Page 50 of An Offer for a Spinster
He hadn’t been lying about feeling tired and hot. There was nowhere to sit, not without elbowing one’s way through a crowd of people to get to the wall, and even then the seats were mostly occupied with matrons and dowagers, or older gentlemen obliged to escort female relatives. The heat was intense, caused by the press of too many bodies together, of countless candles hanging from the chandeliers, of movement and talk, and William did feel a little faint.
Near the end of one of the supper-rooms, he spotted a half-open French door leading out onto a long balcony. He could almost feel the breeze on his heated skin. Hurrying towards it, William stepped out onto the cool balcony, almost sagging with relief.
The balcony was a long, narrow thing, curving around the side of the house. It was a plain stone walkway, ringed with a chest-high wall, overlooking the lawns and gardens below. Of course, it was too dark to make out much. William moved over to the wall, resting his elbows on the surface and looking down.
He could see the rough silhouettes of shrubs and plants, with a rustling here and there that indicated foxes and rabbits were about. Across the dark lawn, he could see carriage lights inthe courtyard, where curricles and gigs were parked, waiting for their occupants to return, the coach drivers guarding them.
I want to go home,he thought dizzily, feeling as miserable as a child. He couldn’t go home, of course. He had to stay, to give his siblings a chance to meet people.
Folks were always more open and morethemselvesat a masquerade, in his opinion.
“You know, it’s really not proper for us to be here alone.”
The unfamiliar voice made him flinch. Stepping away from the wall, he peered down the length of the walkway, near to where it curved around the side of the building. He spotted a woman standing there, barely more than a shadow in the dark.
“I beg your pardon,” he said. “I had no idea anyone was out here. I only wanted some air. I’ll leave at once, of course.”
“No, stay,” she said, stepping into the light. “I’d feel terrible if you went back inside and fainted from the heat. It’s a terrible crush in there.”
The woman was younger than he’d expected, from the dry, cool tone of her voice. William had never been good at estimating ages and judged that she was anywhere between twenty and thirty. She wore a long, quilted blue gown, simply cut, not seeming to be any character in particular. She wore a matching domino mask in the same vibrant blue. Her hair was pinned back neatly, if a little austerely, half covered under a blue cap. Tendrils of red hair escaped. A plain, silver locket hung around her neck, the jewelry not really matching the rest of her clothing. She was pretty, or so he would guess. Full red lips curved up at his scrutiny, as if she guessed what he was thinking.
William flushed and hoped that the darkness hid it.
“I apologise,” he heard himself say. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your solitude.”
“And I didn’t mean to intrude on yours,” she remarked. She eyed his suit for a long moment, making him wish he’d wornsomething more elaborate, or at least chosen a mask. “Can I assume you aren’t any particular character?”
He winced. “I don’t much care for dressing up. Not that I have anything against masquerades, of course, but they aren’t really for me.”
“Nor me,” she said with a sigh, moving over to stand beside him. She rested her elbows on the wall, looking over just as he had done. He caught a whiff of lemon coming from her, an unusual scent. Most ladies smelled of lavender or rosewater, in his opinion.
Not that there was anything wrong with those scents, of course.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and William blushed red again, a little disconcerted to have been caught staring.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” he said, after a pause.
“No, I don’t believe we have.”
“I’m Lord William Willoughby, the Duke of Dunleigh.”
She turned to face him, smiling that inscrutable smile again. “Yes, I know who you are.”
“Oh,” he managed, feeling caught off-guard. “You do?”
“Of course I do. Half of the mammas in the crowd today are trying to catch you for their daughters. Half of the daughters want to catch you, too. You’re the most eligible man in London.”
“I am not.”
“Oh, but you are. Handsome, charming, pleasant – you’re very personable,andyou’re remarkably wealthy and titled. Any woman would want you.”
William thought of the will, and wondered just how many women would want him if they knew his wealth was entirely dependent on walking down the aisle.
“Yourself included, I suppose?” he heard himself say.
Horror immediately set in. That was an entirely inappropriate thing to say to any woman, or any person at all, in any settling. He began to babble.
“Oh, I did not mean… I… forgive me, please, I only meant…”
