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  “Thank you, your Grace. I do find London suits me well.” Her voice again sent needles of pleasure throughout his body.

  “Have you met my aunt and uncle, the Viscount and Viscountess of Amhearst?” she inquired politely, indicating the pair off to her side.

  Noel had to force himself to turn toward the older couple. “I have,” he replied. “It is good to see you again,” he greeted them. “I met your niece at her father’s church a little more than a fortnight ago.”

  “Ah,” the viscount replied, “it is a most interesting church, is it not?” Without waiting for a reply, he indicated a petite brunette with pixie features and a genial smile. “Do meet my daughter, Miss Willa Dutton,” the viscount said.

  Noel bowed over this young lady’s hand as well and murmured something polite. “May I write in a dance?” he asked her. She offered a smile in reply and proffered her dance card. He wrote his name next to a quadrille and then turned to Miss Stuart.

  “I don’t suppose you have received permission for the waltz?” he asked, knowing it was most likely too soon.

  “I am sorry,” she replied. “I have not.”

  Noel satisfied himself with the first dance, a cotillion, and then penciled in for the supper dance as well. Conscious of the proprieties he said only a few more words. “Until then,” he said. Turning toward the viscount and his wife, he continued. “It was good to see you again, Lord and Lady Amhearst.”

  He reluctantly moved away. Although he wished it to be so, he could not dance every dance with her. Instead, he mingled for a bit, jotting his name onto the dance cards of a number of young women. He chose a quadrille with Lady Regina, wanting to know more about her if John should ever ask his opinion. She was all that was polite, but seemed, to him, to be chilly and reserved.

  Until he had spent more time with Miss Stuart, he found himself reluctant to pursue other eligible young women. Therefore, he glanced around for girls who might not have a full dance card.

  He noticed a young woman sitting alone near her chaperone. Introduced at one time to her older sisters, Noel knew she was the youngest daughter of Lord Kendall. Miss Mildred Munch was a bit plump and had spots on her face. Since she had to share only an adequate portion with three older sisters, he suspected her dowry was not such to attract the young men in need. He requested a dance from her and was uncomfortable when she was almost pitifully thankful.

  He paced along the wall, signing the dance cards of others like Miss Munch. A young woman with flaming red hair, a girl who possessed unfortunately protruding teeth, and another who was so tall and thin she appeared reed-like, were all recipients of his scribbled name.

  Then, thinking he had promised enough of the pretty, he tracked down his hostess and promised to sweep her off her feet with the first waltz. She tittered and slapped him with her fan and called him a “good boy.”

  As the musicians prepared for the first dance, Noel approached Miss Stuart and eagerly led her to the floor. John, he noticed, led off the evening with his mother.

  “I do hope you are enjoying the evening,” he said to Miss Stuart before he realized how ridiculous it sounded at this early hour. Something about her practically tongue-tied him.

  “Yes, I am,” she replied as the music began.

  She danced with grace, Noel noted with pleasure. He reveled in the touch of her hand in his and in the opportunities to let his gaze fall upon her. It pleased him to note she was polite to everyone, always smiling, and exceedingly pleasant.

  The dance ended too soon, and Noel found himself leading her back to Lady Amhearst. “Do you attend the Helmsley’s reception tomorrow evening?” he asked, hoping to find out something of the plans she had.

  “Yes, I believe so,” she returned. “My cousin and I are looking forward to it.”

  The walk had been too short, and Noel bid her adieu before leaving her with her aunt.

  His next dance was with Lady Regina. He ended the dance thinking he had learned nothing new which might cast her in a better light. She had made a few comments about others and had been unkind, then had laughed them off. He happily returned her to the woman who served as her chaperone.

  Miss Stuart’s cousin was next on his list, and he enjoyed Miss Dutton’s company. She seemed lively and quite happy to chatter throughout the dance. He soon learned she and Miss Stuart had grown up closely, sharing a birthday in early fall. Their mothers were sisters, she told him, and they remained close despite the distance of their homes. The dance ended, and Noel saw her back to her mother’s side, sorry they had not arrived before Miss Stuart and her next partner walked out to the dance floor. Until supper had come and gone, the evening would seem long, he realized.

