Page 24 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
“What?”
“None of the other individuals on this list are present, aside from Lord Mobberley.” He gestured to another fellow in the crowd—a much broader individual, with a sizeable chest that threatened to expel the buttons of his waistcoat. He had dark-blue eyes and a jowly chin, though he still had an impressive height to his stature. Shorter than Sir John, but not by much.
At that precise moment, Sir John paused beside Lord Mobberley, the two gentlemen having a brief discussion that Victoria couldn’t hear. She attempted to read Lord Mobberley’s lips as he talked, in the hope of gaining some fragment of their conversation topic, but Sir John’s head kept getting in the way.
Frustrated, her gaze moved down to the little fingers on Lord Mobberley’s hands. No ring flashed back from either. However, on his left hand, she noticed an indent where a ring might have been. The sort of warping of flesh, forged over time, where jewelry had been worn day-in, day-out, until the skin had finally bent to its shape.
“Do you see anything?” Christian said.
Her chest gripped in a vise of nerves. “There is a mark on his left hand—Lord Mobberley’s. It looks as though there should be a ring there, but he has neglected to wear it.”
“I see it!” Christian hissed, a second later. “What do we do?”
Victoria took a breath. “Nothing, for now. We cannot apprehend him based on the evidence of a mark on his hand. He could explain it through any number of means. No, we must proceed with caution. We watch the two of them closely, and we keep guard over Miss Longacre. If they are here, and theyareour kidnappers, then she is in grave danger.”
“This way.” Christian took her arm unexpectedly and pulled her through the masses, toward a young lady who seemed to be the center of attention. Victoria could see why. The young woman was truly the most beautiful individual Victoria had ever set eyes on, with peaches and cream skin that held a flush of pink upon the plump apples of her cheeks. Every feature could well have been crafted by the heavens themselves: her nose was petite, giving way to full lips which needed no artificial reddening, and her eyes were big and blue, like two sapphires gleaming within crystalline pools.
My goodness… I must look an absolute toad in comparison. Ironically, I am indeed wearing green.Victoria would’ve liked to cast distaste upon this young woman, given her high birth and unbelievable beauty, but there was something about the girl’s manner that forbade any ill-thinking. Her smile was warm and genuine, and her laugh lifted the spirits without invitation. And though she was surrounded by admirers, she took pains to ensure that every single person felt seen, either by gesturing at them, calling their name, or placing a gentle touch upon an arm.
“Miss Longacre,” Christian said, dissolving the mystery of whom this remarkable belle might be.
“Lord Galbury!” Miss Longacre placed that tender touch on his arm. “I had not expected to see you this evening. Indeed, we were just discussing you, and how sorry we would be that you might be absent. No one would have blamed you for being absent, of course, considering what you are enduring at this current time.” Her expression turned sorrowful, which made her even more beautiful.
How is that possible?Victoria couldn’t fathom it, for when she looked sad, she thought it added several layers of ugliness to her already unusual features. And, if she ever happened to cry… goodness, it was better that nobody saw her, for they would be terrified out of their wits!
“We are so very sorry, Lord Galbury.” Miss Longacre’s lower lip trembled. “If there’s anything we may do to lessen your sorrow, then you must let us know. I am sure the authorities are doing all they can, but it is hard to feel hope with so many other ladies missing. You must not be alone in such times. For that reason, I am pleased to see you here tonight, so that I know you are not in solitude, fretting for your love.”
That last word hit Victoria in a most bizarre spot—right in the center of her heart. Curious, as she had thought her heart to be an impenetrable fortress that nobody could surmount. But hearing Miss Longacre refer to Lady Helena as Christian’s love… it had a very startling effect on her. One that blindsided her entirely, rendering her mute when she ought to have been jumping to the defense of the authorities.
“Thank you, Miss Longacre. It is helpful to have distractions, I suppose.” Christian bowed his head and gave Victoria’s hand a subtle squeeze.
Am I the distraction?He had mentioned it before, with that harridan of a Duchess, saying that she had come along at the very time that he had needed her. The memory of it made her heart feel all the stranger, for it hadn’t sounded like the artifice of a performance.
Every moment she spent in Christian’s company seemed to throw her deeper into a web of confusion. In all her three-and-twenty years upon this Earth, she had never been at war with her own mind. Nor had she ever lost hold of her self-assurance. Until now. Because of him.
I knew it was a bad idea to involve myself in the lives of the upper echelons.
“And who might this sublime darling be?” Miss Longacre turned her attention on Victoria, bringing her out of her private bemusement.
“This is my cousin, Lady Laura,” Christian answered. “She’s residing with me until she is ready to return to her family seat in Ireland, after the tragic passing of her mother and father—my aunt and uncle.”
Miss Longacre swept Victoria into an unexpected, albeit restrained embrace. “You poor, poor thing. How fortunate you are, to have such a kindhearted cousin to help you in your grief, and how fortunate he is, to have you to aid him in his time of darkness.”
“Um… thank you, Miss Longacre,” Victoria managed to reply, though she didn’t know what to do about the embrace. She barely embraced her mother, let alone anyone she did not know. As such, her arms seemed to have no idea how to behave, so they simply stayed stiffly at her sides.
“If it pleases you, I would like to offer an invitation to the two of you, to join me at luncheon one day this week? Whilst the authorities continue their search for Lady Helena, I shall take it upon myself, as my personal duty, to see to it that you are both perpetually distracted until there is some speck of good news.” Miss Longacre smiled so brightly that Victoria didn’t think she could decline such an offer. If she could have found her tongue, that is.
“That would be very generous, Miss Longacre.” Christian seemed to have little issue withhistongue, which surprised Victoria. Most of the other gentlemen surrounding Miss Longacre had transformed into drooling fools who could hardly string a sentence together, unless it was to flatter Miss Longacre ceaselessly. But Christian… he spoke to her as if she were a sister, or an acquaintance, unperturbed by her beauty.
How can he stand before such an angelic creature and not be tongue-tied? Why, I should say even I am somewhat in love with Miss Longacre, and I have known her all of a minute.Either he was in possession of some exemplary restraint, or she really did not have any effect on him whatsoever.
“I do not imagine you will dance this evening?” Miss Longacre said.
Christian shook his head. “Only with my cousin, but she is not in the right spirit for frivolities.”
“I should imagine not.” Miss Longacre offered Victoria a sympathetic look. “How awful, that your households should have been afflicted with such pain, with such brief reprieve between awful events. It does not seem just. I truly am sorry for your sufferings.”
“Perhaps a dance would improve my mood, after all,” Victoria blurted out, though she instantly wished she could shove the words back into her stupid mouth.
