Clarissa coloured, then waved a dismissive hand. “Sophie told me all about them.”
“Ah.” Lips quirking, Jack turned back to Sophie as they halted their mounts before the Webbs’ steps.
The junior Webbs had already gone in, leaving the grooms with their hands full. Sophie steeled herself and managed to survive the ordeal of being lifted down to the pavement by Jack Lester with commendable composure.
She looked up—and beheld his slow smile.
“Well, my dear?” Jack lifted a brow. “Was it bearable, riding with me?”
Sophie blushed rosily but was determined to give no ground. Lifting her chin, she looked him in the eye. “Indeed, sir. It was most enjoyable.”
Jack chuckled. “Good. Because from what I understand, your cousins wish it to be a frequent event.”
With an inclination of her head, Sophie indicated her acquiescence.
Her hand in his, Jack looked down at her, his smile a trifle crooked. “Until your aunt’s crush, then, Miss Winterton. Rest assured that, despite the sea of humanity that will no doubt be thrown up between us, I will endeavour to win through to your side.” With a rakish grin, he bowed over her hand.
And let her go.
With a very correct nod, Sophie escaped up the steps, refusing to give in to her heart and look back.
At the corner of the street, two horsemen sat their mounts, apparently discussing the weather. In actuality, their interest was a great deal more focused.
“Well, that’s a relief! It’s the older one Lester’s got his eye on—fancy that.” Hubert, Lord Maltravers, blinked blearily up at his companion. “A hard night followed by an ungodly early start may have taken its toll on my wits,” his lordship mused. “But stap me if I can see why.”
Captain Terrence Gurnard’s lips lifted in a sneer. “Tarnished his image, that’s why. The Webbs are a deal too downy to let their chick fly too close to his snare. But obviously the cousin has enough of the ready to satisfy Lester.”
“Odd.” His lordship frowned. “Thought she had nothing more than the usual. You know what I mean—expectations but no more. Would’ve thought Lester needed rather more than that.”
“Obviously not. The point, thank Heaven, doesn’t concern me. As long as he’s not got his eye on that juicy little plum, he can have the rest of London for all I care. Come, let’s get moving. We’ve seen all we need.”
Side by side, they steered their mounts through the streets in the direction of Hubert’s lodgings, the slightly rumpled figure of Lord Maltravers slumped in his saddle, the handsome, broad-shouldered guardsman towering over him.
“Y’know, Gurnard, I’ve been thinking.”
“I thought you didn’t do that until after noon.”
Hubert snorted. “No. I’m serious. This start of yours—sure there isn’t a better way? I mean, you could always try the cent per cents—doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“In this case, I fear it could hurt.” Gurnard winced. “A very great deal.”
Realization was slow but it eventually broke on Hubert. “Oh,” he said. “You’re already on their books?”
“Let’s just say that one or two moneylenders could scrape an acquaintance.”
“Hmm.” Hubert grimaced. “That does rather cut down on your options.” As they turned into Piccadilly, he ventured,
“No chance this last opponent of yours would consider holding your vowels for latter payment?”
Slowly, Terrence Gurnard turned his head and looked his friend in the eye. “My last opponent was Melcham.”
Hubert blanched. “Oh,” he said. Then, “Ah.” Switching his gaze to the traffic, he nodded. “In that case, I quite see your point. Well, then—when’s the wedding?”
CHAPTER TEN
HER AUNT, Sophie mused, was not to be trusted. At least, not when it came to Jack Lester. Although she had expected to see Mr. Lester at her cousin’s come-out ball, Sophie had had no inkling that he would feature among the favoured few who had been invited to dine before the event. Not until he walked into the drawing-room, throwing all the other gentlemen into immediate shade.
From her position by the fireplace, a little removed from her aunt, Sophie watched as Jack bowed over Lucilla’s hand. His coat was of midnight blue, the same shade as his eyes at night. His smallclothes were ivory, his cravat a minor work of art. His large sapphire glowed amid the folds, fracturing the light. Beyond the heavy gold signet that adorned his right hand, he wore no other ornament, nothing to distract her senses from the strength of his large frame. After exchanging a few words, Lucilla sent him her way.
