Arthur scoffed, stumbling back. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the upset look on the women’s faces. He smiled awkwardly, reaching out and scratching his name out of Lavinia’s dance card before taking his leave.
“Oh dear, was that rude?” She asked, turning to William. “I think that may have been rude.”
“Um,” William paused, looking down at the young woman. Before he could stop himself, he ran his tongue across his bottom lip and swallowed hard. “I do think it came across that way.”
“Oh dear,” she repeated.
“Was that true?” Lavinia asked.
The woman shrugged. “Must have been. He looked rather sheepish.” She smiled lightly. “Truly, I am not one to interfere,” she said. “I simply could not bear to watch him lie to you. Almost laughable the way he attempted to convince you that his intentions were noble.”
“That is fine,” Lavinia’s shock melted into thankfulness. “I had no idea.” The woman nodded, smiling. She seemed almost flattered, which was strange enough. Most young women didn’t interfere in the affairs of others nor did they take great pride in being so meddlesome.
William cleared his throat. “You are, pray tell?”
“Lady Charlotte Elkins. I have already introduced myself. It is you that has not.”
“William Humphries,” he said. “Marquess of Holdford.”
“Oh,” Charlotte nodded, seemingly not very impressed at all. “You seem rather perplexed, Lord Holdford.”
“How could I not be?” he asked. “The insinuation that I was not apt to protect my own sister from ruination is insulting at best.”
“And at worst?” she asked, causing William to draw back, opening his mouth to reply before thinking better of it.
“William, dear,” his mother interrupted. “I believe that she had only the best intentions. Had we not known that Lord Gouldsmith wasn’t vying for your sister’s hand in marriage, we might have accepted his influence.”
“I knew,” William pointed out.
“Then speak up.” William frowned before Annette continued. “I suppose I am the one doing the introductions tonight. I am the Duchess of Seton, and this is my daughter, Lady Lavinia Humphries. We appreciate your rescue. Had we any idea he was so well-acquainted with the ballroom, we would have excused ourselves.”
“I realize I am doing something rather untraditional,” Charlotte admitted. “I am not the courting type, but I listen and in turn, I hear many things. Marriage, if pursued, should bring happiness. That is not something you will find with the Earl of Gouldsmith.” She turned her lip in. “And beware of Lord Lofton. If I say he is no good, you must believe me.”
“Absolutely,” Lavinia nodded, making a mental note to herself.
“I will take my leave, then,” Charlotte curtsied and turned to walk away. Strange how William’s chest could twist with disappointment when he was so keen for her to stop talking.
“William!” Lavinia called out, startling Charlotte who looked back over her shoulder. “You should thank her.”
William nodded, studying Charlotte for a moment. She smiled lightly, and although it might have convinced another it was genuine, he knew it was full of challenge. The thought of her teasing him so simply made him lose his breath a little like she was drawing all the oxygen out of him on purpose. From what he knew of her, if she had such an ability, she would certainly capitalize on it. “I think that would be excessive.”
“I would have to agree,” Charlotte said.
“You should dance with her.” Lavinia turned her head up and smiled.
Under his breath, William cursed and from the way Charlotte looked at him, he was sure she had heard it. “May I have a dance?”
“How could I say no?” She asked, smirking. He closed the distance, reaching for her dance card. He couldn’t say no. In fact, he didn’t want to say no. With that said, however, he knew he should have said no if given the choice. Arthur’s rakish ways looked all the more appealing from this angle. Not that he would in good conscience ruin her. Not that she’d even let him get close enough.
As he scrawled his name onto her card, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes on her. If she were to walk out the door, he would have followed her. It was exactly thoughts like that that made him realize how cruel it was to be a man. It was as if she had access to water and he had been wandering a desert his entire life. Lust was no good for anyone, but with distance, it was a great deal easier to cure than love.
She looked back at him, eyebrows knotted and lips wavering between a smile and a frown. It was as if she was going to laugh at him. Like she thought it was funny that they had so clearly repelled each other in spirit but were forced together for the sake of propriety. But something flickered in her face the longer he looked at her. Maybe it was the soft peachy blush that crawled across her cheeks or the feeling of their shared pulses roaring in each other's veins as they each pressed a finger to the other’s wrist. Did she feel it too or was his ego getting the better of him?
When he finished, she looked at her card and raised her brows. “How I will always remember the first and likely only gentleman to sign my dance card so…” she paused, looking at his name. “So…chaotically.”
William frowned, glancing at her card. He probably should have paid some attention to his own hand when he was writing. His penmanship looked boorish.
When she finally walked away, William frowned, and his mother offered him an amused look. Short of death, there was no way he was getting out of this dance. That much was certain.