The Earl Steals a Heart

When the dance set ended,Neville had every intention of walking away and avoiding Lady Henrietta for the rest of the night, but Lord and Lady Middlebrook – and their son who had just arrived back in London – were watching him like hawks, and he dreaded to think what kind of scene they might make if he were to openly snub Lady Henrietta as he wished to.

Suddenly, Lady Henrietta moaned and laid the back of her hand against her forehead, then opened her fan and fanned herself frantically.

“Would you mind taking me out onto the terrace, Lord Seabury? I feel terribly overheated in this crowded ballroom, and fear I may faint.”

Neville’s gut knotted and his heart dropped to his feet as cold dread gripped him. There were people close by, including her family. It would look terribly rude of him to say no when she claimed that she felt unwell. Neville cleared his throat and gave a short, jerky nod.

“Yes, of course, I would hate you to feel unwell or swoon in front of so many people, Lady Henrietta.”

With great reluctance, he motioned to the terrace doors and indicated that he would follow Lady Henrietta’s lead outside, silently praying that there would be others out there and that they would not be alone together. Being alone with this young woman would surely doom him, but he had no choice but to see this situation through. He didn’t want to cause Lord Middlebrook any undue distress or embarrassment, after all.

Neville followed her with slow, halting footsteps, casting one desperate, longing glance back at Miss Wingfield as he went.

She was the one he wanted to dance with tonight, and now it seemed as if that opportunity might very well slip through his fingers, especially if she was as upset as she looked to be.

Neville hated to see that tortured distress on her beautiful face, and he wanted desperately to wipe it away, but he did not know the status of her situation with the Count, nor how long he might have to be outside with Lady Henrietta.

Lord in Heaven, please let there be other people out here. I do not wish to be alone with Lady Henrietta.

* * *

Susan did not missLord Seabury’s despairing look back into the ballroom as he followed Lady Henrietta out through the doors that led onto the terrace. Her breath hitched, and terror gripped her heart. Without bothering to explain herself, Susan pressed her half-drunk glass of orgeat into Georgiana’s hand.

It’s a trap, Susan thought, this is is it. This is Lady Henrietta’s plan, and if I do not move quickly she will succeed in trapping Lord Seabury. I will not allow this to happen.

Moving with the speed of a huntress – Artemis came to mind – Susan searched the crowded ballroom until she spotted the Count D’Asti and Lady Eugenia flirting halfway between her and the doors out onto the terrace.

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt you, but I need to borrow Lord D’Asti for just a few moments.” Susan panted, her breath coming in shallow, panicky gasps.

Eugenia nodded, not bothered by Susan’s request after their conversation earlier that day.

The Count, too, knew exactly what Susan meant by the interruption. The two of them moved swiftly, and for just a moment Susan was grateful for the rumour that they were betrothed, because no one among the ton would think twice about the two of them going out onto the terrace together, since they were supposedly promised to one another.

They reached the terrace in a matter of moments, both moving through the crowded room with stunning speed, and stepped out through the doors into the chilly night air.

* * *

Lady Eugenia watchedthe pair leave, never taking her eyes off the Count D’Asti. Edward, who had been watching her intently, leaned over and murmured so only she could hear him.

“I have something for you which may very well entertain you until Lord D’Asti returns.”

Eugenia turned to her brother and arched a brow with interest. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a sealed letter with her name scrawled on the front. Her heart skipped a beat and she danced on the spot with excitement.

“Is that what I think it is?”

* * *

As Susanand Lord D’Asti stepped out onto the terrace in unison, they saw exactly what they expected to see. Lady Henrietta was practically dragging poor Lord Seabury down the terrace stairs into the garden, which was intimately lit by coloured lanterns dispersed strategically throughout the landscaping. Susan’s chest constricted and she covered her mouth to stifle her gasp, not yet ready to alert Lady Henrietta to her presence.

Not only was Lady Henrietta dragging Lord Seabury out into the garden, protesting that she needed the cool night air, and it was still too warm on the terrace, as the heat from the crowded ballroom was radiating out through the doors, but there was also a shadowy figure lurking amongst the bushes. Susan squinted, trying to make out who it was, despite the darkness and the figure being huddled in the shadows.

She would have bet money on it being Lady Henrietta’s mother, Lady Middlebrook, by the outline alone, but the fact that Lady Henrietta seemed also to be purposefully dragging Lord Seabury towards those exact bushes rather confirmed it. Yes, this whole situation was a fairly well-engineered trap, that much Susan was willing to admit. However, she was not going to allow it to succeed. Her happiness, Lord D’Asti’s happiness, and the happiness of her best friend, Lady Eugenia, all rested on Susan and the Count successfully thwarting this trap.

“Go,” Susan whispered urgently. “Do not let her compromise him, and use that clever mind of yours to trick her into admitting what she has done, if you can.”

The Count simply nodded, not wasting time with a reply as he moved away from Susan while she melted into the shadows at the edge of the garden to observe them. With astonishing grace and speed, and a wonderfully casual air, Lord D’Asti rapidly crossed the garden path until he bumped into the couple, managing to insert himself between Lady Henrietta and Lord Seabury, all the while making it look as if he hadn’t intended to do so at all.

Lady Henrietta stumbled aside a couple of paces, just as the crouched figure hidden among the bushes popped up, ready -- Susan assumed -- to scream compromise. Lady Middlebrook opened her mouth and brandished a finger at Lord Seabury, until she registered what was happening. Lady Henrietta had been shunted off to the side, and Lord D’Asti, looking a little dazed, was gripping Lord Seabury’s shoulders in an attempt to regain his balance. Lady Middlebrook pressed her lips together and gave her head a disbelieving shake, letting her arm drop back to her side as she darted an incredulous glance at her daughter.

Oh, how Susan wished she could hear what they were saying, but she could not afford to reveal herself. Not yet.

* * *