Stilling an inner quiver, Sophie greeted him with a calm smile. “Good evening, Mr. Lester.”
Jack’s answering smile lit his eyes. “Miss Winterton.” He bowed gracefully over her hand, then, straightening, looked down at her. “Sophie.”
Sophie’s serene expression did not waver as she drew her gaze from his; she had had practice enough in the past few days in keeping her emotions in check. Seeing Ned, who had followed his mentor into the room, turn from Lucilla to make his way to Clarissa’s side, Sophie glanced up at her companion. “Ned has told me how much you have done for him, even to the extent of putting him up. It’s really very kind of you.”
Having drunk his fill of Sophie’s elegance, Jack reluctantly looked out over the room. Tonight, his golden head appeared warm yet remote, priestess-like in a classically styled ivory sheath, draped from one shoulder to fall in long lines to the floor. Forcing himself to focus on his protégé, Jack shrugged. “It’s no great thing. The house is more than large enough, and the proximity increases the time we have to…polish his address.”
Sophie arched a sceptical brow. “Is that what you term it?”
Jack smiled. “Polish is all Ned needs.”
Sophie slanted him a glance. “And that’s the secret of gentlemanly success—polish?”
Jack looked down at her. “Oh no, my dear.” His gaze grew more intent. “Such as I, with more sophisticated game in sight, often need recourse to…weapons of a different calibre.”
Sophie tilted her chin. “Indeed, sir? But I was thanking you for helping Ned—and must also convey all our thanks for your assistance this morn. How we would have coped had you not removed Jeremy, George and Amy from the house, I simply do not know.”
Meeting his eyes, Sophie smiled serenely.
Jack smiled back. “As I’ve told you before, your cousins are the most engaging urchins; playing nursemaid, as Marston had it, is no great undertaking. I trust all came right in the end?”
With Ned in tow, Jack had arrived on the Webbs’ doorstep that morning, as he had for the past two, to find the house in the grip of the usual mayhem coincident with a major ball. Knowing neither Sophie nor Clarissa would be free, he and Ned had nevertheless offered to take the youngsters to the Park—a boon to all as, with the house full of caterers, florists and the like, and the servants rushed off their feet, the youthful trio had been proving a severe trial. They had already caused havoc by pulling the bows on the sheaves of flowers the florists had prepared all undone, then been threatened with incarceration when they had discovered the pleasures of skidding across the newly polished ballroom floor.
“Yes, thank Heaven,” Sophie replied, watching further arrivals greet her aunt. “I don’t know how Aunt Lucilla manages to keep it all straight in her head. But the storm and tempest did eventually abate, leaving order where before there was none.”
Jack’s grin was wry. “I’m sure your aunt’s order is formidable.”
Sophie smiled. “I rather suspect the ball tonight ranks as one of her more spectacular undertakings.”
“With both your cousin and yourself to launch, it’s hardly surprising that she’s pulled out all stops.”
Sophie blinked, her smile fading slightly. Then, with determined brightness, she inclined her head. “Indeed. And both Clarissa and I are determined she will not be disappointed.”
A subtle reminder that she, too, was ex
pected to find a husband. Just as he would have to find a wife. Sophie was all too well aware that, through shared moments, shared laughter and some indefinable attraction, she and Jack Lester had drawn far closer than was common between gentlemen and ladies who remained merely friends. Nevertheless, that was all they could be, and the time was fast approaching when their disparate destinies would prevail. She was steeling herself to face the prospect.
“Sophia, my dear!” Lady Entwhistle bustled up, her silk skirts shushing. “You look positively radiant, my dear—doesn’t she, Henry?”
“Set to take the shine out of the younger misses, what?” Lord Entwhistle winked at Sophie, then shook her hand.
“And Mr. Lester, too—how fortunate.” Her ladyship presented her hand and looked on with approval as Jack bowed over it. “A pleasure to see you again, sir. I hear Lady Asfordby’s in town; have you run into her yet?”
Jack’s eyes briefly touched Sophie’s. “I have not yet had that pleasure, ma’am.”
