Titania blew out a frustrated breath, her brow furrowing.
“But I shall speak to you as honestly as I can,” he promised, placing his hand over hers and sending a wave of heat up her arm as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Might I call upon you tomorrow?”
Titania made to say “yes”—only to recall that Lord Huckleby was already promised to her.
“The day after then,” he suggested, a wry smile on his lips, having evidently seen in her face that she was not at liberty to accept him. “Your company is widely sought, Miss Wells, I quite understand.”
“No,” she said, suddenly decisive. “I shall walk with you tomorrow, Lord Carroway, for Lord Huckleby does not expect to come by until the fashionable hour.”
“Very well,” he agreed, letting go of her hand and filling Titania with a sense of loss that she could not quite understand. “Might I call thereafter? It would be late, I know, but I do feel that such a conversation does have a good deal of urgency.”
She nodded, relief and contentment filling her. She would only have to wait for a little longer before she discovered everything about Lord Carroway and what it was she had witnessed. “My mother may be out at some soiree or other, but I and at least one of my sisters will expect you,” she said, aware of the way her heart suddenly seemed to bounce about her chest with delight and anticipation. “And you will not keep anything from me?”
Lord Carroway chuckled, his expression somewhat rueful. “I do not think that I could do so, Miss Wells, not even if I wished to. Your eyes are so keen and your wit so sharp that I am certain you would see through even the smallest lie.” He bowed and stepped back, already beginning to melt into the shadows. “Until tomorrow, Miss Wells.”
“Good evening, Lord Carroway,” Titania replied, watching him until he turned his back on her and made his way through the crowd, wondering why she felt such a flurry in her heart as she did so. Was it because of the mystery that surrounded him? Was it because she wanted to know all of his secrets? Or was there more to what was in her heart than that?”
“Ah, Miss Wells, I have discovered you!”
At the sound of Lord Huckleby’s voice, Titania turned and pasted a bright smile on her face. She did not want Lord Huckleby to know what she had been thinking, nor whom she had been speaking to. He would not have noticed her dancing with Lord Carroway, she was quite certain, for he was a gentleman entirely caught up with his own endeavors.
“I was simply conversing with my sister and cousin,” she said, gesturing towards Catherine and Dinah, who curtsied quickly. Introducing them, she saw the disinterest in Lord Huckleby’s eyes as he retuned their greeting and, for whatever reason, that irritated her greatly.
“Shall we, Miss Wells?” Lord Huckleby said, turning back to her and offering her his arm. “It is the first of our two dances, and I confess to you that I have been most eager to dance with you.”
“That is most kind of you to say,” Titania replied, finding her irritation beginning to ebb away as Lord Huckleby’s easy manner began to soothe her. “I have been looking forward to it also.”
He chuckled as she took his arm. “Of course you have been,” he stated, as though she could do nothing else other than wait impatiently for her turn to dance with him. “Come then. We need not delay any longer.”
Chapter Nine
“A drink, my Lord?”
Edward hesitated, looking at the glass of champagne that the footman held out to him. After his exchange with Miss Wells, he felt as though he could do with a stiff drink, but another part of him held back, warning him that he would need to keep a clear head for the rest of the evening. After all, despite what Miss Wells thought, he would have to remain close to her for the remainder of the ball, simply to ensure her safety. She thought that he would take his leave of the ball and then call upon her tomorrow, as he had stated, but he could not allow himself to leave her side for fear that she might be set upon by someone unknown to either herself or to him.
“I think not,” he muttered, turning away from the footman and wishing that he could allow himself such a small indulgence, but experience had taught him that it was best to remain entirely without any liquor in his veins if he wished to have himself entirely without hinderance.
Turning back, Edward tried to find Miss Wells in the crowd, aware that she had been dancing with Lord Huckleby, but the dance had come to an end. Where was she now? His gaze traveled across the room, his heart quickening with a little anxiety as he struggled to find her.
