Miss Mayson’s face had turned pale as she looked down at the floor. Miss Langdon pursed her lips and stared hard at the two gentlemen—if indeed they could be called gentlemen. At any moment she would step in their direction and unleash her ire.
Edward brushed past Sir William and Mr. Kingsley and bowed to the two ladies. “Miss Mayson, would you do me the honor of dancing the next dance with me?”
“Oh. Lord Withinghall. But what about your leg?”
“It is nothing, and I have a special wish, just now, to dance with you. Would you indulge me?” He held out his cane, and Miss Langdon took it, while he held out his hand to Miss Mayson.
She smiled and nodded, placing her hand in his, and they walked out to the dance floor.
His leg felt as sound as ever as he led her out on the floor. And it was gratifying to see her demure but grateful smile. Most gratifying of all, however, was the pale look of discomfiture on Sir William’s face—and the smile on Miss Langdon’s.
Leorah could barely breathe as she smiled gratefully at Lord Withinghall. Had he truly asked to dance with Felicity, right in front of that pompous Sir William? She couldn’t help a triumphant smile in that man’s direction. To think, he deemed himself too good to dance with Felicity.
Leorah turned to face the two men. “Sir William, do you not think Lord Withinghall and Felicity Mayson make a very handsome couple, dancing there?” She couldn’t help smirking into his disdainful face as she held on to Lord Withinghall’s cane.
Sir William cleared his throat. “Oh, why, yes.” He looked uncomfortable and did not meet her eye.
But was Lord Withinghall truly ready to dance on his broken leg? She watched him carefully. He danced just as gracefully as ever, though thankfully it was not a strenuous dance. He kept his attention on his partner and even smiled at her. A viscount dancing with a business owner’s daughter. Leorah’s heart swelled inside her chest, forcing her to take a deep breath.
Perhaps you just learned a lesson in manners, Sir William—you who are only a baronet.
When the dance was over, Lord Withinghall escorted Felicity back to her place beside Leorah. He bowed to her with great dignity, and Leorah handed him his cane.
“Thank you,” he said.
“My pleasure.”
Just as he was turning to leave, Leorah caught a glimpse of Miss Augusta Norbury glaring at Lord Withinghall. No doubt she was wondering why he was dancing at all, since it was the first time since breaking his leg, and with Felicity instead of with her.
Felicity squeezed her arm. “I think we misjudged Lord Withinghall,” she said quietly.
“Yes. So it would seem.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Edward immediately went to Miss Norbury and asked her to dance. She was glaring at him but immediately changed her glare to a smile.
“Your leg seems to have made a miraculous recovery.”
“It has been much better for some time, but my physician insisted I use the cane. I am now disobeying his orders, but as long as I don’t do anything to misplace the bone, I should be well.”
“I see.” But her tone was cold. Her expression was cold. Every word she said, every movement she made, was predictable and cold.
The contrast between Miss Norbury and Miss Langdon assailed his thoughts for the hundredth time. These contrasts had plagued him, had tormented him, but now he knew how to act.
When he finished the dance, he escorted Miss Norbury to her aunt. He begged Mrs. Culpepper and Miss Norbury to meet with him in the morning in the east drawing room, where he had something important to share with them.
Mrs. Culpepper smiled and touched his arm with her fan. “Of course, my dear Lord Withinghall. We shall be delighted.”
No. You won’t.
The next evening Lord Withinghall was not at dinner. Leorah leaned over to her brother.
“Nicholas. Where is Lord Withinghall? He is not sick, is he?” She hoped he had not injured his leg again.
“He went home. He took his leave of Father and me at noon today.”
“Why?”
“He confided in me,” her brother said in a quiet enough voice so as to not be heard by anyone else, “that he had offered recompense to Miss Norbury in the event that she felt he had broken faith with her, but he would not be asking her to marry him.”
Leorah stared openmouthed at her brother. “He isn’t? Are you certain?” She could hardly believe it. What had changed Lord Withinghall’s mind? Perhaps he realized what a bore Miss Norbury was.
“He also asked us to come to dinner next week at Grimswood Castle, to thank us for our hospitality.”
“Have we ever received such an invitation from him before?”
“No. Even Father said he had not been at Grimswood above twice in his life.”
“Will Father stay away from London long enough to go?”
“He says he will. And Lord Withinghall extended the invitation to include Felicity and Elizabeth Mayson.”
Leorah and her family were invited to Grimswood Castle. It had always seemed a rather forbidding place, situated as it was on the rocky coastline. She rather relished getting to explore it with Felicity and Elizabeth.
When the ladies retired to the drawing room and left the men to their after-dinner conversation in the dining room, Felicity whispered to Leorah, “Everyone is saying that Lord Withinghall threw Miss Norbury over.”
“So I heard. I wonder what made him change his mind.”
“Do you?”
“What do you mean?”
Felicity turned up one side of her mouth. “I think perhaps he fell in love with the girl who refused his offer of marriage.”
“No, Felicity. You know he was opposed to marrying me.”
“I know no such thing. How could he have been, when he asked you to marry him?”
“Yes, but I know he did not care for me. He was only doing the right thing. He always does the right thing.”
“The strictly right thing would have been to marry Miss Norbury, since he showed his preference for her a dozen times.”
“Well . . . he offered her compensation.”
“He also danced with you, Felicity, to spite those impolite men who slighted you.” Which was so noble of him. “And he’s included you and Elizabeth in an invitation to our family to dine at Grimswood Castle in a week. Nicholas just told me.”
“Only because he knew it would please you, Leorah.”
It was no use arguing with Felicity. She was unfailingly modest and had never understood just how much of a beauty she was, as accustomed as she was to men disdaining her for her lack of fortune. And yet she believed Leorah capable of making any and every man fall madly in love with her. But Lord Withinghall could never care for Leorah, not in the passionate way she’d always intended to be loved, should she ever marry.
Leorah followed Felicity’s gaze to where Miss Norbury sat talking with Mr. Hastings. Then she noticed the rest of the men had joined them. Leorah looked around at them all. There was no one of interest anymore now that Lord Withinghall was gone and Mr. Hastings would no longer even look at her.