as he walked away was lost in the chaos she had created.