Page 49 of An Offer for a Spinster
Henry shrugged. He seemed tired, all of a sudden. Timothy noticed that his handsome face had lines that his brothers did not – worry lines around the eyes and forehead, signs of tiredness. There were dark circles around his eyes.
As he was considering this, Alexander let out a peal of laughter, and dropped a glass of wine. It shattered at his feetwith an enormous tinkling noise, scattering red wine and glass shards everywhere.
The drunken fools all giggled wildly at the mess, laughing at Alexander shaking out the hem of his cloak, which was now stained with red wine like blood.
A poker-faced footman came forward with a brush and shovel and began cleaning up the mess. Timothy saw guests shoot Alexander sharp, disgusted looks, edging away from him.
Beside him, Henry gave a muffled curse, and got to his feet.
“I should try and manage him,” he muttered. “I wonder if I can drag him home early.”
“Should I get William?”
“If you can find him. Mother was introducing him to scores of ladies, all very keen to meet a handsome young Duke and become the next Duchess, but he didn’t seem taken with any of them. The last I saw him, he was trying to get out of the crowd. Good luck to him, that’s all I can say.”
The conversation was clearly over. Henry got to his feet, roughly tying his mask around his eyes again, more to keep his hair out of his face and his hands free than from anything else. Timothy watched him approach his brother, who was red-faced and laughing uncontrollably now.
“You are drunk, Alexander,” Henry hissed, voice low and sibilant. “Come away.”
“Oh, let me have a little fun, Henry! Oh, look, there’s Timothy. He’ll have a drink with us.”
“You’ve had more than enough, you fool. The rest of you, go away. I mean it.”
The knot of ladies and gentlemen around Alexander flinched at Henry’s tone, glancing at each other, offended. He glared at them until they began to filter away, leaning on each other for comfort. A pool of red wine was beginning to spread out overthe floor, spite the poor footman’s best efforts. The hem of Alexander’s cloak was trailing in it.
This will, this ultimatum, it’s driving them all mad,Timothy thought despairingly.Where on earth will it end? What will they choose – money or love?
He got up, replacing his mask, and left Henry to wrangle with his younger brother. Diving into the crowd, Timothy began to search for William. Surely he couldn’t have gone far.
I have to tell him,Timothy thought, with a flutter of nerves.I have to tell him how I feel about Katherine. Even if he’s shocked, or angry, he needs to know. Perhaps he’ll tell me to keep it to myself, in which case I won’t have lost anything. Or perhaps he’ll say…
Timothy did not finish the thought.
One thing at a time. Find William first. If you can, of course.
Chapter Sixteen
“… and everybody complimented my Theodosia on herexcellentwatercolours, but then, she does everything with such an excessive degree of accomplishment. It’s really a rare thing to see, don’t you agree, your Grace?”
William, who was in the middle of smothering a yawn, managed to nod obediently.
His mother had cornered him, in order to introduce Lady Everett and her daughter, Miss Theodosia Figg. Miss Figg was a wan-faced young lady in an unfortunately coloured yellow gown, with no mask or any attempt at a costume. Her mother was a portly lady who talked incessantly and didn’t seem to mind in the least that she was the only one talking.
She was the fifth lady – or was it the sixth? He was losing count – who had cornered William and insisted on introducing an eligible daughter or two. Some ladies were clearly not interested in William, and were merely polite, but others seemed keen to secure him. He could almost hear them sounding out their new title in their heads.
It wasn’t their fault, he assumed. He knew from Katherine’s plight how difficult it was to be a woman in this world. Everything relied on a woman’s marriage, and she only had one chance at it. A series of failed relationships or broken engagements could scupper a woman’s chance at a future. It was hard to blame them for being so keen to attract a duke, then.
“I see that the dancing is going along nicely,” Lady Everett said, eyes boring into William’s. “Have you a partner, your Grace? My Theodosia has been bombarded with gentlemen wanting to dance with her; you’re quite lucky to find her with an empty set in her dance card. I’m sure you long to dance.”
What a subtle hint.
William, however, had had enough.
“I’m afraid not, Lady Everett,” he said blandly, acting as if he were too stupid to understand her hint. “I’m quite tired, actually, and entirely too hot. I think I’ll take some air. It was so good to see you both. Enjoy the evening, won’t you?”
Lady Everett opened her mouth to say something to keep him there, but William did not give her the opportunity. With speed unbecoming of a duke, he turned tail and hurried into the crowd, hastily losing Lady Everett and her accomplished Theodosia.
It’s not as if either of them will miss me,he thought wryly.