  Indeed, it did. He knew he made several girls quite happy with his attentions, and he did not find the evening to be intolerable. Finally, the supper dance arrived, and Noel moved eagerly to fetch his partner.

  “This is my dance again, I believe,” he stated, bowing over Miss Stuart’s gloved hand.

  “Of course,” she replied as she laid her hand on his arm. The energetic dance left him unable to converse with her beyond a few of the most inane words. As the last chord faded off, he led her toward the supper room. John and Lady Regina were a bit ahead of them, and he thought it might be nice to sit with them. Lady Regina and Miss Stuart had seemed to be friends, so he felt it would put his partner at ease to dine with them.

  Chapter Four

  Claire’s feet ached within her new slippers, and she was hot, almost unbearably so. Furthermore, her head had begun to ache from the frustration of wondering how to capture the earl’s interest. The Duke of Lamberton's attentions did not make matters better.

  No other gentleman had claimed a second dance and Claire, while not wishing to appear rude, had wished she might deny the duke. He unsettled her. There was no better way to describe it. Dancing with him left her breathless, as though she had been running at too quick a pace. When he touched her, she experienced a curious tingle. She assumed it was because of his title and attractiveness.

  The Duke of Lamberton was too handsome. His wavy hair was black as the night sky, his eyes a deep brown that seemed to notice everything she did. Low, straight brows gave him a thoughtful and serious demeanor. Dressed in stark black and white, he was several inches taller than she. She imagined his cravat must have taken hours to arrange.

  As they entered the supper room, Claire happily noted he led her to a table where Lord Roydon had seated Lady Regina. While she did not want to sit with the woman, she needed to have the chance sit near the earl. If she were careful, perhaps she could start a conversation with him and learn more about him.

  “Good evening, Miss Stuart,” Lady Regina greeted as the men left to select their refreshments.

  “Good evening,” Claire replied civilly.

  “Have you a dance with the earl?” Regina asked.

  “I do,” Claire said, “directly after supper, in fact.”

  “Good,” Lady Regina said. “I do hope you take advantage of your time. I’m trying to be patient, but it shan’t last forever,” she said slyly. “You should have made him claim the supper dance.”

  “I cannot force him to do something he does not want to,” Claire pointed out. “The season has barely begun, and this will take time.”

  Lady Regina opened her mouth to reply, but then flashed a warning glance toward the duke as he walked up to the table. He placed a china plate filled with delicacies in front of Claire. The earl followed closely behind and claimed the last seat at the small table.

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” Claire said.

  “You are most welcome,” he replied, “although I daresay I have selected more food for each of us than it is possible to eat. However, I found I didn't know your tastes,” he ended.

  “And I of yours, Lady Regina,” the earl joined in.

  “Miss Stuart and I are neither one particular,” Lady Regina said. “Are we, Miss Stuart?”

  “Not at all,” Claire agr
eed, forcing herself to smile at the other girl in front of the gentlemen, “and everything does appear delicious. Your mother’s ball seems to be successful,” she addressed the earl.

  “Yes, they usually are,” he agreed. “My mother has many friends and is an accomplished hostess.”

  “We had much fun in our younger years,” the duke said, “during school holidays when we would visit each other; the countess willingly organized numerous parties for us and the neighborhood children.”

  “My favorite,” the earl began, “were always the skating parties in winter.”

  The duke laughed, “And the sledding. Oh, the speeds we reached!”

  Claire chuckled at the thought. “Perhaps she organized the parties to get you out of the house,” she suggested in a teasing voice. She was comfortable with this topic of conversation and hoped it did not change soon.

  “Surely not!” the earl said with a grin before he replied more seriously. “Indeed, I am sure it gave her something to anticipate in those days. We were a couple of scamps.”

  “The two of you grew up close together,” the duke said to the ladies. “Did you have many neighborhood parties?”