A long breath of relief escaped him as he saw Miss Wells talking with another gentleman, and with another gentleman approaching her. She laughed and said something to the second gentleman, which made Edward’s heart twinge with jealousy. He did not mean to feel such a way for Miss Wells, but spending even a little more time in her company had only drawn him to her a more. More than anything, Edward wanted to keep Miss Wells at a distance, to ensure that she was nothing more than someone he needed to protect for the time being before setting her aside once Ravel had been found and captured, but he was beginning to fear that he would not be able to do such a thing, given just how much he was bewitched by her. A single look into her eyes and he lost all reason, forgot about what it was he was meant to say or what he was supposed to be doing. Having never experienced such emotions before, Edward was quite at a loss as to what to do with them. Was he meant to simply push them aside and attempt to forget how she made him feel? Ignore the emotions that blossomed in his heart whenever she smiled at him? Push down the spark of jealousy that rose in his heart when he saw her laughing and smiling with another gentleman, as though he desperately wished that all her attentions were solely settled upon him?
Sighing heavily to himself, Edward thrust one hand into his hair, closing his eyes tightly and groaning inwardly. His heart was making things a good deal more complicated, and he was not at all certain that he liked it. It was much easier to simply deal with matters without any emotion or feeling holding sway. He lifted his chin and looked about for the footman carrying the tray with the glasses of champagne, thinking that he might need a drink after all.
* * *
By the time Edward had finished his second glass of champagne – watered down, he was certain of it – the second waltz of the evening had come to an end, which meant that Miss Wells would be freed from Lord Huckleby’s arms. He had hated watching her dance with that gentleman, finding his teeth gritting together tightly and his frustrations beginning to bubble over. It was not because he had anything against Lord Huckleby, for the earl was a well-known rascal who enjoyed the company of ladies and made no bones about throwing his title and fortune about in order to garner such attention. Rather, it came from the sheer dislike of seeing Miss Wells dancing so closely with another. The waltz he himself had danced with her had been the first dance he had done for some time, having not stepped out with a lady for some months. The last time he had danced had been a year ago, he thought to himself, idly watching the gentlemen and ladies disperse from the middle of the ballroom. It had held no particular interest for him – not until this evening when he had held Miss Wells close in his arms and had twirled her about the floor. The softness of her curves, the lightness of her gaze and the delicate smile on her face had made the entire experience rather wonderful, to the point that he found himself jealous that she had stepped out for a waltz with another gentleman instead of with him. Of course, he knew that it would have been entirely improper for her to have waltzed with him again and would have brought a good many questions to bear. It was nothing but foolishness to feel such a way, and yet he could not prevent himself from letting envy burn through him.
You have captured me entirely, Miss Wells, he thought to himself, looking out across the ballroom and thinking he would find her still with Lord Huckleby.
However, Lord Huckleby was now talking to another young lady, laughing down at her as he had done with Miss Wells. Edward felt his body suddenly grow tight with tension, realizing that he had lost sight of Miss Wells and, as such, now had very little idea as to where she had gone. The ballroom was vast, and the crowd filled almost every part of it. As the music began for the next dance, he looked about in vain to see whether or not she would be stepping out with another gentleman, but it seemed it was not so. His heart began to pound as the couples took to the floor, making him almost frantic with anxiety. The glass in his hand was set back on the footman’s tray hurriedly, with Edward cursing himself for allowing himself the liberty of champagne when he was meant to be keeping a close eye on Miss Wells. Had he not done so, then he might not now be searching desperately for her.
Hurrying through the crowd, he spotted the open doors that led to the gardens at the back of the ballroom. Was she ou
tside? Surely she would not have gone alone. In stepping out into the darkness, she was putting herself in danger without being aware of it. Cursing her foolishness under his breath, Edward drew in a long breath and made his way out of the doors, searching the gloom for any sign of her.
The night was still and quiet, and a light hum of conversation filled the air as he made his way down the steps and towards the path. A few lanterns were set about the gardens, illuminating the path somewhat, which was something of a relief – although that did not mean that Ravel could not be close by, wanting to capture Titania or take from her whatever it was she had. If only he had told her the truth, then she would have known to be more careful in what she did and where she went, but he had convinced himself that it did not matter for one more evening since he would be there to watch over her. And then, like a fool, he had managed to lose her amongst the crowd, simply by letting his mind and heart fill with thoughts and questions over his connection to Miss Wells.