Page 46 of A Torn Allegiance
“And the next she has sought out Lord Harcour to drown her sorrows?”
Hayes’s gaze followed Kristoff’s, and he gritted his teeth. “Precisely.”
Elsie laughed as though she were having a jolly time of it, and Lord Harcour was glowing from the attention.
“I’m to call on her, but only during calling hours.”
“You know who will also be there after a conversation like those two are having.”
Hayes frowned again at Lord Harcour. “You must join me.”
“Brother, I have calls to make myself. Marc and I are determined to meet someone from all the families of the peerage.”
“A lofty goal indeed.”
“We may not succeed, but it might be more of a fun venture while we are here than an actual goal. They are lovely, the ladies of theton. Pristine manners, pleasant countenances. I’ve never had such a jolly time of things. Marc agrees with me. In truth, he just wants to boast to our brothers, Henry in particular, that he’s met them all and will have a closer claim to them.”
“You can spare a moment for me, surely.” Hayes stood taller. “I need another interpretation. Perhaps I am misreading her. Perhaps she has no interest in me after all or she is trying to tell me something I can’t see. All those feminine signals I don’t understand.”
Kristoff shook his head. “Brother.” He gripped his shoulder, obviously trying not to laugh.
“Oh, laugh now. One day, you will find someone who touches your heart in just the right way, and it will be agony not knowing whether she returns your feelings.”
“And I can expect you to laugh in turn. Agreed.”
Hayes felt many eyes on them. “Now we must make ourselves useful by asking women to dance. Come, Brother. Let us continue to improve our relations with England.”
“With great pleasure.” Kristoff nodded in the direction of a group of ladies. Every one of them either fanned themselves, curtsied, or blinked furiously in their direction. “Shall we?”
They approached the women. Kristoff made the introductions, and soon Hayes was out on the floor again, this time with not nearly as much enjoyment.
Every time he looked in Lady Elsie’s direction, she was looking elsewhere. And then, partway through the dance, Lord Everly stepped into his line of sight, nodded once, and then disappeared through a door.
As soon as the dance ended, Hayes excused himself from the new group of women that approached and made his way to see what Lord Everly wanted. On the way to the room, Lord Devon joined him. “Leaving in a hurry?”
He glanced back at the room and then shook his head. “Not in a hurry, no.” He wished he could talk to Lord Devon about his sister, but he didn’t know what to say, so he indicated the door. “Is that a room for cards?”
“Yes. If you look around, you will notice that fewer and fewer gentlemen are actually dancing.” He laughed. “Prince George has the best stakes and the most lucrative cards. If you can get in, you can win big.”
“Or lose big, I’d imagine.”
“Yes, which is why I don’t go through that door.” Lord Devon eyed him. “And if you were to find a place of unsavory gents at a party hosted by Prinny, that is the room to discover them.”
“I see. I noticed Lord Everly walk through those doors.”
Lord Devon’s gaze sharpened. “And do you seek his particular company?”
Again, Hayes got the impression his interest lay deeper than a casual curiosity. “Perhaps I might ask you a question,” he said instead of answering.
“Certainly.”
A footman joined them and bowed. “Pardon me, Your Highness. The Queen requests the presence of you and Lord Devon at her table.”
“Of course.” Hayes bowed to her figure up on her raised seating area, then turned to Lord Devon. “Shall we?”
“We must, I think.”
“But it isn’t your first choice?”
