Lifting his eyebrow again, Lord Trowbridge said, “A violinist. Accomplished as well as lovely.”
Sophie smiled at him. “You flatter me, my lord.”
Perkins, her sister’s reed-thin butler, entered with the announcement of dinner, and the small party moved to the dining room.
~~*
As Sophie crossed the threshold of the Aldridge’s ballroom, she was very glad of the viscount’s arm. As her first foray into the ton society, the ball threatened to be an overwhelming experience. She had never been in such a crowd. The brilliant colors of the gowns combined with the movement of the dance and the shrill chatter to disorient her. She stiffened her spine and drew a long breath.
Lord Trowbridge leaned down and asked in a low voice, “Is this a bit much for you?”
She gave him a smile. “I will do very well. Particularly once I have seen Melissa.”
At that moment, Melissa sighted her, her face lighting up. Sophie’s strange surroundings seemed to fall away, as delight suffused her.
“My dear friend!” Melissa said, kissing Sophie’s cheek and taking both her hands in hers. “I had nearly given up hope! It is quite beyond anything to see you. And who is your cavalier?” She looked at Frank with the saucy lift of an eyebrow.
Sophie’s nerves settled with her friend’s familiar presence. She put her arm through Frank’s, saying, “Francis St. Oswald, Viscount Trowbridge, I’d like you to meet my dearest friend, Lady Melissa Aldridge and her parents, Lord and Lady Kent.”
Trowbridge bowed over the ladies’ hands. “My lady, it appears to be a crush. Congratulations.” He gave Melissa’s mother a short bow.
Shaking hands with Lord Kent, he said, “And good evening to you, my lord. I did not realize Sophie’s dearest friend was your daughter. We have met in the House. I stand with you solidly on the issue of the Corn Laws. Your addresses have been stirring.” He turned to Melissa. “I am certain that your come-out will be a sterling success, Lady Melissa. I’d like to thank you for bringing the lovely Miss Edwards out of seclusion.”
Melissa dimpled. “She knew there would be serious consequences were she not to come.”
Lord Kent detained them for a moment. “I am grateful for your support, Trowbridge. My stance is not a popular one.”
“No, but so important if we wish the poor to have the means to feed themselves.”
Sophie’s escort bowed once more to the smiling earl, and Frank and Sophie moved away. He whispered into Sophie’s ear, “Lord Kent is a skilled orator, and very much the on dit in parliamentary circles. His position on the Corn Laws is an unusual one, even for a Whig.”
“Yes, I have actually followed his speeches. He is in favor of their repeal, is he not?”
“Right. Are you interested in the political scene?”
“In anything to do with Lord Kent, yes. His success in Parliament is known even to me. Before I moved from Shropshire to my eldest sister, Elise’s, home in Derbyshire, Melissa used to disappear for the whole Season while Parliament was in session. It was a terrible wrench for both of us. We were very close.”
“How long have you lived in Derbyshire?” he asked as they moved into the thick of the company. Sophie prayed that Buck had warned him that she could not dance.
“Four years. Shropshire is lovely, of course, but Derbyshire has its own charm. Plus, it contains my dear niece and nephew.”
“But now you have a niece in London,” the viscount said, studying her face. “I hope that means you will stay here, at least for the remainder of the Season.”
Was he serious or merely flirting? They really had nothing in common. Buck had told her that Trowbridge was a renowned Corinthian. He certainly had the physique of a sportsman—height, broad shoulders, muscular arms, and legs displayed to advantage by his tightly fit evening clothes.
But his face! Why does it seem so familiar to me?
In repose, it was quite forbidding, with his black, black hair and eyebrows, his aquiline nose, high cheekbones, and square jaw and chin. But in good cheer, it was quite transformed.
She fanned herself. “That has yet to be decided, my lord. I am certain you know Buck and Fanny are not enamored of London. I imagine they will return to Deal shortly.”
“Surely you could stay with Lady Melissa?”
“Are you really so anxious for me to stay in London, then? We have scarcely conversed, my lord!”
Smiling, he brought his head down nearer to her face and whispered, “Has no one ever told you that you have the face of an angel?”
Sophie looked directly into his eyes. “You are very extravagant with your compliments, my lord. I do not know what to say, except that I am no angel.”