Page 11 of The Earl's Christmas Deal
CHAPTER FIVE
The doors to the ballroom had been kept closed, even to the family, for two days.
Emilia had not known what her mother was planning, but she could scarcely believe her eyes when she entered the room.
If Christmas had not arrived in the rest of the house, it was certainly front and centre in the ballroom. Garlands hung from the mantelpiece, and holly had been placed all around the large mirror. The drinks table was filled with bowls of bright red punch, and holly leaves were sprinkled across it. Kissing boughs hung from the edge of the table, and ribbons in gold, green, and red danced throughout the room.
Emilia caught her mother’s eye where she stood greeting her guests and saw a spark of her old self appear as she grinned in excitement. They had both always adored Christmas, and having the chance to show off the house with a ball was a wonderful thing.
The guests made their way inside, exclaiming at the beautiful décor; swathes of silk and velvet spun across Emilia’s vision and everyone looked excited and jubilant chatter filling the air.
Emilia was surprised to find herself eagerly anticipating one man’s entrance over all the others. The Earl of Bellebrook had intrigued her to such an extent that she could not get the man out of her mind. She wondered if he might address his odd behaviour, and a shiver of anticipation ran through her as she eagerly watched the doorway.
As her fingers plucked incessantly at the beading on her gown, her eyes fell on another newcomer to the ballroom. Lady Seraphina Cheswick glided into the room between her parents,the Marquess and Marchioness of Chesingdale. Everyone’s attention was caught by their arrival; Seraphina looked like a swan in her white gown against the deep red and strict black of her mother and father.
Emilia’s stomach tightened at the sight of them, but she quickly fixed a smile in place. She knew how important it was to her mother and father that the Chesingdale’s had agreed to attend the ball, and it was imperative that she made a good impression. It seemed to Emilia that the whispers in the hall reached a crescendo, and she felt on display and ill at ease as she imagined everyone referencing her recent scandal.
She stood up straight, raised her chin, and refused to let slander and gossip influence her. She had never done anything wrong, and she intended to show the world that.
The ballroom was a lively prospect, and as they approached the doorway, Lionel’s facelit up in a grin. Adam, on the other hand, felt nerves so strong that he thought he might cast up his accounts on the beautifully polished floor. To distract himself, Adam offered his arm to his aunt and manfully led her into the fray.
He was acutely aware that the one lady he had always relied upon was no longer on his arm. Anastasia had been a flawless companion at such functions, speaking when Adam had been tongue-tied and always ready to speak to anyone in her vicinity.
He had not realised how much he had relied upon her until he was suddenly amongst so many strangers. The room was brash, loud, and overcrowded. There were signs of Christmas everywhere, and the sight of them set his teeth on edge. Every tinkle of glass, raucous laugh, and the varied colours of rich greens and reds further cemented his wish to runquickly in the opposite direction and hide beneath a table in an empty room.
“Ah, there is Lady Seraphina. Does she not look well?”
Adam glanced at the lady. She was very beautiful in the way that many women of good breeding could be. She looked haughty in her expression, eyes narrowing at the dancefloor as though she were looking for anyoneworthyenough to mark her card.
“I can see her, Aunt Augusta. Thank you for pointing her out,” Adam replied as Lionel gave him a weary look over his mother’s head.
Adam’s gaze was drawn to their hosts. Lord and Lady Sternwood were speaking to the Pinkertons, an older couple who were well-known in society for their long and loving relationship and overly enthusiastic presence at almost every ball of the season. But as he watched Lord Pinkerton speaking with Lady Sternwood, another figure came into view.
Standing demure and quiet behind her mother, a dark red vision caught his eye.
Adam stared at Emilia as the fog of grief lifted, the notes from the pianoforte springing into his mind as though her face alone conjured the music. Her sharp features were framed beautifully by her hair, a lock of it tumbling past her high cheekbones. Those captivating eyes were looking toward the floor, her shoulders tense as she glanced about the room.
Adam looked away, discomfited and growing more irritable by the moment. She reminded him of Bach’s melody. That lilting, rising ecstasy that became increasingly beautiful the more one listened to it.
This is quite ludicrous,he admonished himself;I am no longer fifteen years old.
“Must you appear so revolted by the place?” Augusta inquired sharply beside him. “It isChristmas,Adam. You are here to enjoy yourself. If you spend the entire fortnight with a face like thunder, no one will invite you to anything again.”
Adam was not given the opportunity to respond to his aunt’s harsh words, however, as suddenly there was a commotion at the doorway of the ballroom. They all turned to look at the man who had entered. Adam suppressed a curse at the sight of Mr Frederick Bentley, a connection long neglected and best forgotten.
Straight, tall, and formidable, Frederick Bentley was a distant paternal cousin of Adam’s and wasdue to inherit the Bellebrook estate should Adam fail to produce an heir. Adam masked a grimace as he watched Frederick’s charming smile illuminate the room. Adam knew all too well how deceiving it could be.
Frederick stood beside his mother, Mrs Verity Bentley, who was stooped and frail on his arm, peering about her with a look of confused interest. As they shook hands with the Sterlings, Adam heard Augusta tut beneath her breath.
“What in the world is Frederick doing here?” Augusta asked, sounding baffled.
“Mrs Verity is very close to Lady Camilla,” Lionel muttered, keeping his voice low.
“Oh, of course, what rotten luck; they must have been invited to the house party as well. I declare I would never have come if I had known I would need to spend time with them in such close quarters.”
There wasn’t an ounce of truth in his aunt’s words, of course. Adam knew she would have come regardless, but Frederick’s presence would make the next few days even more trying for Adam, and he did not need any other reasons to want to run for the hills.
Frederick was handsome, and his manners afforded him many friends, but Adam knew of the darkness that resided within. The man was a veracious gambler and had squanderedmuch of his own fortune at a young age in gambling hells about London.
