“You are not enjoying the ball, Titania?” Lady Whitehaven’s words were wry, a small, knowing smile capturing her mouth. “Or is it that you simply have not discovered your quarry as yet?”
Titania gave her mother a slight smile, knowing that Lady Whitehaven was fully aware of all that was going on. After Titania’s determination to help Lord Carroway discover Ravel by attending as many social occasions as possible, Lady Whitehaven had sought Titania out and demanded to know the truth about what had occurred with Lord Carroway and why Titania was now responding to as many invitations as she could.
It had taken Titania some time to confess the truth to her mother, but Lady Whitehaven had been more than determined to discover the truth, showing Titania where she got her stubbornness from. Lady Whitehaven was sharp eyed and quick witted and had known that the story Lord Carroway had told her of some fellow attempting to steal from him who had, in the end, stabbed him in order to get away, was not the truth in its entirety. If that had been the case, she had asked, why then had he asked Titania to bring the knife into the house?
Of course, Titania had not had any other choice but to be honest with her mother. Lady Whitehaven had reacted with surprise but had not demanded that Titania step away from Lord Carroway entirely, as Titania had feared. Instead, she had told Titania clearly that she would not be tackling such a matter on her own and had insisted on throwing a ball for the ton in the hope that by doing so, Ravel might reveal himself. After all, their acquaintances were many and Lady Whitehaven had suggested that Lord Carroway himself might recognize the fellow simply from hearing his voice again. She and Titania were both considering each and every gentleman that approached them but, as yet, no one had appeared with a mark on their face.
“You must attempt to smile a little more,” Lady Whitehaven said, encouraging her daughter. “For if this Ravel is present, then he might notice your change in countenance and know that you seek him out.”
“You are quite right, Mama,” Titania replied heavily. “It is only that I am growing desperate to discover him so that Lord Carroway might be freed of his burden.”
Lady Whitehaven laughed softly. “And how much of a struggle must be in Lord Carroway’s heart over his prolonged length of time chasing such a fellow?” she asked, putting one hand on Titania’s shoulder. “Have no fear, my dear girl. Lord Carroway’s affections will linger for a long time, whether he catches this Ravel or not. I am quite certain of it.”
Titania felt herself blush and her mother’s smile grew all the more
“I am glad for you, Titania,” she said, as another gentleman drew near them. “But now, for the moment, remember to smile and that Lord Carroway himself is watching over you.”
This only made Titania’s blush deepen as her mother turned away, leaving her to face the next gentleman alone. Lord Carroway, who was recovering well, had decided to remain hidden away and so lingered in a small alcove where he could not easily be seen but could watch all that went on around him. To know that he was watching her brought both relief and a heightened sense of awareness.
“Miss Wells! It has been some time since I have seen you, has it not?”
“It has been a few days only, Lord Huckleby,” Titania replied dryly, curtsying quickly. “Good evening to you.”
He grinned at her, but Titania frowned to herself, seeing something different about Lord Huckleby but finding that she did not quite know what it was.
“Your dance card is not full, I pray?” Lord Huckleby enquired, his dark eyes capturing hers with such intensity that she felt she could not look away. “Might I be permitted to see it?”
She nodded wordlessly and handed it to him, studying him carefully as he bent over her card. What was it about him that was different this evening? He was, as far as she could tell, just as he had always been, but yet there was something nagging at her mind that told her she had to look again.
And then, it came to her. A swift gasp escaped from her but, hurriedly, Titania turned it into a cough, which she then begged his pardon for, forcing an embarrassed smile onto her lips.
“Are you quite all right, Miss Wells?” Lord Huckleby asked, dropping the dance card so that it dangled from her wrist once more. “Might I fetch you something to drink?”
Titania, whose heart was beating with such ferocity that she was sure Lord Huckleby could hear it, gave a small wave of her hand. “I believe I am quite all right, Lord Huckleby, I thank you.”
He peered at her, as though dissatisfied by her answer. “Are you certain?”
“More than certain,” she answered, suddenly desperate for him to depart so that she might seek out Lord Carroway. “What dances did you choose, Lord Huckleby?”
He grinned at her, his eyes dancing with something that Titania
found she did not much like. Looking down at her dance card, her breath caught in her chest as she took in that he had written his name down for both her waltzes.
“Lord Huckleby,” she stated, looking up at him and forcing a calmness to her voice that she did not feel. “You cannot put yourself down for both waltzes. You know that the ton will take notice and that comments will be made.”
He shrugged, as though it did not matter to him at all what other people said. “I intend for the beau monde to be entirely aware of my intentions, Miss Wells,” he said, taking a step closer to her, his eyes fixed upon hers. “Does that not please you?”
She swallowed hard, feeling her stomach begin to tighten with anxiousness. “Lord Huckleby, given that you have not spoken to either myself or my mother about any particular intentions, I cannot understand what it is that you believe yourself to be doing by such an act as this.” She let her dance card go and lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated by his sharp gaze. “I will not dance with you for both waltzes, Lord Huckleby.”
His eyes narrowed. “You will, Miss Wells,” he replied, lowering his head just a little so that the warning in his voice could not be mistaken. “I am not a gentleman used to being refused.”
A noise of derision escaped her, making Lord Huckleby’s gaze narrow further still. “I do not think, Lord Huckleby, that stating such a thing will make me any more likely to do as you wish,” she replied, unswerving in her answer. “I will not dance both waltzes with you, given that you have not spoken of your intentions to me and that, even if you had done so, I would not accept them from you. I have already begun to be courted by another, and it is to him that I intend to remain loyal.”
Lord Huckleby let out his breath in a hiss, his frame tightening with apparent frustration. “Do not tell me that you would choose a viscount over an earl, Miss Wells.”
She tipped her head gently, feeling a sudden reassurance fill her heart. “I would choose kindness over attempts at fear, Lord Huckleby,” she replied, aware that she was infuriating him but finding that she did not care. “I would choose understanding and consideration over arrogance and selfishness. In short, Lord Huckleby, yes, I would choose Lord Carroway over you. In fact, that is precisely what I have done.” Bobbing a curtsy, she forced a tight smile to her face. “Good evening, my Lord.”
Walking away from him, Titania pressed one hand against her heart, feeling it beat with such a fierceness that it was almost painful. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps as she hurried away, trying to remember where Lord Carroway was hiding himself. She knew now. She knew that Lord Huckleby was none other than Ravel, but that knowledge had to be pressed down and set aside so that it would not overwhelm her. Once she had found Lord Carroway, she could speak to him of what she had seen and allow him to proceed as he needed.