Page 22 of A Sham Betrothal
Basile broke his stunned silence with an audible gasp, then, “Le diable l’emporte!”
The devil take him!
She regarded him with unease, but he merely laughed with incredulity. “The peacock has no elegance of mind. You are well rid of him.” She kept her eyes on him, and he could see she was not reassured, so he shook his head. “Let him hand me all of your bills and think no more of it. It is true that I should not choose to act as he did in the same circumstance, but there is no reason why you should be punished for his infamy.”
Her eyes quit his as she trained her gaze forward. “I can understand his frustration with me, although it is most certainly not of my doing. But it is most humiliating.”
A dance set was forming in front of them, and Basile made a split decision. Sophie needed to dance just now and toss her cares away. There was no reason not to enjoy this evening, or their sham betrothal—as she called it—to the fullest.
“You need be under no obligation to that man. I will stand your friend.” He smiled at her, and held out his hand. “Come. Let us join this set.”
Chapter 10
Sophie followed Basile onto the dance floor and took her position across from him in the line, curtsying to her partner as the minuet began. She had never been more upended by her circumstances than she was now. Here she was in a foreign country, supposedly betrothed to a man who possessed a title and was in a station far above her own, vulnerable and exposed, dependent upon him for finances and her reputation—her grandmother unable to guide or shield her, her only English friend proving himself to be no friend at all. She was astonished that she was not prostrate from the anxiety of her situation.
She slipped her hand into his, their stares locked as she moved in pattern to the next partner. She could feel his eyes on her when she left his hands. Sophie had always thought herself independent, a woman who knew her own mind. But all that she had thought quite firm and unshakable within her dismantled under his touch. Earlier in her house, when he had stepped close to press a patch upon her cheek, she could not breathe. Could not move until hereleased her from his touch. It was an inexplicable emotion to be so helpless when he drew near. It could not be love—it was much too soon to declare such a thing. It must simply be attraction.
And he was attractive. Not only in physical appearance—indeed he was that—but in charisma. There was a magnetism about him that pulled her toward him—pulled her eyes, pulled her arm into his, pulled her person to draw near until she had established herself firmly at his side. Oh, she was in grave danger of giving her heart to the man if she was not careful. For he could never be anything more to her than a charming acquaintance she once knew in Paris.
Regardless of how much she questioned her attraction to him, she could not question his trustworthiness. He might be a liar, for all she knew. He might be impoverished, a gentleman of no consequence who ingratiated himself into French society, but…
But no. That was impossible. Basile was who he said he was. Besides what society and his friends said of him, he just wasn’t someone who seemed false.
He bowed to her at the end of their dance and brought her to Zoé’s mother and sister just as Zoé and her partner returned, her eyes sparkling. “Sophie, do you know Mr. Arlington?”
The Englishman greeted Sophie by bowing before her. “Indeed, we have not had that pleasure. How do you do?”
She murmured a suitable reply, and Zoé leaned in to whisper something to him. Sophie watched them, struck now by what she saw was a clear partiality on both sides. He listened intently to what Zoé said, allowing himself to linger before standing upright to return his gaze to Sophie. Zoé’s attention was pulled by her sister.
“Mademoiselle Sainte-Croix informs me that you arebetrothed to Monsieur le Marquisde Verdelle.” Mr. Arlington glanced in Basile’s direction where he had gone in search of refreshments. “I had heard that he was betrothed to an Englishwoman but did not know who until now. I must congratulate you. I understand the queen is in favor of your match and is eager to meet you.”
“Wh…what?” Sophie’s breath left her at once. The queen? Marie-Antoinette? How had she even heard of it? Basile surely would not have announced it.
Before she could answer, Mr. Arlington smiled reassuringly. “Yesterday, Lord Stormont was invited to have an audience with her, and it was there that he learned of the beautiful Englishwoman.” He darted a glance at Zoé’s back. “Those were the queen’s words. That a beautiful Englishwoman had captured the heart of an elusive French marquis. The whole court is talking of it.”
Zoé turned from her conversation with her sister and caught the last part. Something in Mr. Arlington’s words seemed to strike her as funny, and she hid her smile behind her fan.
Basile returned, delivering a glass of Champagne to Sophie. He then noticed Zoé empty-handed, surrendered his own glass to her, and looked around at the awkward silence. “What did I miss?”
“The queen knows of our betrothal?” Sophie asked him, fear creeping up her spine. She did not know precisely what she feared. Oh, everything, she supposed. She was so wholly out of her element in this country and in this dangerous game they were playing.
“Ah.” Basile looked chagrined and glanced at Mr. Arlington. “You had it from the ambassador?” When Mr. Arlington nodded, he turned back to her. “Indeed. I do not know how she knew, but she is remarkably well connected.Someone must have been at Madame Beauchamp’s dinner, whose task it is to report back to her anything of an interesting nature.”
Sophie waited for him to elaborate—to reassure her—but he merely shrugged. “It is of no account. I gave her a brief recital of our meeting and hinted that it wasun véritable coup de foudre.”
“I always told you that when at last you fell in love, it would be a case of love at first sight,” Zoé said, her mirth escaping in a giggle. Mr. Arlington studied her, his serious expression close to a frown. He must have wondered what about it made Zoé laugh, but then, he did not know it was not a true engagement. It also seemed he could not entirely hide the jealous feelings he held toward the marquis. That she could understand. Basile and Zoé were so close as to cause anyone with a particular interest to wonder if they might cherish secret feelings for one another. She would be tempted to be jealous as well except that she had no cause to be, for she had no real claim whatsoever on Basile.
Basile stopped Zoé from elaborating with a look, and something of an understanding passed between them that did not serve to alleviate Mr. Arlington’s suspicions, for he soon took a cold leave of Zoé.
As soon as he was gone, her face fell. “I do not understand Englishmen. They just grow reserved and pull back their affection the minute they are no longer the center of a woman’s attention. Why is that?” She turned to Sophie suddenly. “How can any woman give her undivided attention to one man?”
Sophie glanced at her in surprise. “I…I do not know.” She thought of the men of her acquaintance. Sheldon would certainly not pull back his attention when a woman wasn’t interested. He would only increase it until he was bludgeoning her to death by his regard. In fact, she wished he would pull back. “Perhaps it is only that he feels strongly?—”
She stopped herself. She did not wish to voice her suspicions about the nature of Mr. Arlington’s interest, although Zoé seemed far from being offended by her familiarity.
Sophie tried again. “I could not help but notice that perhaps the two of you harbor a…preference for one another? And yet—if you will forgive me for frank speaking—you do not appear to return his feelings in a way that would cast out all doubt. I believe some men are proud and will withdraw their heart rather than risk their affection not being returned.”
Zoé lowered her eyes, her lips straightening in a firm line. “That shows no courage at all. Perhaps such men are not worth fighting for, then. Why should a woman cease to enjoy herself for fear that a man might decide her smiles are too easily given?”
