Page 16 of A Gentleman's Reckoning
She had heard the expression,love at first sight,but the words had been foreign. Now, it felt like she had been given the key to the language. She only hoped the surge of accompanying feeling would not steal her speech.
Unaware of the direction of her thoughts, for which she was fervently grateful, Mr. Rowles led her to an open place on the floor and turned to face her.
“I must tell you that meeting you here is likely to prove the happiest moment of the evening.”
This caused her smile to bloom. She could feel it, could feel her lips stretching and her eyes glowing. She had not thought herself so easy to read, but she must be if he could speak such familiar words to her. And she could only be grateful that he thought their meeting happy, for it matched her own sentiment.
He led her in the first steps of the dance, and the routine of them brought her back down from the cloud she had been floating on. She knew practically nothing about him.
“You dance very well, Mr. Rowles. Where did you learn the steps?”
“Even the most uncivilized of men can be taught, I suppose,” he said smoothly, coming to turn around her. “It was through a dancing master, of course.”
The dance gave them little time to continue the conversation, and they did not attempt it. After some time, they found themselves on the side waiting for their turn.
“Did you have a dancing master, then?” she asked. This surprised her. She did not know much of the lives of tradesmen and those of his ilk, but she supposed if they had the money and wished to mingle in society, they would have to hire all sorts of tutors and masters and people proficient in the arts and studies.
“Yes, when I was young,” he replied, then laughed. “These were my least favorite hours spent, I confess. My brother feltthe same, although such instruction was necessary for a young man’s education, of course.”
“Where does your brother live?” She wanted to know everything about him and hoped he would not be put off by her questions.
It was their turn to rejoin the dance, and the steps separated them again before he could answer. It was not until they were reunited that he said, “Gregory lives in West Riding. He is married and serves as rector there.”
“That is not an easy position to obtain without connections,” she observed, thinking that his brother was lucky to have been granted the living. It made her wonder again about Mr. Rowles’s status. Perhaps he was a gentleman—son of a doctor or clergyman. “I am sure he must be valuable to his parish.”
There was a strange twist to Mr. Rowles’s features that was gone in an instant, and she wondered if he and his brother did not get along. Or perhaps he had been offended by her bringing up his lack of connections. She would need to be more careful with her speech, for she truly did not wish to alienate a man she liked so well.
“He is very valuable, indeed. Even his wife serves the poor and organizes relief baskets. She pays the services of the midwife for those who cannot do so. She is…much like yourself.” The dance brought them apart, and when they were rejoined, he hastened to add, “As much as a woman who is beneath you in station can be like you.”
She settled for a smile until the steps gave her the chance to respond. “You, yourself, said there are good and bad people to be found in both simple and elevated spheres. If she is good, then I am honored by the comparison.”
“She has certainly made my brother happy.” The first dance of the set had ended without them having rejoined it, and he led her to the edge of the dance floor. “Have you no siblings? No, I believe you once mentioned you have a brother.”
“Yes. Matthew. We are as close as he will allow me to be. But I confess that he goes off to Eton quite happily without sparing a thought for his poor elder sister who misses him terribly.”
“He is fortunate to have you and will realize it when he is just a little older,” Mr. Rowles assured her, his lips turned upwards in a way that chased away her breath. “May I procure something for you to drink?”
Geny looked toward the double doors where servants entered bearing trays with glasses upon them. “Yes, if you please. I am thirsty.”
She watched him walk away to retrieve them, as her heart continued to beat a strange rhythm and the candlelight created a warm halo around him.
I understand what it means now to fall suddenly in love.This thought was quickly followed by a second.And yet Father will never approve. Oh, heavens. What am I about?
Chapter Six
John had not quite recovered from his initial surprise at seeing Lady Eugenia at a ball in Southwark—not entirely. As much as his visit with Lord Blackstone had occupied his attention in the hours that followed it, his thoughts had never been far from the sight of her holding Benjamin. Here was a poor orphan, with nothing redeeming or attractive about him, and she should have wanted nothing to do with him, but her actions had shown that her interest was genuine. His vast experience with the female population had taught him that such a woman simply did not exist, his brother’s wife excepted. And yet, Lady Eugenia had looked upon the foundling with an affection bordering on love. She had not even grown disgusted when the baby had soiled her gown.
In that moment, something had shifted inside of him, like a novel view through a prism. It was as though ordinary objects were painted in vibrant hues and sunlight—colored with beauty. It had been some years since he had had any contact with these finer emotions, and they remained strong even when he was away from her.
“Are you tired?” he asked as he handed her a glass of coldratafia. He stood at a respectful distance, although he wished to put his arm around her and shield her from the crowds that seemed to edge too close. “We can sit this next dance out if you’d like.”
She sipped before answering. “I am tired, although I should be too young to admit to such a thing.” She smiled up at him, and although he could not put his arm around her, he could offer it to her.
“Then let us sit,” he said. “If you are active in both society events at night and in your care for the orphans in the mornings, it is only natural you should be fatigued.”
The ballroom was agreeably situated with plenty of room for both dancing and conversation; it was a simple thing to lead her over to the chairs in one of the alcoves. The space was almost a small room in and of itself, except for the fact that the open front made it easily visible from the floor. Surprisingly, there was no one else occupying the other chairs in their alcove, so they would be able to speak with a degree of intimacy. Other members of thetonwould consider the ball too far beneath them. And yet, it was proving to be the nicest ball he had attended in his life as a gentleman, a fact more likely to do with Lady Eugenia.
John turned in his chair so he might have a better view of her, aware of his fortune to be given such perfect liberty to approach her. To converse with one of Lady Eugenia’s status. It was as though he had never fallen out of favor at all. This would change in the blink of an eye if ever she were to learn who he was. He was suddenly determined that she wouldnotlearn it, for he liked her far too well to see a change in her opinion of him.
