Page 17 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
She laughed at her own joke, her staunch ladylike actions slipping a little and allowing her true delight to sparkle from beneath, diamonds hidden beneath the dirt.
He looked at her curiously. Diana had told him she had once been a maid, but Sebastian hadn’t been certain he believed her—and certainly not about everything.
Now, it seems, I was wrong.
“Well, as a venue for your first-ever ball, this one is wonderful. I’ve always admired His Grace for his choice of design. I understand he and the Duchess have the whole place completely redecorated every two or three years.”
“Goodness,” Miss Jones said, blinking in surprise. “Just as they get used to it one way, they change it.”
“Yes,” Sebastian chuckled. “I hadn’t thought of it like that, but I suppose you must be right.”
“Actually,” Miss Jones said, tilting her head in thought. “Our benefactor lives here. Lord Denninson. Do you know him?”
“He’s your benefactor?” Sebastian was surprised—there was more to her story than he knew, clearly. “Yes, of course I know him. That’s quite… something.” Miss Jones nodded, her lips pressed together in a suppressed smile.
“I know,” she said. “I was surprised as you are when I found out, believe me.”
She laughed again, and again she was a little freer with herself, a little more open, and that made his smile broaden.
“Tell me, Miss Jones, how many siblings do you have?”
She shut down in an instant, her smile slipping. She clearly did not want to talk about it, and he was annoyed himself for—yet again—ruining her good cheer.
“I have enough,” she said firmly. “And at least one of whom I do not wish to discuss.”
“All right,” he said carefully, knowing it was time to move onto something else. “We can talk about something else, if you’d prefer.”
“Please,” she said, softening.
In the background, the sound of the crickets fighting with the noise from the ball. She smiled at him and it made something inside him flutter.
“I guess you’ve been to many such events,” she said eventually, carefully.
“Balls?” he asked. “Actually, you’d be surprised at how few I’ve attended. I find them a little suffocating. Don’t you think?” He felt her intense gaze on him, and it set his blood on fire.
She chuckled, nodding her agreement but being ladylike enough not to say the words aloud.
He felt remarkably at peace with this woman, like he never had before with anyone. With her, he found he did not want to run away to the gaming hall or to the club, having no desire to knock back too much whisky. It was an odd feeling, something new, but he couldn’t deny he liked it and wanted more of it.
And then the straining sounds of the music stopped.
“Oh,” Sebastian said, his happy tone replaced with a disheartened one. “I believe you have dance partner marked down for the next number. I guess we’ll have to return to the ballroom.”
He, of course, had no idea, and he silently prayed his ploy would work.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I really don’t. I’m sure of it. Besides, I am not sure I could face anothergentlemanlike Lord Frederick.”
“Yes,” he urged. “Yes, yes. I saw the gentleman in question mark it down. You really ought to check. It would be terribly impolite to disappear when the gentleman will have been waiting for you.”
“I can assure you—”
“Check!”
She jumped at his sudden insistence, her cocked her head and looking curiously at him for a long moment. But his gaze did not waiver, and neither did his determination. With a huff, she pulled out her dance card and showed it to him.
“You see,” she said, pointing at the blank space on the card. “There is no one listed for this waltz. I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t someone writing on my dance card.”
“Look closer,” he said, and she laughed at his ridiculousness. He leaned in closer to her, pointing at the gap next to the current song.
