Page 21 of Foolish Bride
The crowd stared, and some commented in hushed tones, making the room drone.
Dory linked her arm through Elinor’s. “Shall we take a turn around the room?”
Once they were away from the entry, they blended into the crowd.
“How are you, Elinor?”
“Fine,” she said.
“Have you heard from Sir Michael?”
Her heart jumped as it always did at the mention of Michael. She quashed the unwanted emotions. “Not since the day of that ridiculous duel. I do not wish to hear from him. He is not the man I thought he was. He has no honor.”
Dory’s eyes widened. “Perhaps we should speak of something else.”
Shaking away her reaction, Elinor forced a smile. “I am sorry. I am afraid the subject of Michael Rollins puts me in a foul mood.”
“Then we shall definitely talk of other things.”
Virginia Burkenstock burst through the crush, dragging a man behind her. The well-dressed gentleman might have been a sack of flour the way she pulled him along.
“Mother.” Elinor had never seen her in such a state of joy.
Virginia had to catch her breath before she could speak. “Oh, Elinor, thank goodness. I want you to meet the Duke of Middleton.”
Elinor was mortified. Not only had Mother obviously dragged this man across a crowded ballroom, but she neglected to introduce him to Dory, who stood beside her.
She dropped into the appropriate curtsy, and the duke bowed politely.
“Lady Elinor.” His eyes wrinkled at the corners, lit with amusement, and he covered a chuckle with the clearing of his throat.
She smiled. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your grace. May I introduce you to my dear friend, Lady Dorothea Flammel.”
He bowed again. “A pleasure, my lady.”
Silence fell over the foursome.
Lady Burkenstock grinned and stared from one to the other.
Middleton broke the awkward silence. “Lady Elinor, may I have the honor of this dance?”
She nodded. “Thank you, your grace.”
Once the dance began, he moved with smooth confidence. “Your mother is charming.”
How she would hold in her mortification, she didn’t know. Mother had clearly lost her mind. “Thank you. You are most kind.”
Brown eyes simmering with laughter, he asked, “Has she always been so exuberant, or is this a recent development?”
Bubbling with hysteria, Elinor bit the inside of her cheek to keep control. “I suppose having an unmarried daughter who is at the center of scandal almost all the time has made her more, as you say, exuberant.”
He frowned and leaned in so that only she would hear him. “I was quite sorry to hear of your misfortune, Lady Elinor. Sir Michael is a fine man.”
She should have thanked him politely and changed the subject, but any mention of Michael stirred her anger. “Oh, do you know Michael Rollins?”
“Sir Michael and I were at Eton together. I was a year ahead, but we did know each other. He was a fine boy at school, and history will record him well also.”
She longed to have a day where Michael did not foul her enjoyment. Of course, it was her own fault. She should be stronger and push her emotions aside. “I apologize, your grace. I am afraid those wounds are not quite healed.”