“A deuced shame about the hunting, what?” Lord Entwhistle turned to Jack. “Not that you younger men care—just change venues, far as I can see.” His lordship cast a genial eye over the room.
“As you say, sir,” Jack replied. “I fear there are few foxes to be found in London, so naturally we’re forced to shift our sights.”
“What’s that? Forced? Hah!” His lordship was in fine fettle. “Why, I’ve always heard the tastiest game’s to be found in the capital.”
Sophie struggled to keep her lips straight.
“Really, Henry!” Her ladyship unfurled her fan with an audible click.
“But it’s true,” protested Lord Entwhistle, not one whit abashed. “Just ask Lester here. Few would know better than he. What say you, m’boy? Don’t the streets of London offer richer rewards than the fields of Leicestershire?”
“Actually,” Jack replied, his gaze returning to Sophie, “I’m not sure I would agree with you, sir. I must confess I’ve recently discovered unexpected treasure in Leicestershire, after a year in the ton’s ballrooms had yielded nothing but dross.”
For an instant, Sophie could have sworn the world had stopped turning; for a moment, she basked in the glow that lit Jack Lester’s eyes. Then reality returned, and with it awareness—of the conjecture in Lord Entwhistle’s eyes, the startled look on her ladyship’s face, and the role she herself had to play. Smoothly, she turned to Lady Entwhistle. “I do hope Mr. Millthorpe has found his feet in London. Will he be here tonight?”
The surprise faded from her ladyship’s eyes. “Yes, indeed. Lucilla was kind enough to invite him for the ball. I’m sure he’ll attend. He was very much taken with Clarissa, you know.” She glanced across the room to where Clarissa was surrounded by a small coterie of young gentlemen. “Mind you, I expect he’ll be in good company. As I told your aunt, fully half the young men in town will be prostrating themselves at Clarissa’s feet.”
Sophie laughed and steered the conversation towards the social events thus far revealed on the ton’s horizon. She was somewhat relieved when Jack chipped in with the news of the balloon ascension planned for May, thus distracting Lord Entwhistle, who declaimed at length on the folly of the idea.
His lordship was still declaiming when Minton entered, transcending the impression conveyed by his severe grab to announce in jovially benevolent vein that dinner was served.
Lord and Lady Entwhistle went together to join the exodus. Jack turned to Sophie. “I believe, dear Sophie, that the pleasure of escorting you in falls…to me.”
Sophie smiled up at him and calmly surrendered her hand. “That will be most pleasant, sir.”
With her hand on his arm, Jack steered her into the shuffling queue.
Laughing chatter greeted them as they strolled into the dining-room. The surface of the table, polished to a mellow glow, reflected light fractured by crystal and deflected by silver. A subtle excitement filled the air; this was, after all, the first of the large gatherings, and those present were the chosen few who would start the ball of the Season rolling. Horatio, genially rotund, took his place at the table’s head; Lucilla graced the opposite end, while Clarissa, sparkling in a gown of fairy-like silvered rose silk, sat in the middle on one side. Ned beside her. Jack led Sophie to her place opposite Clarissa, then took the seat on her right.
As she glanced about, taking note of her neighbours, Sophie took comfort from Jack’s presence beside her. Despite his apparently ingrained habits, he always drew back whenever she baulked—smoothly, suavely, ineffably rakish, yet a gentleman to his very bones. She now felt confident in his company, convinced he would never press her unduly nor step over that invisible line.
There was, indeed, a certain excitement to be found in his games, and a certain balm in the warmth of his deep blue gaze.
The toast to Clarissa was duly drunk; her cousin blushed prettily while Ned looked on, a slightly stunned expression on his face.
As she resumed her seat, Sophie glanced at Jack. He was watching her; he raised his glass and quietly said, “To your Season, dear Sophie. And to where it will lead.”
Inwardly Sophie shivered, but she smiled and inclined her head graciously.
On her left was Mr. Somercote, a distant Webb cousin, a gentleman of independent means whom her uncle had introduced as hailing from Northamptonshire. While obviously at home in the ton, Mr. Somercote was reserved almost to the point of rudeness. Sophie applied herself but could tease no more than the barest commonplaces from him.
