Phillip, the Earl of Newford, groaned as the theatre curtain came down.

“Whatever is the matter with you, Phillip?”

Turning to his friend Lord Benjamin Marshall, Phillip shook his head. “It is quite all right for you, Marshall. You are married and settled and quite happy out to do as you please and go wherever you please without fear of any ladies coming to accost you.”

“Accost you?” Lord Marshall repeated, with a look of astonishment. “And here I was thinking that you quite enjoyed the company of young ladies, Newford.”

Phillip shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Of course, it is rather flattering, Marshall, but I find that none of them particularly interested in me.”

“But they are,” Lord Marshall argued, his astonishment turning to confusion. “They are so interested in you that they practically haunt your every step!”

“That is exactly my point!” Phillip exclaimed, wishing he was able to explain himself a little better. “They are not interested in me but in my title and fortune, that is all. The only reason I am seen as a good match is precisely because of how much I can give them in terms of wealth and status. Hardly an alluring prospect.”

Lord Marshall considered this for a moment, his jaw set. “I suppose you have a point,” he muttered, with a slight shrug. “Luckily for me, I cannot say that of Lady Marshall.”

“No, of course not,” Phillip replied, hastily. “You are one of the lucky ones there, Marshall. She is a wonderful lady and I could not be happier for you.”

Lord Marshall smiled as he turned to look at his wife who was deep in conversation with her younger sister. “You know, she does have a sister, Newford,” he commented, dryly. “She is a little young for you, but –”

“Do not so much as think it,” Phillip grated, with a rueful smile. “I would not be set up by anyone, not even you. But now, as I have promised to go and fetch refreshments for the ladies, I suppose I must do just that.”

“Ah,” Lord Marshall said, his eyes alight with understanding. “Now I understand your groaning – the ladies of the ton will waylay you the moment you set foot out of our box, is that it?”

“That is it precisely,” Phillip replied, with a roll of his eyes. “The grasping mamas, the milk water misses, the eager widows….” He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “The truth is, I do not know why I ever came to London.”

“You came to see me,” Lord Marshall reminded him, with a shake of his head. “And you have only been here a fortnight. Give it a month and I am sure things will improve. You might even find a lady who is not as grasping as the rest of them.”

“I highly doubt it,” Phillip muttered, only to be caught by the memory of Lady Harmonia. She had appeared rather sweet and very quiet, as though not quite sure whether the London society was truly for her. When they had met in the park only a few days earlier, he had been surprised at how quickly his heart had jumped in his chest when she’d taken his hand, even more astonished to discover the quickening of his blood when he’d put his arm around her waist in order to steady her. It had been a little inappropriate but absolutely required, given that she had hurt her ankle – and it would be an untruth to say he had not enjoyed holding her so closely. It was the very briefest of acquaintances thus far, and yet Phillip had found himself thinking of her now and again. He had even sent some flowers and a note to her home, having found the address from one of his many acquaintances, to ensure that her ankle was better. Of course, he had toyed with the idea of calling on her but had chosen not to, thinking it best to wait until he was a little better acquainted with her before considering doing such a thing.

“Have you thought of someone?”

Lord Marshall’s playful tone brought him back to himself and, with a hasty shrug, Phillip excused himself and went in search of refreshments.

“Oh, Lord Newford, how good to see you!”

It was just as he had expected. The moment he left the box, at least five different ladies came towards him, some batting their eyelashes, some thrusting out their bosoms so that he might be drawn to them. Some wanted his hand in marriage, some wanted his protection only – but Phillip was not interested in acquiring a mistress.

He managed to speak to each of them in turn, conversing briefly about inane topics such as the weather and who else he had spotted from his box but, eventually, he managed to excuse himself and go in search of his required refreshments.

Having found them, he ordered four glasses of champagne to be taken to his box and, dreading the return back through the crowd of theatre-goers, chose to remain in the shadowy corner for a few minutes. Backing away from the crowd, he bumped into something rather soft, instead of the solid wall he had been expecting.

“Oh, do excuse me,” he muttered, as a small cry of pain came from behind him. “I did not see you there.” Turning, Phillip was astonished to see none other than Lady Harmonia standing there, a somewhat pained expression on her face. Embarrassment shot through him as he realized he had trodden on her foot, his eyes growing wide with apology.

“Oh, my dear Lady Harmonia, I am so terribly sorry!” he exclaimed, backing a little away from her. “I did not see you there.”

“That is quite all right, Lord Newford,” she murmured, with a small wince. “It will pass in a moment.”

He shook his head, not knowing what else he could do.

“Are you enjoying the production?”

Her question took him by surprise, having expected her to berate him about his lack of carefulness or to exclaim about her foot a little more. “Yes, for the most part,” he said, looking at her with concern. “Are you sure you are all right?”

