Page 13 of The Marquess's Imperfect Brid
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Grace,” he said. “I am delighted to meet you.”
Grace exhaled a barely concealed sigh of relief. He had acted as though he had never seen her before, and he was perfectly polite and charming, just as he had been when she had first met him. His eyes held no wariness or malice, and his smile was as genuine as it was attractive. Her heart fluttered, and she found it difficult to look away.
The young woman beside the marquess cleared her throat, causing all three other people to turn toward her. Grace thought the marquess looked uncomfortable and unhappy as he gave her a curt nod.
“Lady Grace, this is Lady Cecilia Bingham,” he said flatly. “She is the daughter of the earl and countess of Birington.”
The young woman did the shallowest curtsey that Grace had ever seen. She also did not try to hide the disdain in her expression, even as she forced a smile.
“What a pleasure,” she said with less sincerity than a murderer pleading innocence.
Grace nodded, trying to ignore the woman’s judgment as she curtseyed politely and smiled.
“Delighted to meet you, Lady Cecilia,” she said.
The young lady suddenly clung tightly to Lord Hayewood, which caused Lady Albury to scowl. The expression did not linger long before she turned another brilliant smile back on Grace.
“Come, darling,” she said, deliberately ignoring the smile that Lady Cecilia flashed at her. “I would like to tell you about the most interesting thing I learned the other day.”
Grace nodded with a relieved smile. She understood immediately that Lady Albury was simply trying to get her away from the snobby Lady Cecilia, and she was grateful. Lady Cecilia seemed taken aback, as though displeased that she had lost the attention of the group. And Lord Hayewood had looked away from the young blond woman and was giving Grace anotherwarm smile. His eyes were sparkling as they had on the day she first met him, and her heart skipped again. It was easy to forget everything that made her feel so uncomfortable about herself when the marquess looked at her that way. She was almost reluctant to leave his side. But she was glad to be away from Lady Cecilia and her scrutiny.
Once Lady Albury had Grace safely out of sight from the blond woman, she dipped her head and patted her back gently.
“If she she should present you with any difficulties this evening, do not hesitate to inform me,” she stated with a playful gleam in her eye. “That young woman is currently staying in my home, and I shall not tolerate any unladylike behaviour from any of my guests.”
Grace nodded and smiled, even though she knew that she would never speak up if Lady Cecilia did turn mean toward her.
“Thank you, Lady Albury,” she said. “You are very kind.”
The kind woman nodded with another warm smile as she excused herself. Grace tried to keep her shoulders relaxed, but she could not resist the urge to glance back at the marquess. Lady Cecilia was staring up at him as though her eyes alone could force the marquess to do whatever she wanted. And Lord Hayewood looked horribly miserable.
Perhaps, if I were prettier, I could have saved him from her company, she thought wistfully.
“Sister, dear, what will it take to erase that sadness from your face?” Neil asked, sweeping her into his arms before she could react to his intrusion on her thoughts.
She giggled as he linked his arm with hers and gently led her toward the floor.
“This is a wonderful start,” she said.
Neil nodded, but his eyes grew serious.
“Is someone giving you trouble?” he asked with a hint of caution in his voice.
Grace sighed, explaining the awkwardness with Lady Cecilia. As expected, Neil glared at the woman, and Grace began to wish that she had kept the incident to herself. But Neil seemed to sense her discomfort, as he stuck out his tongue in her direction, so quickly that only Grace saw.
Grace began to laugh, giving her brother a playful nudge on his shoulder as the music began.
“You are too much, dear brother,” she said.
Neil grinned in the way that told Grace he was about to burst into lighthearted nonsense. He performed a three-step tapping dance in place of the dance’s beginning steps, making her giggle again.
“I am afraid that I must disagree,” he said. “I do not believe that I am nearly enough.”
And for the rest of their dance, Grace did not have time to dwell on Lady Cecilia, or on the insecurities that had been making her night so uncomfortable. Neil muttered insults about every couple who dared to look snidely in their direction right in Grace’s ear, and any time he thought her smile might wilt, he pretended to trip over his own feet. By the end of the dance, Grace could barely stand up straight from laughing so hard. She rested her head on her brother’s shoulder as he led her off the floor, relishing the brief comfort. She knew that the feeling would not last, as she still could not shake the feeling of all the judgmental eyes on her. But it was nice to forget, if only for a few brief moments. And she adored her brother for his efforts, however quickly the effects would pass.
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Gareth
