Page 23 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
“And who is this charming angel?” The Duchess eyed Victoria coldly, no doubt suspecting a rival to Lady Jane. Ladies such as the Duchess saw any vacation of a betrothal as an opportunity to weasel their own daughters into said position, even if that position hadn’t been vacated by choice.
You heartless harpy.Christian had half a mind to say it out loud, but propriety held his tongue for him. Instead, he turned to Victoria, and used her presence to bolster his resolve.
“This is my cousin, Lady Laura.”
Victoria gave an elegant curtsy. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace.”
You are quite the thespian, Victoria.It enthralled him to watch such a well-executed performance. There was hardly a hint of her true self to be found. She had even altered her voice to a quiet, delicate timbre, while her demeanor spelled grace and gentility, from the way she clasped her hands in front of her waist to the swan-like incline of her neck, to the perfect way in which she had dipped one leg behind the other to show respect to the Duchess.
“Ah, your cousin!” the Duchess cried, not bothering to hide her delight. “I have not seen you in London before. Where do you hail from, Lady Laura?”
“My family’s seat is in Ireland, but I have spent much of my life on the continent.” Victoria feigned sudden sadness, brushing her fingertip beneath her eye to pretend she had mustered tears. “My beloved Mama and Papa were recently taken into God’s gracious arms, and my dear cousin has been kind enough to welcome me into his home, to spare me from loneliness, as I have no one left in this world.”
The Duchess clutched at her chest. “You poor darling! Oh, how thoughtful and generous you are, Lord Galbury, to offer this dear soul some sanctuary, regardless of your own suffering. Such magnanimity!”
“It is the least I could do,” Christian replied stiffly. “In truth, I believe she came to me at the very moment I needed her, in order to spare me from my own grief and loneliness. Or at least distract me from it.”
Victoria looked at him in barely-concealed surprise. He didn’t know why he’d said that, nor where the words had come from, but they had tumbled out, nevertheless. And, deep down, he realized he meant them. Had Victoria not entered his life in the whirlwind manner that she had, he reasoned he would have been entirely lost at sea, trying to come to terms with the loss of Helena. Victoria had given him hope. She had given him a purpose, and a means of finding Helena—his dear friend and childhood confidante—whom he would not have been without, even if he did not love her in the way he ought to.
You have kept me sane, Victoria. You have stopped me from feeling utterly helpless in this situation. I owe you an enormous debt of gratitude.He hoped he was managing to convey some of that sentiment in his eyes, as they continued to gaze at one another.
“Family is so very important at such times,” the Duchess nodded, oblivious to the emotions sparking between Christian and Victoria. “And what an exquisite young lady your cousin is. I imagine her card shall be full within moments of setting foot in the ballroom.”
“I lack the spirit for dancing, at present,” Victoria replied solemnly.
“Of course. How thoughtless of me.” The Duchess shook her head slowly. “But you will contemplate dancing, Lord Galbury, will you not?”
Christian smiled politely. “I do not think that would be proper of me, considering Lady Helena is still unaccounted for. But I trust that Lady Jane will be in possession of a full card before the night is over.” He gave Victoria’s hand a gentle tug. “Now, if you will excuse us, we will be on our way to try and enjoy some of this fine music.”
The Duchess looked crestfallen as Christian led Victoria away, but Lady Jane appeared relieved. He pitied that poor girl. It could not be easy to have a tyrant for a mother, who would stop at nothing to acquire a suitable husband for her. But that husband wouldn’t be him.
“Have I mentioned how deeply I abhor the upper echelons of society?” Victoria whispered, with a glint of irreverence in her eyes. “Why, the Duchess may as well take her daughter to market and have her sold to the highest bidder. Whatever happened to love?”
“It has little room to grow in these harsh conditions,” Christian replied quietly. “And, sometimes, when love does bloom between two people, it is torn out and given to someone else, prompting it to die before it has had chance to flourish.”
“That sounds like a very sad state of affairs.” Victoria’s expression changed to one of sympathy.
He nodded. “The saddest.”
He was about to say more, when a figure crossed his path. Tall and slim, with hawkish features that made him constantly appear as if he were scrutinizing something. One of the names that graced his list of suspects. Sir John Regis.
Chapter 11
“Thatis Sir John?” Victoria whispered, as she stood on the sidelines of the ballroom with Christian. He had just pointed out the fellow.
Christian nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Victoria’s heart raced.
“That he is tall and thin, as Miss Jennings described?”
Victoria sipped her champagne for courage. “Precisely.”
“Then yes, I am thinking what you are thinking. Which makes a pleasant change,” he teased, though she could tell he was only using humor to cover his own tangible anxiety.
“We must watch what he does, and we must not let him out of our sight,” Victoria warned, following the path of the tall man through the gathered crowd.
“Agreed. Though, there is something more I should tell you,” he said, his tone hushed.