She smiled then, her eyes lighting with good humor. “It has gone entirely, I assure you. What were you doing backing away like that? Are you hiding from someone?” A slightly mischievous look came over her expression and Phillip found himself smiling back at her.

“No, not from someone – but from a great many someone’s,” he explained, with a wry smile. “Without being discourteous, I find the ladies of the ton can sometimes be quite overwhelming.”

Her expression grew a little sympathetic as she recognized the forwardness that some of her counterparts, and even her sisters, could be known for.

“Although I would not count your company as overwhelming,” he said, quickly, wanting to assure her that he did not think of her in the same way as the others. “In truth, I am very glad to see you again, Lady Harmonia.”

Lady Harmonia looked back at him for a moment without saying a word. Her lips curved into a gentle smile, her cheeks brushed with pink. “That is very kind of you to say, Lord Newford.”

“It is the truth,” he said honestly, aware that he was being more than a little frank with her.

She made to answer but someone called her name and he saw her frown.

“Is your cousin looking for you?” he asked, remembering the rude gentleman from before that she had referred to as ‘cousin Luke’.

Lady Harmonia gave him a tight smile. “Yes, it is Lord Darnsley,” she said, the happiness gone from her eyes. “Do excuse me, Lord Newford. It was very nice to see you again.”

He bowed and smiled, and, in a moment, she was gone.

His heart lifted, although he was not all that pleased that this cousin of hers could bring her such disfavor. The man had been very rude to him twice, ignoring his very presence on the two occasions he had been with Lady Harmonia. It was quite clear that Lady Harmonia herself did not care much for the gentleman either – not that he could blame her.

As he made his way back through the crowd as hastily as he could, he found his arm suddenly caught and, surprised, he turned around to see a voluptuous lady standing to the side, pulling him towards her.

“Do unhand me, my dear lady,” he muttered, as she smiled coyly at him. “I do not wish to wrinkle my coat.”

“Dear Lord Newford,” came the silky reply. “I have been waiting for you to approach me.”

Phillip wanted to say that he had not approached her but that she had caught him but, wisely, chose to remain silent.

“I know you are growing tired of the great attentions of the ton,” the lady continued, with a lift of her brows. “Were you to take someone under your protection, then that attention would cease almost overnight.”

Hotly aware of what she was proposing, Phillip gave her a tight smile and tugged his arm out of her grip. “I am well aware of that, Lady…...?”

“Milliers,” came the soft reply. “My husband has been gone these three years, my lord.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” he replied, woodenly. “Do excuse me, Lady Milliers.”

She frowned, catching his hand in hers. “Will you not take my offer seriously? I know I could make you a very happy man.”

He shook his head, his throat closing up in revulsion. “No, I thank you. Good evening.”

Turning away from her, he caught sight of none other than Lady Harmonia looking over at him, her face a little astonished. He froze in place, horrified that she might have seen the exchange and come to the worst of conclusions but, before he could start towards her to explain, her cousin caught her arm and half pulled her along the hallway back towards her box.

Wishing he could call after her, Phillip contented himself with a loud groan as he hurried back to his own box, frustrated with Lady Milliers and her bold eagerness to have him in her bed. It was the same with the mamas who presented their daughters, with the young ladies who batted their eyelashes at him. They all wanted him for no other reason than to satisfy their own desires.

All except Lady Harmonia. She had not flirted with him, nor attempted to cajole him into anything. She was sweet and gracious, quite out of the ordinary compared to the rest of the ladies he had encountered. She was, in short, quite intriguing.

“You have made it at last,” Lord Marshall crowed, as Phillip re-entered the box. “And just in time. The second half is to start any moment.”

“I was distracted,” Philip muttered, taking his seat. “I do apologize.”

Lord Marshall shrugged, handing him his glass. “It is no matter. Who distracted you?”

“No-one of importance, although I did stand on Lady Harmonia’s foot,” Philip replied, with a shake of his head. “The daughter of the Duke of Westbrook?”

“Ah, yes. I had heard that she was here this Season,” Lord Marshall replied, with a knowing look in his eye. “Is she not spoken for?”

“I hope not,” Phillip said, before he could stop himself.

Lord Marshall chuckled, shaking his head. “You see? You have found a lady you might yet come to care for, Newford! She is not like the others in society, then? She is good enough for you?”

“Lady Harmonia is nothing like the other ladies who accost me, no,” Phillip said, firmly, not wanting to give away anything more to Lord Marshall, “and, for that, I am glad to have been introduced to her. She is a welcome relief from all the others, that is for certain!”

“Indeed,” Lord Marshall murmured, looking over at Phillip with a scrutinizing eye. He made to say more, only for the curtain to go up and the orchestra to begin to play, rendering him silent – for which Phillip was very grateful. He did not need to talk about the situation any longer. It was already too complicated in his mind.