The lady on Jack’s right was a Mrs. Wolthambrook, an elderly widow, another Webb connection. Sophie wondered at the wisdom of her aunt’s placement, but by the end of the first course, her confidence in Lucilla had been restored. The old lady had a wry sense of humour which Jack, in typical vein, recognized and played to. Sophie found herself drawn into a lively discussion, Mrs. Wolthambrook, Jack and herself forming a nexus of conversation which served to disguise the shortcomings of others in the vicinity.
It was almost a surprise to find the dessert course over. With a rustle of silk skirts, Lucilla rose and issued a charming directive sending them all to the ballroom.
While ascending the stairs on Jack’s arm, Sophie noticed the glimmer of a frown in Lady Entwhistle’s sharp eyes. It was, Sophie decided, hardly to be wondered at: installing Jack Lester as her partner at dinner had clearly declared her aunt’s hand. Lucilla was playing Cupid. It was inconceivable that, after nearly three weeks in the capital, her aunt was not au fait concerning Jack Lester’s state. But Lucilla was not one to follow the conventions in matters of the heart; she had married Horatio Webb when he was far less well-to-do than at present, apparently without a qualm. Sophie’s own mother, too, had married for love. It was, in fact, something of a family trait.
Unfortunately, Sophie thought, casting a fleeting glance at Jack’s darkly handsome profile, it was not one she was destined to follow. Hiding her bruised heart behind a serene smile, she crossed the threshold of the ballroom.
Under the soft flare of candlelight cast by three huge chandeliers, the efforts of the florists and decorators looked even better than by day. The tops of the smooth columns supporting the delicately domed ceiling had been garnished with sprays of white and yellow roses, long golden ribbons swirling down around the columns. The minstrels’ gallery above the end of the room was similarly festooned with white, yellow and green, trimmed with gold. Tall iron pedestals supporting ironwork cones overflowing with the same flowers filled the corners of the room and stood spaced every few yards along the long mirrored wall, with chaises and chairs set between. The opposite wall contained long windows giving onto the terrace; some were ajar, letting in the evening breeze.
The guests dutifully oohed and aahed, many ladies taking special note of the unusual use of ironwork.
Jack’s blue eyes glinted down at her. “As I said, my dear, your aunt’s efforts are indeed formidable.”
Sophie smiled, but her heart was not in it; it felt as if her evening was endin
g when, with a graceful bow, Jack surrendered her to her duty on the receiving line.
He had bespoken a waltz, she reminded herself, giving her emotions a mental shake. Conjuring up a bright smile, she dutifully greeted the arrivals, taking due note of those her aunt introduced with a certain subtle emphasis. Lucilla might be encouraging Jack Lester, but it was clear she was equally intent on giving Sophie a range of suitable gentlemen from which to make her choice.
Which was just as well, Sophie decided. Tonight was the start of her Season proper; she should make a real start on her hunt for a husband. There was no sense in putting off the inevitable. And it would no doubt be wise to make it abundantly plain that she was not infected with Lucilla’s ideals. She could not marry Jack Lester, for he needed more money than she would bring. Embarking on her search for a husband would clarify their relationship, making it plain to such avid watchers as Lady Entwhistle and Lady Matcham that there was nothing to fear in her friendship with Jack.
Stifling a sigh, Sophie pinned on a smile as her aunt turned to greet the latest in the long line of guests.
“Ah, Mr. Marston,” Lucilla purred. “I’m so glad you could come.”
Sophie swallowed a most unladylike curse. She waited, trapped in line, as Mr. Marston greeted Clarissa with chilly civility, his glance austerely dismissing the enchanting picture her cousin made.
Then his gaze reached her—and Sophie privately resolved to send a special thank-you to Madame Jorge. Mr. Marston’s distant civility turned to frigid disapproval as he took in her bare shoulders and the expanse of ivory skin exposed by the low, slanting neckline of her gown.
Sophie smiled sunnily. “Good evening, sir. I trust you are well.”
Mr. Marston bowed. “I…” He drew himself up, his lips pinched. “I will look to have a few words with you later, Miss Winterton.”
Sophie tried her best to look delighted at the prospect.