“Thank you, Miss Stutton,” he said, bowing quickly. “I apologize for my lack of skill in the dance. I was quite lost for a few moments.”
“Ridiculous!” Lady Forester exclaimed, before her daughter could say anything. “You are quite ridiculous, Lord Watt! And now the ton will be talking of it all without hesitation.”
Matthew apologized repeatedly, whilst looking out of the corner of his eye in search of Miss Williams. Lady Forester must have seen that he was rather less than genuine in his apologies, for she grasped her daughter’s arm and marched away from him, leaving Matthew free to go in search of her.
“Miss Williams,” he whispered to himself, making his way through the crowd and not caring whether or not he bumped into or knocked against others. His only thought was to find Miss Williams again.
Moving through the crowd, growing more and more desperate as his fruitless search continued, Matthew felt his heart explode with hope. If Miss Williams was not dead, as the rumors stated and as he himself had believed, then he did not have the same regrets, the same sorrows, the same frustrations as before. He might now have the opportunity to rectify them, to tell her exactly what he felt and just what he wanted from her. He might be able to express his sorrow over his lack of attention towards her since her father’s death, although explaining it would make him look all the more a fool, of course. But it did not matter to Matthew whether or not she thought him a fool, an idiot, or anything worse. All he wanted was that opportunity to tell her the truth of his feelings and to make amends for what he had not done.
And then, he saw her.
His breath caught, one hand pressed hard against his heart as the blood roared in his ears. She was standing there beside her sister, Lady Northgate, and talking animatedly to a gentleman Matthew did not recognize. She was as beautiful as he remembered her, with her long, fair hair curled up and pinned in a most intricate style, with a few shorter curls brushing her temples. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds; her red lips pulled into a delighted smile. Her cheeks were dusted with pink, and she looked to be filled with a renewed vivacity for life.
He could not move. Every single emotion he had ever felt towards Miss Williams flooded him at once, sweeping through him and throwing him off balance so much that he had to take a step back. Someone stepped into his line of vision, and then another and then another, until he struggled to see her clearly.
Taking a few steps closer, his heart in his throat, he watched as the gentleman bowed over Miss Williams’ hand. Her cheeks colored a little more, and she gave the gentleman a demure smile, so similar in kind to the ones she had given him so many times.
Matthew felt as though he had been punched in the stomach, hard. Struggling to take in air, he saw the gentleman take his leave and how Miss Williams’ eyes followed him. She looked away then, her eyes darting around the room and landing on him only once.
There was no flash of recognition, no lingering on his face with a sudden, unexpected delight creeping into her expression. She merely looked away as though he were nothing more than a stranger to her.
It was clear to him then. Clearer than he had ever seen it or felt it before. There was no future for himself and Miss Williams. She had quite forgotten him, it seemed.
Turning away, Matthew felt a great heaviness settle over his heart. There was nothing he could do now other than accept his fate. He had made too many mistakes for Miss Williams to ever accept him now. The past had stolen her from him, and it was not about to give her back.
Chapter Five
“You look quite beautiful, dear Daisy.”
Daisy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her sister as they prepared to climb into the carriage. Susanna did not know, of course, that the only reason Daisy was making any such efforts was in order to do as Lord Templeton asked. She had been a little overcome with the responsibilities given to her but had accepted them, nonetheless. Attending her first ball last evening had been both terrifying and wonderful in equal measure for, as much as she had been glad to attend it, it had been a struggle to keep her mind focused on her task.
What had made it all the worse had been that dreadful rumor that she had already passed away. When she had first entered the room with her sister and Lord Northgate, a ripple of surprise had run the entire way around the room, making her all too aware that she was something of a surprise to the beau monde. They had been astonished to see her—and a good many whispers had followed after her.
Thereafter, she had been pounced on by a good many people. First had been ladies acquainted with her sister, who had been eager only to talk to Daisy. Then had come the gentlemen, who had each been introduced to her – or reintroduced if Daisy already knew them from her previous time in society – by her sister. Her dance card had been filled up almost immediately and, much to her disappointment, it did not have either Lord Fitzherbert or Lord Stevenson’s names written there. In fact, she had not come across either gentleman for some time until, most unexpectedly, Lord Northgate had brought Lord Fitzherbert to her side.
