Page 8 of A Brooding Christmas Promise
Two ladies, one walking quickly, her hand on the other’s wrist, hurried forward, making to stand at the side of the room, close to the shadows there where Samuel himself walked. A little frustrated, Samuel slowed his steps all the more, wondering if he ought to walk around them, practically pressing himself against the wall as he did so, or if he should step a little further into the ballroom and, in doing so, make his presence known. He certainly did not want to do the latter for that could well bring him a good deal of attention especially given that he was a Marquess and held such a strong title. Thetonknew that he was still not connected with any young lady and would, as they had always done, attempt to thrust daughters, sisters or nieces under his nose in the hope of him noticing one of them.
The thought turned his stomach. None of them wished to know his character, none would truly care for him. His title and fortune were all that mattered.
Though she knew me,came the sudden thought,and still, she turned her back on me.
Heaviness settled on him again and Samuel rubbed one hand over his face. Coming to a stop, he sighed and clicked his tongue but neither lady took notice, with one gazing fervently into the other’s eyes.
“You arenotto let either our stepmother or her sister bring any sort of darkness to what is going to be a wonderful Christmas.”
Despite his frustration, Samuel’s ears pricked up. The first lady was speaking very fervently indeed though clearly, she had no awareness of his presence. He considered them both, stepping back a little more into the shadows. They must be sisters, he considered, a little surprised with just how ardent the lady’s voice was. Something must have happened to make her speak so and the other lady, Samuel saw, was looking a little afraid.
His heart twisted as a frown settled over his brow. To know that a young lady was upset or frightened because of another did not sit well with him though, he reminded himself, he had no reason to stand and listen to this.
“I promise you that we will not always be in her company and, if we must, then we can be just as determined as she is.”
The other lady hesitated and Samuel, telling himself to move forward and to ignore the rest of the conversation, attempted to do so, only for her to speak and command his attention again.
“What do you mean by that?”
I should take my leave, for I am being beyond rude at present,Samuel berated himself, silently.This has nothing to do with me.
“We can find out whether or not she is to be present at various occasions,” the first lady replied as Samuel ducked his head and began to move forward, stepping slowly and carefully so that his itching ears would be satisfied while, at the same time, trying to hide himself in the shadows. There was not a large space for him to push into, no large gap between them but he could not bring himself to walk into the ballroom a little more. Keeping his head lowered, he moved carefully, praying that neither of the ladies would notice him. Perhaps, in their fervency and the depth of their conversation, they would not see him.
“I believe thatsheis wed to a Viscount – from what I recall – but I am wed to an Earl and thus, our standing is not quite similar enough for us to always be at the same occasions. I can assure you, my dear sister, that Lady Foster will not have as much of a presence in your life as she might wish to have. Those here in London who are my friends will listen to me about this matter and make certain Lady Foster is not invited, should it come to that. Lady Foster calls herself your shadow but she will be nothing more than a cloud which passes for a moment andthen fades away. And if I must, I will throw my own events and make certain she is not invited. We cannot let her succeed, Charlotte. Do you hear me? You must be strong in this, refusing to let her capture a hold of your Christmas and make it into the dull, miserable affair she clearly wishes – all on behalf of her sister, I might add! You have already given up enough. Are you certain that you wish to give up even this?”
Samuel lifted his head and, just as he did so, the second lady, the one to whom the question was being asked, looked directly at him. Shame infused him, burning up through his core, into his chest and face and quickly, he turned his head away and moved forward. He stumbled slightly in his haste, his mortification increasing all the more but finally, he was away from them both.
Lady Foster,he mused, the name coming to him with a sense of familiarity. It soon came to him. Lord Foster was one of the gentlemen Samuel had played cards with recently, one who had been rather raucous and much too imbibed to play sensibly. Samuel had been forced to take a vow from the fellow rather than have the coin given to him there and then, which had been most frustrating. To his mind, a gentleman ought not to play cards if he did not have the money with him at the time!
“Ah, there you are. I did wonder if you would be hiding in the card room this evening but I can see that you have not made your way there as yet!”
Samuel scowled. “Do keep your voice down, my friend. I am attempting to be as inconspicuous as possible.”
Thomas, the Earl of Trenton and Samuel’s very dear friend, lifted an eyebrow. “You are attempting to be inconspicuous at one of the most auspicious events of the festive Season?” His eyes twinkled. “The auspicious event thatIhave thrown?”
With a chuckle, Samuel looked away from his friend and instead, let his gaze travel about the room. “You have done very well, Trenton. I am impressed as is, it seems, almost everyother member of theton! I have heard many a person marveling over this or that.” Smiling, he put one hand on Lord Trenton’s shoulder for a moment. “Thank you for the invitation. You know that I do not mean to be rude in my manner.”
His friend nodded. “Of course not.”
Samuel took his hand away. “You well understand why I am not inclined towards being dragged into unwanted company and conversation.” He threw a quick glance to his friend before pulling his gaze away again. “No doubt someone will either speak of or mention things that I do not wish to speak of.”
“And by that, you mean Maria.”
Samuel closed his eyes, wincing inwardly. “Yes, Maria.”
Lord Trenton cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I did not think… ”
“It has been a long time, yes.” Samuel shook his head. “Three years have passed and still, I cannot think of it without pain.”
With a small nod, Lord Trenton spread out his hands. “If there was something I could do to help you, then you know that I would. All you need to do is say the word and – ”
“You need not take on any blame, my friend.” Samuel interrupted but did so gently. “Yes, she was your cousin but that does not mean that you bear any responsibility.”
“Even though I was the one who introduced you, encouraged you and the like?” A small snort escaped him. “Had I known that her intentions were not pure, then I would never have done so.”
“I know. But it is not your fault.” Samuel offered a wry smile. “It is probably good for me to be here in society again. I simply do not feel that as yet.” He shook his head. “I fear gossip. I have endured enough of that, I can assure you.”
Lord Trenton tilted his head. “Why did you come back to London? When I told you that I would be here for the little Season and thereafter, suggested you come to join in thefestivities, I did not get the impression from you that you had any real intention of doing so.”
