Page 3 of Too Wylde To Tame
Her parents had despaired of ever getting them married off, but her twin sister had managed to find not just any husband but one with a title. Not that Phinneas wouldn’t have been perfectly wonderful even if he hadn’t a title or a tuppence to his name. It seemed to her that her sister and cousin had managed to snatch up the only two eligible and still truly honorable men in existence. She would never find anyone.
So they’ll only have one spinster daughter to moulder in decrepit ruin on the shelf.
That bitter thought dimmed her enthusiasm for the evening more than a little bit. But she was determined that the night would be a success. Tonight, she vowed, I will meet a man with marriage on his mind. He might not be as handsome or as wealthy. He might be deadly dull and have the conversational skills of a rock, but he’d have a pulse. He’d have a home that would not be her parents. The very idea of going back to Bath and the miserable life she’d had before, especially when she would be going back to it alone, was more than she could bear.
Her gaze traveled over the crowd and stopped on one particular gentleman who was eyeing her in a way that no gentleman should.Any man but that one, she mentally corrected. She might have been feeling the squeeze of desperation but that didn’t mean an aging lech with spots, bad teeth and a balding pate was a tempting alternative to spinsterhood. In truth, that wretched man made the shelf appear a sanctuary rather than a sentence.
“Avoid him, dearest,” her aunt whispered behind her fan. “He’s a horrid little man.”
“That much is obvious,” Charity replied with a grin. “Where are the handsome men, Aunt Marguerite? Theyoung,handsome men!”
Marguerite shushed her gently. “This is a crowded room, Charity. Be mindful of your words, your toneand your volume.The last thing we need is another scandal. As if Felicity and Benny haven’t created more of that than any of us need!”
There was no heat in her aunt’s words. Marguerite adored and doted on all of them as she’d had no children of her own. And however scandalous her twin sister and her cousin might have been, they’d managed to do the impossible and come out of it married to titled gentlemen who seemed to be madly in love with them. Perhaps scandal wasn’t such a bad way to find a husband, after all.
“Oh, I see Felicity,” she said excitedly, as she caught sight of her sister across the crowded room. Once more, from the glances of everyone around her, she knew she’d been talking too loud. But she saw so little of her sister, of late. After all, Felicity no longer had any reason to go to Almack’s or to promenade in the park so that she might be displayed before all the eligible men.
Charity noted just how happy her sister looked. She positively glowed with it. Phinneas stood next to her looking dashing as ever. What a striking couple they made! Even as she felt a wave of happiness for her sister, inside there was the bitter tinge of envy. She didn’t want Phinneas, but she wanted even a fraction of what they had. They looked at one another as if they were the only two people in the world. “I’m going to go say hello.”
“Be cautious who you speak to along the way,” Marguerite admonished. “There are several unsavory gentlemen in attendance tonight.”
Marguerite stressed the word unsavory in such a way that Charity was more curious than cautioned. Cheekily, she shot back, “Are they handsome?”
Marguerite scowled. “You will be the death of me, child. Go to your sister. Perhaps Phinneas can help to keep you in line!”
Charity was still smiling at her aunt’s exasperation as she weaved her way through the crowd to her sister. She had almost reached her when disaster struck. A man had been walking forward while looking over his shoulder and simply barreled into her.
Champagne sloshed over her arm, dampening her glove and splattering onto the hem of her dress.
“Forgive me, miss! My most humble apologies,” the gentleman began.
Charity finally glanced at his face. He was handsome enough, though he appeared a bit boyish—too young to ever be a serious suitor and she hadn’t the time to entertain anything else. He had dark hair and twinkling blue eyes, though something in them seemed a bit off to her.False.“There is nothing to forgive, sir. Accidents happen, after all.”
He smiled, revealing a dimple in his cheek. “You are too kind. But you must allow me to make amends… somehow. But first, we must have a proper introduction.”
“Oh, I don’t think—”
“Ah, Lady Marguerite!” He called out. “I beg you to give me an introduction to this ravishing young lady who has accompanied you tonight.”
Charity frowned. “How did you know I was with Marguerite?”
“Oh, I saw you when you entered the ballroom,” he answered with a smile.
She didn’t trust that smile, Charity realized instantly. It was too bright. Too charming. “You saw me entering the ballroom but then lost sight of me entirely to the point that you almost knocked me to the ground?”
His smile never faltered, but his eyes lost some of the twinkle. They appeared hard and glittering instead. “Alas, I’m a goosebrain, I’m afraid. Perpetually distracted. My eyes never seem to be aimed in the same direction in which my feet are traveling. Do forgive me! I couldn’t bear it, otherwise.”
“Lord Jameson Dartwell,” Marguerite said, her voice lacking its usual warmth. “What sort of trouble are you getting into now?”
“No trouble at all, Lady Marguerite,” he vowed solemnly. “But I was being a bit clumsy and have nearly knocked your companion down. I must beg an introduction so that I can make my apologies properly.”
“It isn’t necessary,” Charity insisted.
Marguerite smiled. “There! You heard it from the lady herself, sir. No apologies are needed and thus no introductions are required. Now, we must bid you good evening.”
“Please, I must make amends!”
Marguerite sighed her displeasure. “Very well, Charity, this is Lord Jameson Dartwell… Lord Jameson, my niece, Miss Charity Wylde.”