Apparently, it seemed, Lord Northgate and Lord Fitzherbert had known each other for some time, although Lord Fitzherbert had been absent from town for a while. Daisy, who had already been fully aware of this information, had been forced to act as though she knew nothing of this gentleman and had then feared that she had made a very poor first impression indeed. All had been saved, however, by the reappearance of Lord Fitzherbert after the cotillion. He had sought her out almost at once and had asked for a chance to further introduce himself to her at another time. He had been kind and very considerate, complimenting her by stating that he was quite sure her dance card would be filled already – which, of course, it was – and asking if she might save him a space on her card at the next ball they attended together.
Daisy had answered in the affirmative, but her interest had been piqued by the gentleman. Had she not considered him a possible murderer, then she might have thought him very handsome and amiable indeed. When he had taken his leave, even her sister had teased her quietly about Lord Fitzherbert’s attentions, and Daisy had been forced to push such remarks aside, pretending nothing more than a vague interest in the gentleman.
Such had been her reaction to both the gentleman’s presence and her sister’s remarks that she had forced herself to gaze around the room whilst trying to regain her composure. Her heart had been beating furiously, her breathing a little ragged, and her anxiety still rising steadily, fully aware that she had managed to speak, smile and even laugh with Lord Fitzherbert – the man who might well have killed her father. She had not been able to take in anything more, even though her face had remained serene as she had looked around the room, knowing full well that her sister would not understand her anxiety if she spoke to her of it. As far as Susanna had been concerned, Daisy was only a little nervous about re-entering society, nothing more, which was why she had made light of the encounter with Lord Fitzherbert.
“Might you remind me of the name of our host this evening?” Daisy asked, as the carriage began to draw up to a large townhouse. “I have quite forgotten it, I am afraid.”
She expected Susanna to gasp in horror, to exclaim aloud that this was quite disgraceful – but, much to Daisy’s surprise, Susanna let out a little laugh, her eyes twinkling.
“Goodness, you are in a bit of a dither, are you not?” she laughed, as Lord Northgate grinned broadly. “There is nothing to worry about, Daisy. You did very well last night, and this evening’s dinner will be a much quieter affair.” She smiled sweetly at Daisy and reached forward to press her hand. “Our host is Lord Montague,” she said, speaking slowly and clearly so that Daisy might understand. “He is unmarried, a wealthy earl, and he was more than delighted when I begged an invitation for you also.” She sat back, just as the carriage door was pulled open for them. “And might I also say, he is quite handsome.”
Daisy heard Lord Northgate mutter something to his wife as she made to step out of the carriage, making Susanna laugh again as Daisy followed her out. There was a clear affection between Lord Northgate and her sister, and for that, Daisy was glad, even though she had no intention of allowing any sort of fond acquaintance to develop between herself and any gentleman of the ton, even if he was a wealthy earl! Sighing inwardly, Daisy hurried forward after her sister, knowing that, whilst she had to make a good impression, she also had to ensure that if Lord Fitzherbert or Lord Stevenson were present, that she engaged their interest in some way or another. Her sister might start making a match for her with either gentleman should she do so, of course, but it could not be helped. Susanna was doing her best for Daisy, she had to admit, and there was nothing Daisy could exchange for that but gratitude.
“Lord Montague.” Daisy curtsied beautifully and then lifted her head to greet her host. Lord
Montague was watching her keenly with sharp eyes that seemed to slice through her so that he was looking into her very soul.
She did not think that she liked him very much.
“I am very grateful for your willingness to add me to your dinner this evening,” she told him, looking away just a little so that their eyes did not meet. “I thank you for your kindness.”
Lord Montague chuckled as he rose from his bow. “Not at all, Miss Williams,” he said, in a strong voice. “Indeed, you have saved me from a somewhat difficult situation, for I found that around the table this evening I would have had thirteen – and you know very well that such a thing cannot occur!” He chuckled again as she looked at him, a little intrigued by his manner. His incongruous tone and mirthful words seemed to be entirely opposite to his sharp eyes and firm looks. “But now we have fourteen, and I am very glad of it,” he finished, with a flourish. “Please, do come and join the rest of the guests. The dinner gong will sound very soon and we will be able to make our way through.”