Page 34 of A Lady's Beastly Duke
Miss Highbury shot her mother a hard look, then inclined her head to him in a gesture that was the limit of politeness. “I will reserve you the quadrille,” she said, her tone so frosty that Sidney was amazed he had not caught a chill from it.
“There! You may rest assured,” Lady Kepford said with a delight that sounded feigned even to his ears. “My daughter will save you the quadrille.”
Sidney looked away. The mix of desperation and distaste in Lady Kepford’s tone hurt him. She was clearly desperate to find a duke for her daughter, or she would not have cast an eye on him. She found him repellent, he could tell, and he felt a sting of pain and anger.
If you think I am so unbearably ugly, then let me have my peace,he wanted to shout.
He gazed out across the ballroom.
Guests stood about, drinking from delicate wineglasses. Across the room, Amy was talking to Henry and some of her guests, her lovely dark hair arranged in an elaborate bun. She caught his eye and beamed. She had not discussed the guest-list with him despite his protestation that she did so. His stomach clenched with excitement at the thought that, just perhaps, Lady Anastasia might be included.
***
He heard the quartet begin to tune up and he tensed. He had no idea when the quadrille would be on the list, but he suspected it would be soon. His stomach twisted nervously and when the introduction played, he groaned. It was a quadrille.
He went to find Miss Highbury.
She was standing with another lady and a gentleman he did not know. He guessed they would partner them for the quadrille, and he bowed low. The gentleman looked frostily at him, and Sidney bridled at the judgmental stare. He was spared having to say anything, as the dance was beginning, and he took Miss Highbury’s hand and stepped onto the dance floor.
“Ouch,” he murmured as, after two or three steps, she stood on his toe. She had seemed a graceful dancer before, if a little stilted, so he raised his brow in surprise at the unexpected misstep.
When it happened again, and then a third time, and she seemed reluctant to apologize, his back stiffened and he knew she was doing it on purpose. She clearly disliked him immensely, her gloved hand stiff in his. He would almost have been amused at her attempts to put him off if her attitude had not been so hurtful.
You don’t know me,he thought, miserably.How can you judge me so cruelly?
The music stopped playing and he bowed low. MissHighbury gave the barest curtsey. He stared out across the ballroom, his gaze searching for Amy.
She was standing by the wall with Henry, and she spotted him. She wove her way through the crowd so that, by the time he was standing in the midst of a group of people, she was beside him.
“Are you having a pleasant evening?” she asked him, her blue eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him.
“Um...somewhat,” Sidney replied unsteadily. “You have organised a splendid ball, dear sister,” he added hastily, not wishing to upset her.
She beamed. “I am glad to hear it. Perhaps even more splendid now that a certain person has arrived?”
“A person?” Sidney felt his brow furrow. He gazed around the room, confusedly. “What person would that be?” he asked.
Amy grinned. “She is there, over by the window, brother. The one by the garden door.”
Sidney gazed across to where the breeze wafted in, and he gaped. The tall young lady in a pale blue gown, her lovely hair in ringlets about her face, her elbow-length gloves shimmering satin, was clearly nobody other than Lady Anastasia.
“You...you...” Sidney stammered. He had told nobody of his affection for Lady Anastasia—in fact, he had tried to conceal it from Mama, thinking it a hopeless dream. He had not known that Amy knew; nor did he know how.
“Go and dance with her, brother,” Amy said, looking up at him with a fond stare. “She doesn’t want to have to wait around either, I expect.”
Sidney just stared at his sister. He swallowed hard. “I...I couldn’t,” he murmured. “The scandal...” He tried to explain to his sister that he did not want to cause any harm to Lady Anastasia’s good name. His sister laughed.
“This is a private ball,” she said swiftly. “I would not permit any of those horrors who pen those scandals to enter this room. We are safe here.”
Sidney stared at her. She was right. They were mostly among friends—Henry and Amy’s friends, not necessarily his own—but there would almost certainly be nobody witnessing this ball who wished them, or their family, harm.
He inclined his head.
“Mayhap I shall.”
His sister beamed. “As you should, brother. I had best hurry. Henry’s talking to a footman and perhaps there’s some matter of organization that needs discussion.” She beamed at her brother and hurried off before he could get a word out.
He swallowed hard. He gazed over at Lady Anastasia. She was standing talking to someone—he could not see whom, but it was another woman. He cleared his throat, heart thumping in terror. It was foolishness, he knew, to feel so afraid—the worst thing that could happen was that she refused. But that would have wounded him terribly. He approached cautiously.A thousand different words flew round his head as he tried to decide what to say.
