Talk of the Ton (Free Fellows League 5)

“Have you gotten your dance card?” Miles asked Jenny at the soiree they were both attending the following week. “I would like first choice.”

“I am not dancing tonight.”

“At all, or just with me?” he inquired sardonically.

“I do not dance.” She tried unsuccessfully to make her voice cold. It only came out choked, sounding unnatural.

“You do, and quite well. Now, what is this? Is it because I kissed you? It is, isn’t it?” He practically crowed.

Jenny looked around nervously. Cassandra was not to be seen, for which she was relieved. She was thankful that her cousin had gone off with her friends, as she usually did, but she would come searching out Miles within a short time.

She was determined to end this pointless flirtation now before it created any more problems.

“No. It is not that you . . . that we . . . Oh!” Jenny sighed. “I cannot believe you would bring such a thing up while we are out in public.”

Tonight’s occasion was a small affair in one of Mayfair’s large town houses. The crowd was smaller, and most of the people Jenny knew well. The drawing room had been cleared for dancing. Three musicians played softly, for the night was not yet under way in force, and it was only meant for background music until the festivities began.

“But the only time you allow me to see you is in public. I called several times this past week, and you were gain-fully occupied otherwise. Or so I was told.”

“You . . . we have to stop this.”

“What?” he demanded, a mischievous grin on his face.

“You are paying much too much attention to me. It is going to get noticed, and that would be a disaster.”

The smile disappeared. His face pursed thoughtfully. “Why?”

“It’s simply best if we . . . if this friendship is forgotten.”

Nodding sagely, he asked, “Best for whom?”

Jenny glanced down at her hands twisting on her lap. “You know who.”

His look was cold. “Come with me.”

Taking hold of her arm, he led her through the French doors, which had been left open to admit a cooling breeze.

Outside, the chill in the air raised gooseflesh along Jenny’s arms. The flagstone terrace was deserted. The shapes of wrought iron and stone, dark shadows in the twilight, were their only companions.

Miles pulled her gently so that she faced him. “My God, Jenny, when are you going to show some spine? You only think of your aunt and your cousin, what they want. What is it you want? To be sure, gratitude is a virtue, but would you really lay aside your entire life, all of your dreams, your own aspirations, for your cousin’s pleasure?”

“You do not understand. I am not making some grand sacrifice for her infatuation.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “She is in love with you.”

He sighed, and there was sympathy in his eyes. “She fancies herself in love with a new man each month, from Iris’s accounting.”

“It is different.”

“Because I have frustrated her. She loves me, does she? What does she know of me? She is a bright girl, and lovely. She is amusing, I admit, and imbued with a sense of fun that is hard to resist. That is why she attracts so many admirers. But she is also hot-tempered and demanding. I have seen her exhibit behavior that is shockingly self-centered. And, yes, I considered the convenience of taking her as bride when I arrived in London. But in the end, I realized she was too much like my first wife. She is young, merely a girl, and I do not want another girl for a wife, Jenny.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I want a woman, a companion, a partner in a pleasant life together, a slow life with simple pursuits and satisfaction as our reward rather than short-lived thrills. Do you think your cousin would enjoy such a life?”

Jenny was confused. His words painted a picture that squeezed her heart. Cassandra would despise such an existence, it was true, but she . . . she thought it was the sweetest, loveliest life she could imagine.

She shook her head, dispelling these thoughts. “You should speak with her.”

He agreed. “She must understand I have no intentions toward her. I never did contemplate her as my choice, not seriously. We would never suit.”

“Yes, do tell her right away.” Jenny was immensely relieved. Cassandra would be furious, and the strain in the next few days would be nearly unbearable, but it was the quickest way to clear Miles out of her blood and get her back to her old self.