Page 107 of Foolish Bride
Michael’s grin was wicked and delicious.
“Well then, Mother, it shall give them something else to talk about. I will not slink through and try to go unnoticed. If we are to make a statement this evening, it shall be a bold one.”
Mother sighed and accepted her wrap from the butler. “Shall we go?”
Michael smiled and wrapped Elinor’s hand into the crook of his elbow. He leaned down and whispered, “You are stunning.”
“Not obscene?” She joked, but her heart pounded with trepidation.
“I have never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. If I could, I would whisk you back up those steps and take you this minute.”
Her cheeks burned, but she loved the way he wanted her, and kept her gaze on his.
Virginia was already out the front door and walking down the steps.
Elinor stopped their progress at the door. “Everything is going to be okay, isn’t it, Michael?”
“Of course, my love. The ton does not run our lives. They are merely an inconvenience that we have to deal with.”
She nodded, and they moved toward the waiting carriage.
Virginia used the entire carriage ride to vent her opinions of Elinor’s behavior over the past few months. She droned on and on.
Elinor stared out at London as it passed and reminded herself she had only one more week to deal with her mother’s disapproval, then she would be Mrs. Michael Rollins, The Duchess of Kerburghe. Though she suspected Mother would still find fault with her.
Michael sat like a statue. He dug his nails into the wood on the carriage’s sill. “Lady Malmsbury, if you do not stop berating my future wife, I shall have to resort to severe measures. Kindly refrain from further blather. If you cannot think of a kind word, it would be best if you did not speak at all.”
Heart leaping in her chest, Elinor had to hold back her glee. He had defended her when she couldn’t defend herself.
Virginia huffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted for the remainder of the ride. However, she was silent, and that in itself was bliss.
As was the case in many homes in London, the Brasher townhouse was overdone. The ceilings were gold and red. Thick plaster columns meant to imitate the great temples of Greece adorned the walls. It was horrible, but Elinor tried to focus only on what was in front of her. She didn’t want to see the contemptuous looks of the people around her as she, Mother, and Michael walked through the crowded foyer and into the even more crowded ballroom.
Once inside, they were immediately approached by the Dowager Countess of Grafton. Lady Daphne Collington could be quite harsh, and many called her the Cruel Countess, but she was Sophia’s great aunt and a good friend of Mother’s. The crowd held their breath, expecting some scalding set down. Silence descended, which in itself was amazing considering the awful cacophony usually present at one of these crushes.
Even Elinor found herself on the verge of bolting from the room. The Countess had been at Marlton Hall and knew most of what had transpired. It was possible that she disapproved and would set in motion a series of events that would ruin both her and Michael.
Michael put his hand over hers. “You can’t run now, love.”
Lady Collington had taken to using a cane in the last year, and she used it now to whack a young man in the calf as she plowed through the crowd. The man stumbled, grabbing his leg, and the countess said, “Out of my way, foolish boy.”
Even Virginia looked worried that her friendship with the dowager might not hold up to this level of scandal.
With a flair for the dramatic, the Lady Collington stood a full ten seconds in front of the three of them and scowled before she took the last step. “Virginia, my dear, so good to see you.” She kissed her friend’s cheek.
As she stomped past Elinor, she whispered, “You had better take that horrified look off of your face, dear. You look like you’ve swallowed a bird.”
Elinor actually laughed and hugged Lady Collington.
“It was very wise attending tonight. Sophia informed me, and I immediately accepted the invitation.”
“Thank you, my lady.” Elinor kept her voice down and her affection brief.
“Bah! I know what happened up north, and you are certainly not to blame. But it is not me you should be thanking.” She walked away without elaborating.
Middleton pushed through the crowd, took her hand, and kissed it longer than was strictly proper. “My dear, Elinor, how wonderful to see you.”
Elinor’s eyes widened, and she looked from Preston to Michael. Calling her by her given name in such a public setting was outrageous, and kissing her hand as he had cause for a scandal in itself. However, it was the forlorn look on his face that shocked her most.
