Chapter 10
After dinner, there was an impromptu dance. At least that was what Lady Kendall suggested it to be though having learned from Miss Skeffington what their entire week had been planned for, Thomas was almost certain that it was far more planned than the lady of the manor stated it to be. He gave no objections and neither did anyone else though secretly Thomas found himself wishing that he could slip away.
It was not only because he was opposed to dancing but also because he feared that there was one woman, a woman who was the only one at the party who just so happened to be unattached, with whom he would have rather enjoyed dancing.
Though he would never allow himself to admit it aloud or barely even to himself, he had found himself gazing down the dining table at her with every chance he’d gotten during dinner, especially when he’d heard her musical laughter traveling down the room.
Almost as if she sensed it, Lady Kendall quickly managed to find her way to him, and Thomas found himself quite alarmed that she was not alone. The music played upon the pianoforte at the other end of the ballroom by Lord Colton rang out as the attached gentlemen were discreetly forced into escorting their wives onto the dancefloor.
The other men, those that Nancy had invited as suitors to Miss Skeffington, along with her own cousin Mr Tulk, all stood around the edge of the dancefloor to watch. Thomas did not miss the way that Mr Gouldsmith watched Lady Kendall and Miss Skeffington across the dancefloor.
Even when the two women stopped before Thomas and curtseyed a greeting, the man continued to watch them out of the corner of his eye. Clearly, Thomas was not the only one who might like the pleasure of Miss Skeffington’s company. The knowledge made him quite uneasy though he was reluctant to admit the fact to himself.
“Are you having a good evening, Lord Warrington?” Lady Kendall asked even as she and Miss Skeffington slipped into position beside him, avoiding the dancers who had begun to flit about the dancefloor.
“I find I am, thank you, Lady Kendall.”
“Oh, please, call me Nancy!” Lady Kendall insisted and then with a smile she hooked Miss Skeffington by her arm and urged her around slightly to come face to face with Thomas. “Lord Warrington, I do believe that you should be having far more fun. Perhaps you would be more entertained out on the dancefloor? I am sure that my dear friend, Miss Skeffington, would be pleased to accompany you.”
Thomas’ jaw clenched at that. Even as he’d watched them cross the dancefloor toward him, he had known exactly what Lady Kendall was up to. He had grown remarkably good at getting the measure of people, adept at reading their facial expressions, and the smile that had played upon Lady Kendall’s face, though pleasant, was also quite mischievous.
“I am afraid I am not much of a dancer,” Thomas responded, his cheeks flushing slightly as he wondered whether Miss Skeffington might take offence to his rejection of her friend’s suggestion.
“I would not worry, my…” Miss Skeffington began to offer her acceptance of his refusal and a part of Thomas actually began to feel disappointed. Yet, he did not get the chance to feel it for long.
“Miss Skeffington is a most remarkable dancer,” Lady Kendall insisted, “I am sure she would be happy to help you get a little practise in for the next Season.”
Thomas began to feel as though they were just moments away from Lady Kendall practically shoving her friend into his arms. He could only imagine how he would be forced to take her out onto the dancefloor if anyone were to see such a thing.
“Nancy, I am sure that Lord Warrington is perfectly capable of dancing without my help,” Miss Skeffington responded. Thomas noticed how she glanced at him sheepishly from the corner of her eye before quickly averting her gaze. He could not help but wonder why she might avoid meeting his eye.
Have I done something else to offend her?he wondered, remembering once more how she had practically bitten his head off when he had tried to help her mother up from the patio chair before lunchtime.
He quickly scanned his memories, unsure as to what he could possibly have done. But then he remembered how their eyes had met several times during dinner and he began to wonder whether he had made her uncomfortable. Miss Skeffington did not seem like the kind of woman who was easily unnerved.
“Oh, to be sure,” Lady Kendall responded with a nod, and she quickly glanced in the direction of the dancefloor before she turned back to them both and added, “In truth, I do believe that the two of you might liven the place up a little. It seems the other dancers are not doing so well.”
Thomas did not need to look to know what she was talking about. He could already imagine the discomfort of several of the men who were being paraded about the dancefloor by their wives, knowing that they would have been much happier in the parlour or the dining room, drinking and playing card games and talking business rather than attending to their wives.
In that very moment, Thomas would have shared the same opinion. He rarely smoked these days and yet he found himself wishing to do so. Perhaps it was his nerves, though he was unsure as to what had frayed them.
“I think the dancers are doing a fine enough job, do not you, Lord Warrington?” Miss Skeffington suggested and glanced out of the corner of her eye once more. This time there was a daring glint in her hazel gaze though it disappeared behind her hand as she reached up to brush a stray blonde curl from her eyes.
When she lowered it again her gaze had returned to the dancefloor and Thomas could not help but feel that for some reason, though he knew not why, she was trying to entice him. It was a feeling he had gotten as he’d looked down the table at her yet then he had not been quite sure. Now he was almost certain, especially as she seemed to move her gaze so slowly, her eyelashes fluttering whenever she did deem to look at him. Even the way she had lowered her hand ever so slowly, drawing his attention to her long, slender neck as she’d done so.
Are you playing games with me, Miss Skeffington?he thought, scrutinising her for a moment out of the corner of his eye. Feeling Nancy’s eyes on him, he quickly averted his own and returned it to the dancers that were frolicking in front of them. Miss Skeffington’s closeness due to Nancy placing herself on the opposite side of her friend was quite enticing in itself and a part of him actually wanted to lead the beautiful blonde out onto the dancefloor.
Since when did I believe her to be beautiful?Thomas asked himself yet if he were to truly think about it, he was sure it had been from the first moment he saw her in the hallway upon his late entrance to dinner. Perhaps these feelings began to grow even before then, when he had caught a mere glimpse of her at Owen and Nancy’s wedding.
“Lord Warrington?” Miss Skeffington sounded curiously concerned as she turned her gaze upon him once more and he realised that he had been so intent on his thoughts that he had forgotten to respond.
“You’re quite right, Miss Skeffington,” Thomas forced himself to say past the sudden lump in his throat. He could feel Lady Kendall watching him still, her expression beginning to border on a scowl as though she was growing quite frustrated.
“Oh please, Lord Warrington,” Lady Kendall said ever so sweetly. “I would hate to leave Miss Skeffington alone if my husband comes looking for a dance.”
The way she raised her voice slightly as she spoke suggested that she hoped her husband would be close by listening and ready to swoop in to aid her. Luckily for him, he did not materialise, and Thomas thought that perhaps he’d had the right idea, staying well away from all the chaos his wife was trying to cause.
“Are you really so adamant for us to dance?” Thomas sighed when he sensed the frustration buzzing just beneath the surface of Lady Kendall’s perfect facade. At his question, her brilliant blue eyes practically lit up and Thomas knew that he had led himself into a trap.