CHAPTER 10
Hetty felt like a princess as she glided around the Minchin’s ballroom on the arm of her brother, Sinclair.
“I do believe you are getting better at this, Squirt,” Sinclair smiled down at her, “I still have the feeling in my toes.”
Hetty smiled up at him, “I just haven’t been trying hard enough.”
Sinclair laughed, “You are trouble, you know that, don’t you? I am not sure that I have ever seen you look so lovely.”
Hetty grinned, “I am not sure you have ever been so sweet. Frances is very good for you.”
Sinclair twisted his head to see his beautiful wife, “She is an angel, that is for certain.”
“I love seeing you both so happy. And thank you for coming tonight. I wasn’t sure I would be able to attend with mother feeling under the weather.”
“I think that Frances would do just about anything for you, Squirt. She quite adores you for some unfathomable reason.”
Hetty deliberately stomped on his toes.
Sinclair suppressed a howl of pain, “You are a menace! That hurts you know.”
Hetty smiled happily, “Good, it was meant to.”
Sinclair grumbled something about sending Hetty to a convent. But she was no longer paying any attention to him.
Miles had just walked into the ballroom and was immediately approached by Rose Darlington.
Hetty clenched her teeth, the last thing she wanted was for that hussy to sink her claws into Miles. Not that she wanted him, Hetty just didn’t want Rose to have him.
As the dance came to an end Sinclair bowed appropriately and offered to escort her back to where Frances was sitting.
Hetty agreed and Sinclair made his way across the room with his sister on his arm.
“You l-l-looked b-b-beautiful, Hetty,” Frances smiled kindly at her sister in law.
Hetty grasped her outstretched and sat down beside her, “Did you see who came in just now?”
Frances immediately began to look around, but Hetty pulled sharply on her arm, “Don’t look now, he will see you!”
Frances was confused, “Who?”
Hetty leaned in, “Lord Chambers came in and Rose Darlington didn’t skip a beat in latching herself to his side.”
It all became clear, Frances knew that Hazel had asked the Bluebells for help in separating Rose from her brother. But Frances had no idea what she could do, she was a married woman after all.
“What are y-y-you going to d-d-do?”
Sinclair, who had been standing near leaned over, “Whatever are you two conspiring about?”
They both glanced at him guiltily.
“Nothing,” Hetty replied tartly, “Just womanly things.”
Sinclair grimaced, that was the last thing that he wanted to be involved in. “I am going to the card rooms. Can I do anything for you, dearest?”
Frances colored prettily, “N-n-no, go on.”
Sinclair looked at his sister, “No trouble out of you, Squirt. Don’t make me regret bringing you tonight.”
Hetty rolled her eyes, “Honestly, how much trouble could I possibly get into?”
***
This was the third event that Miles had attended this evening. He tried to reason with himself that he was not looking for anyone in particular. He simply wanted to be polite to all the hostess in town.
Even he knew that this was a terrible lie.
The moment he walked in and saw Hetty swinging around the dance floor in the arms of her brother. He had no doubt that she was what the other parties were missing. Her pale pink gown fitted her like a glove. And the curls that had escaped her coiffure kissed her neck enchantingly.
He was so caught up in Hetty’s beauty that he wasn’t paying attention to the people around him.
“Lord Chambers, you are looking dashing. This evening has been so droll,” Rose Darlington cooed at him whilst grasping his arm.
Miles stifled a moan of exasperation, he was beginning to regret ever being nice to the woman. “Miss Darlington, how pleasant to see you.”
Rose tittered, “I’ve been dying for some scintillating conversation.”
“I am positive that there are plenty of people here that would love to converse with you.”
Rose tightened her grip, “But now you are here. I would much rather speak with you.”
Miles wanted to grit his teeth, “I have another to whom my time is already committed. I am sorry to disappoint you, Miss Darlington.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed and her lips pinched, “I see, another time then, perhaps?”
Miles disengaged her hand from his arm, “Another time, certainly. Oh, here she is now. Henrietta, I am sorry for arriving so late. I hope that you have no given our dance away?”
There was only the slightest flash of confusion in her eyes before she assessed the situation. “You have arrived just in the nick of time, Miles. I had started to think you had forgotten me.”
Seeing as how neither of them had been on a first name basis before this charade, Miles felt that he could take certain liberties.
Grasping her hand, he turned it over and placed a hot kiss on the inside of her wrist where her gloves buttoned. “You are unforgettable.”
Hetty’s eyes widened, this Miles was not one she was familiar with. But he had her attention, that was undeniable.