She smiled and Logan swallowed hard. Hell, he had missed seeing her look at him in such a way. Regret pierced his soul that even with them working together, that it was all pretend. But there was hope he would find another woman who sparked his desire as much as Sutton once had. And the same for Sutton, too, regarding a husband.
Their plan would be a success, and so too their Season. A better end than the last one they had shared.
He held out his hand. "Shake my hand and seal the deal, Miss Howard."
She clasped his hand, her silk glove soft against his fingers. "We have a deal, Lord Jersey."
Yes, we do. He smirked. The Season, and all its adventures to be, was a quest he could not wait to begin.
Chapter 5
Sutton loathed the term wallflower and all it encompassed. She knew very well she was on the shelf, pitied by most of London for the embarrassing letters that had spread from house to park to ballroom to Almacks six years ago and firmly left her undesirable by the opposite sex.
Any woman who wrote so freely toward a man who was not her husband was certainly not one anyone wished to marry. It had taken her a long time to weather the storm, mostly on her own, when her brother married and became less involved in her life. That Lord Jersey had also departed London did not help.
But maybe her luck was about to change. With theWallflower’s Guideto help her navigate thetononce again and with his lordship's help, his friendship and support, mayhap her wish to marry, to start a family, could finally come true.
If she could stomach being about Lord Jersey once again, of course. Be his friend and use what she learned from the guide with him for suggestions and feedback. A foreign thing to be so close to him after loathing him for so many years, but perhaps he had a point in this case. If thetonsaw there were no hard feelings between them and that their past youthful indiscretion was long forgotten, all would be well.
It was certainly worth a go, and she had little to lose. She had almost ruined herself six years ago, and Sutton was certain she could not make any more fool of herself than she already had.
They entered the ballroom just as a quadrille was about to begin. "Shall we dance, Miss Howard? We should start our façade as soon as we can if we're to each have a successful Season without the ghosts of the past whispering over our shoulders."
Sutton smiled up at him and could almost forget the six years of hell she had endured in London because of the handsome man at her side. "I do believe I will, my lord."
They joined the other couples, linking hands just as the music commenced and dancing began. The quadrille was a quick and lively dance and one Sutton had always enjoyed. Several times when held by Lord Jersey, she could not help but remember another time. A time when they were both so much younger and innocent. When hearts had not been broken, along with trust.
His dark-gray eyes stared down at her, as stormy as ever, and she shivered in his arms. Once, she would have been lost in his dark orbs, and happily so. The night she had given herself to him had been one of the happiest of her life. One of her most pleasurable as well.
She had missed him as much as she had hated him.
Still hated him, she reminded herself. His helping her and their truce did not change anything. He had a promise to uphold, one he owed her after all he had put her through, and she would hold him to that, or he would know the wrath of a lady far worse than she had dealt out six years prior.
"Tell me what it is in this guide that you think will persuade any gentleman you're seeking to marry to, in fact, propose? Would you like to try anything new this evening?"
Sutton thought over his question and the few pages she'd read so far in theWallflower’s Guide. "There are many chapters, and I have put into place one of the suggestions already. Can you not see what that is?" she asked him, waiting to see if he noticed.
Logan studied her, his eyes dipping to her gown, his inspection like a physical caress upon her person. She took a calming breath, forcing herself to relax and not react to his eyes that darkened in pleasure. She remembered that look well, and she had fought long and hard to forget it.
"You have changed your gowns? They are less frivolous than they used to be." A slow smile spread across his lips. "I like this appearance upon you better, Sutton. It is much more flattering and will surely bring more consideration to you."
Which was exactly as she hoped. Her gowns had cost her a large sum of money but well worth the expenditure if it meant men looked upon her as a possible match. "Excellent. You are correct, and I thank you for the compliment. The guide, I believe, will not steer me wrong and your approval of my dress this evening is proof of that."
"And so too will be your future dance partners this evening. May there be many to keep you occupied and your feet sore and tired by the end of the night."
Sutton chuckled, surprisingly enjoying herself with a man she had not thought to speak to ever again. But it had always been this way between them, easy conversation and friendship. It was a shame he had broken her trust so badly, but then, by his helping her, he was trying to mend his ways. It was something, at least.
The dance came to an end, and no sooner had they stood to the side of the room as new couples took to the floor was Sutton asked to dance by Lord Isaac Ridley, a marquess popular with the debutantes this Season. She smiled up at Logan, glad their plan seemed to be working just as they supposed. This Season was turning out to be better than she hoped. Mayhap it would end with her wedding too, which she longed for above all else.
Logan watchedas Sutton danced with numerous partners, each of them barely giving her the time to catch her breath before they whisked her off for another turn about the ballroom floor.
He sipped his wine, knowing that no matter their past, Sutton was still one of the most handsome women he knew and one of the most amusing too. A niggle of panic crawled along his spine at the thought that one of the numerous men asking her to dance would turn into her husband at the end of the Season.
The thought of her married to another, forever lost to him, was not something he had contemplated. Had not allowed himself to dwell on when he had left London six years ago to care for his ailing father. His annoyance, his anger at her disbelieving him, had stopped him from lingering on her and what he had lost too much.
But now, with her before him, with a truce of sorts between them, that option was no longer available to him. She would be at most balls and parties he attended. He would see the growing attraction and courting that would occur once she found a gentleman who sparked her interest.
That gentleman would not be him.