  “A few,” Lady Regina answered. “Unfortunately, I was away at school much of the time so couldn't participate.”

  He gazed inquiringly at Claire. “When one has four sisters, Your Grace, every day can be a party,” she said.

  With supper over, the small group returned to the ballroom. Claire was not sorry, as sitting with Lady Regina made her nervous, and she was anxious for the next dance. She did not have long to wait, for within minutes of returning to the larger room, the earl came to claim her.

  This dance was slower, one which allowed for snippets of conversation between steps. Claire determined to make the most of the situation. “You and His Grace seem to be the best of friends,” she commented.

  “Yes, we have known each other since our first days at Eaton when we teamed up against the older boys. Even then he was taller than I, but I became handier with my fists. We watched each other’s backs,” he confided.

  “And you have been close ever since?” she asked. Then the dance demanded they part. When they returned he answered the question.

  “Yes. In fact our estates are not more than a half days travel from the other.”

  “How nice,” Claire said. “You must visit each other often.”

  “Several times a year,” the earl agreed before they parted once more.

  “I do hope you are enjoying London,” the earl commented politely when they came back together.

  “I am,” Claire answered, “although this is our first social event, my cousin and I have spent our time riding in the park and have been allowed to visit a few of the sights.”

  “You and Miss Dutton ride?” he inquired.

  The dance took them apart again. “Every day,” she replied upon reaching him again. “My cousin is not happy without her customary morning ride, and my uncle brought a gentle mare for my enjoyment.”

  “Perhaps Lamberton and I shall meet you one morning,” he commented, causing Claire’s heart to leap with hope.

  Later in the evening on the ride home, the viscountess looked at them fondly. “You both seemed to be quite in demand this evening,” she said.

  Willa, sitting beside Claire, poked her gently with an elbow in the dark. “Claire was certainly popular with the Duke of Lamberton,” she teased.

  “I noticed,” Lady Amhearst replied. “He seemed most attentive.”

  “Nothing will come of it,” Claire assured them. “He is a duke, after all, and will soon be spending his time with more eligible women. He is just polite as we have met recently at home.”

  “Hmm. We shall see,” her Aunt Blythe murmured. “Did you meet anyone in particular?” she asked her daughter.

  “No one special,” Willa replied, "but I had a wonderful evening. My toes may never recover from dancing, however. At least two gentlemen trod upon them.”

  “This is the danger in dancing,” her father commented. “When you spend the evening as I did, one’s feet do not hurt at night’s end.”

  Blythe Dutton laughed at her husband, “But you, my dear, were in danger of losing large sums of money.”

  “Ah, but tonight my love, I was lucky.” He picked up her hand and dropped a kiss on her fingertips.

  “Yale! Not in front of the girls. What will Claire think?” the lady protested.

  This time it was his turn to laugh. “I’m sure we are not shocking her unduly. I have noticed your sister and Edmund display their affections for one another frequently.”

  Claire smiled at the thoughts of home. “Mama and Papa are unabashedly in love,” she said aloud. “You will not shock me with your behavior, Uncle Yale.” Then she fell silent, hoping somehow she might make the earl care for her as much.

  “I thought not,” her uncle said in his rumbling voice.

  “Shall we get up for our morning ride?” Willa asked.

  “Dear, you must have your beauty sleep,” her mother admonished her. “There will be time later for horses.”

  “I admit I am quite tired,” Claire agreed. “Perhaps we might go a bit later, though,” she ventured, thinking of the earl’s suggestion they might meet them in the park some morning. With time as her enemy, she did not want to pass up any opportunities to meet him.

  “Yes, we'll sleep a little late,” Willa assured her.

  The carriage arrived at their home and the occupants were quite happy to depart from its confines. The butler had barely turned the key in the lock before the girls slipped into their beds.

  ****

  Noel awoke to a commotion in the hall. “Knox, you know I shall win,” came John’s voice.

