Chapter Ten
Edward stood at the edge of the ballroom sipping the chardonnay that Charles had placed in his hands. His cousin stood next to him, surveying the Mayfair crowd. The ball had been set up by the Duchess of Bromswell to announce his upcoming engagement to Lady Jane.
“At least try and look alive,” Charles whispered to him.
Edward stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“Have you looked at yourself? This is your engagement ball and it seems like you want to be anywhere but here.”
“That’s not true,” Edward protested but it was a lie. He felt stifled here. He tugged at the cravat but loosening it wasn’t an option now. All eyes were on him including the other Parliament members who had been invited. Edward was a favorite of the King, so it was natural that almost all of the doyen of the ton were here in attendance tonight.
Charles furrowed his brows at him. “Is there something that’s bothering you?” He was very close to finding out the truth.
Before Edward could reply or defend himself, however, a gaggle of girls approached him, led by his sister, Maisie. His betrothed stood on the side, shooting him shy glances. Edward had somehow managed to convince his mother to delay the marriage until the end of the winter but time seemed to be moving in strides of a horse these days.
“My dear brother, I would like to introduce you to some of my friends. They made their debut this year.”
“Certainly,” Edward said with his trademark charming smile. “Glad to make your acquaintance.” Maisie went around pointing out each one by their name to introduce them to Edward. By the time she was done, he had almost forgotten all of their names. They were all dressed in plumes of silk and clouds of powder. None of them were even remotely close to the girl who had consumed his thoughts for the last two weeks. And just like that, he was lost again, thinking about that wicked pair of gray-blue eyes and brown tresses that felt like silk in his fingers.
“Edward?” Maisie said, her brows furrowed, bringing him back to the present. “Are you all right?”
Edward cleared his throat. He had to stop thinking about Ariadne at every inopportune moment. “Tell me, my dear sister, how can I help your pretty friends here?”
“He called us pretty,” one of them giggled.
“He’s so handsome himself,” another one said.
“I heard you survived a gunshot,” one of the girls said, bold enough to directly address him. Edward’s brow rose. Was this why they were here? Even though no one outside his family actually knew about the details of what had happened to him, stories about his disappearance had spread wildly among the ton thanks to the notorious gossip magazines.
Even though his father had wanted to keep it all under wraps, the news had ultimately managed to leak out. People had, after all, an exceptional interest in the future Duke of Bromswell. The Duke had forbidden him to talk about what had happened, or where he was in the three days that he didn’t come home.
“The magazines lie. It was merely a knife wound. And I’m fully recovered,” Edward said. It had taken him about two weeks to recover and for the pain to fade once the physician took the stitches out. The girls exchanged a wide-eyed look among themselves.
It was now Lady Jane’s turn to speak, “I told you, he’s very brave.” She gazed at him with affection. Edward’s stomach churned as he returned a smile. He had realized with growing apprehension that he felt nothing for this woman beyond esteem. He had never doubted the fairness of the situation before, accepting it for what it was as he was expected to marry into another family with a title as prestigious as his. But now—
Charles was watching him as he took another swig of his drink. Edward knew he was raring to ask him of his disquietude. There was none except the burning thoughts about a certain girl but Edward couldn’t very well bring her up here, or ever. Ariadne was safer in anonymity.
“You shall dance with them tonight,” Maisie said sweeping her hand at her friends and then giving Edward a meaningful look until he understood.
“Yes, of course,” Edward murmured. He was the future duke and an esteemed member of the Parliament. A woman seen on his arm tonight would become desirable among the ton overnight. As fans were extended toward him, Edward scribbled down his name. He lost count of the number of dances he had promised to the ladies. They giggled among themselves and walked away. Edward turned to his sister with a small shake of his head.
“What? You should use your handsomeness to do something that is not exceedingly dull for once.”
“And dancing with a wallflower is a terribly exciting thing, I suppose,” Edward said drily.
Maisie rolled her eyes. “You underestimate them. This is their first season. Hopefully with a few distinguished dance partners tonight, they’ll be able to snag a perfect gentleman as a groom.”
“What about you, dear sister?” Edward asked sardonically.
Maisie blinked and then narrowed her eyes. “What about me?”
Edward nudged her with his elbow and then gestured to the hall around them that teemed with guests. “Has someone caught your eye?”
Maisie blushed deeply. “Not at all!” she stammered. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” She huffed at him as she ran ahead to catch up with her friends.
Edward sighed. “The things you do for your sister. I don’t know how many times I will be expected to dance tonight.”
“The first dance is of course reserved for your betrothed.” Charles gestured to Jane who had lingered. She kept the fan over her chin and looked at him bashfully. Edward didn’t want shyness, he wanted fervor. He wanted someone who would listen to him but spar with him with her words when it came to that. He could only think of one person. This time it was Charles’ turn to nudge him with his elbow. “Go on.”