Page 41 of The Lady Who Said No to the Duke
Thea threaded her way down a path, around a clump of palms and past a statue of a partly clad nymph admiring her reflection in a still pool of water.
Then she heard Hal’s voice.
‘Madam, I should leave—’
‘Oh, do not be so stuffy, Your Grace!You see, I know who you are.I am Helena Linton and Isowanted to meet you.My Papa, Lord Linton, is exceedingly interested in the Congress and I know you were there.It must have been fascinating.Do tell me all about it.’
‘Certainly, Lady Helena, but not in here,’ Hal said firmly.
Idiot man!Stop being polite—just walk away.Walk out now, this is a trap.
Thea hurried around the next corner in the twisting path and found them.Hal must have been sitting on a bench underneath a large flowering plant of some kind and had risen when Lady Helena found him.He was trapped now, with a wall of foliage at his back and sides and, short of barging his way past her, or crashing through the planting, there was no way out.
Lady Helena took a step forward, gave a faint shriek and threw herself at Hal, who, of course, caught her.‘Oh!I tripped!’
Now what am I supposed to do?
Hal had reflexively closed his arms around the woman clinging to him and it looked exceedingly compromising.
‘Oh, thank goodness!’Thea said loudly.‘What a relief to find someone.Now I am safe.If that horrible man has followed me… Oh, Lady Helena, I do apologise for interrupting your conversation, but if I could just remain withyou for a few minutes, he is sure to go away.Duke, I did not recognise you for a moment with that palm frond in your face.’
Hal, who was admirably fast at taking his cue, swung around, deposited Lady Helena on the bench and strode to Thea’s side.‘Lady Thea, has some scoundrel been making a nuisance of himself?Tell me who it was and I will—’
‘Helena, dear.’Lady Linton’s voice came from just the other side of the palms and Thea realised she must have entered quietly and come some way into the conservatory before calling out.‘Where have you got to, dear?’
She rounded the corner and stopped dead.Thea managed to keep a straight face, despite the older woman’s expression.Chagrin, anger and disappointment fought to escape from behind a rigidly smiling mask.
‘Lady Linton.Goodness, I amsopleased to see you.I had to take refuge in here because Mr… Perhaps I had best not name him as I see the Duke is ready to call him out—anyway, he was making himself most objectionable and so I ran in here and then I found Lady Helena, which wassucha relief, and then the Duke who had come to her aid because she had tripped…’
Thea prattled on, although it was merely background noise to the wordless drama in front of her.Hal edged closer to her.Helena, left alone on the bench, and a safe distance from him, looked ready to burst into tears of sheer temper and Lady Linton had the appearance of a kettle about to boil over.
‘Perhaps you could escort me out, Duke?’Thea said, managing to put a faint quaver into her voice.She put her hand on his arm and he laid his over hers.
‘Of course.I will take you to your Mama.What a shockingthing to happen.I do wish you would tell me the name of the swine who was bothering you.’
As soon as the Linton ladies had vanished from view Thea freed her hand, pointed silently to the far door and hurried towards the one she had entered by.
Lord Porchester was where she had left him, patiently waiting.He rose as soon as he saw her.
‘I do apologise,’ she said, sitting down again.‘A lace snapped,’ she added in a whisper, wondering if she could blush to order, then deciding that she was probably flushed enough from that encounter in the conservatory to counterfeit embarrassment.
‘Difficult,’ he said sympathetically and then glanced up to find Hal standing there.‘Leamington.Good to see you back from Europe.I was sorry to hear about your father.’
‘And I to hear about yours, Porchester.May I have the next dance, Lady Thea?’Hal was looking particularly stern.
What on earth was he looking so grim about?She had thought he might have been grateful for her actions just now.
Chapter Thirteen
Hal stood there in front of them, waiting.The Earl, next to her, was clearly expecting her to rise and accept.You did not turn a gentleman’s offer of a dance down, unless you asked him to sit it out with you, otherwise you were considered unable to dance for the rest of the evening and could accept no other partners.
‘You only granted me the one when we spoke earlier,’ Hal added.‘I have been chastising myself for timidity in not pressing for another.Unless, of course, you are awaiting your partner.’
As it happened this next was the only dance free on her card, which was quite deliberate, because she always liked to have a little breathing space.To say that was tantamount to refusing.
Thea stood up.‘Thank you for the dance and your company, Lord Porchester.Duke, I would be delighted.’
He led her onto the floor and she glanced hastily at her card.It was a country dance and one danced mainly with, or next to, one’s partner.