  “My lord, it is unseemly to disturb His Grace at this time of the morning,” returned the valet’s deeper voice.

  Noel sat up in bed and spoke quite loudly. “I am awake. You may enter now, Roydon.”

  John opened the door and entered the chamber, Knox close behind with a worried expression on his face.

  “Get up, old man,” John demanded. “We’re off to the park for a brisk ride.”

  “What?” Noel asked, thinking his friend had lost his senses.

  John didn’t reply. Instead, he spoke to Knox, “Get His Grace’s riding clothes readied.”

  Knox did not follow the order until Noel waved him on. “I arrived home less than five hours ago. What’s with this sudden urge to ride?” he asked his friend.

  “Miss Stuart and Miss Dutton go riding every morning. We don’t want to miss them.”

  Noel raised his eyebrows, “Don’t tell me you are interested in Miss Stuart.”

  “No. She’s nice. I like her. I trust she would be an excellent friend, which is exactly why we must mount up and hare off to the park.”

  “Because she would be a good friend?” Noel inquired.

  “Exactly. She would be a good friend to be married to you.”

  “Ah, you don’t want to be the only one to get leg-shackled.”

  “Admit it, you are attracted to her.”

  Noel threw back the bedding, discreetly covering his nakedness with the dressing gown from the foot of the bed. “You are correct,” he told John. “I do wonder at the odds of her being in the park at this time of the day, however,” he finished.

  “During our dance last night she told me she and her cousin ride every morning. As she stressed they performed this ritual every morning, I daresay they will not let a little lost sleep stand in the way.”

  Noel walked to his dressing room. Here he proceeded to shave, run a brush through his hair, and don the clothing Knox patiently held at the ready, all while carrying on a running conversation with John.

  “Did you learn much about Lady Regina?” Noel inquired, as concerned about John’s courtship as his friend was with his.

  “She’s quite reserved,” he answered. “I did wonder if, perhaps, she and Miss Stuart are not friends at all.”

 
“What makes you think so?” Noel asked.

  “It was a look or two I caught,” John replied. “Lady Regina looked almost threateningly toward Miss Stuart before we returned with the refreshments.”

  “It doesn’t surprise me. Lady Regina seems quite impressed with her station in life, and a vicar’s daughter may not find a place in her society,” Noel offered.

  “Time will tell,” John replied.

  “As it always does,” Noel said with a grin. Stepping back into the room he glanced at his friend. “As you can tell, I am ready. I have had no coffee, no food, and little sleep, but I am ready.”

  The traffic was thin on the roads and, astride their superb stallions, it took them little time to reach the outskirts of the park. “Since you have dragged me out, I am wondering how we are to meet up with the fair Miss Stuart and her cousin.” Noel posed the remark to John.

  “I wish I had asked her if they have a particular route they enjoy,” came the answer. “As I did not, I suggest you pick a direction.”

  Turning to the right, he took the lead and John moved to his side again in an instant. “Since you seem to be so willing to help me with the lady I find interesting,” Noel began, “which lady should I be helping you with?”

  “I am unsure,” John replied. “I shall continue to get to know Lady Regina as I cannot base a judgment on the two times I have seen her. Yet I believe I will hold my cards close and attempt to give her no expectations. There are several other young women who may be possibilities.”

  “Do tell.”

  “Your Miss Stuart’s cousin, for one.”

  “Ah, now the truth comes out. The reason we came riding was not to advance my affections,” Noel teased his friend.

  “She is rather horse mad I hear.”

  “No doubt,” Noel said. “She is, after all, the daughter of the great Viscount Amhearst.”

  As they rounded a curve in the path, they spied a party of four a bit further on. “Look, it is them,” the earl remarked.

  “Two ladies, two grooms. You may well be correct.”

  They urged their horses forward into a trot and soon had closed the distance between them. Noel saw the back of the lovely Miss Stuart. She appeared surprisingly at ease on the small gray. Miss Dutton rode a magnificent bay, and it became obvious she was at least as comfortable on horseback as she was on the dance floor.