.
The crowd swept Emily along to the tall windows that stretched up to the ceiling on the east side of the Hartley mansion. During the morning, they would let in vast amounts of eastern light, turning the ballroom to gold. At the moment, they revealed the velvet black of the night outside.
Even the well-sealed glass let in a chill, so the area around the windows drew a thinner crowd, something for which Emily was quite grateful. She accepted a tiny but delicious bite of salmon and cream from a passing server, and for a moment, she only concentrated on catching her breath.
“Excuse me, Lady Emily. Surely, you remember me?”
She blinked at the man standing before her, an unctuous smile on his face. It took her a moment to place him, but then she did with a faint inward wince.
“Lord Bagley. Of course. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
He was one of the men she had met at her disastrous turn at Almack’s, and even then, she and Aunt Winnie had not been all that thrilled with him. He was not poor, but he was notoriously stingy, and he never seemed able to lift his gaze above her neckline.
He bowed over her hand, but then he did not release it, making her blink with surprise. Instead, he tucked it around his arm, and with a sinking feeling, she realized that she could not get away easily without making at least some sort of scene.
“Lord Bagley, I apologize, but I was just thinking I should find my Aunt Winnie, you understand—”
“Ah, it gives me such pleasure to see a woman all unmindful of her scandal, raising her head high in public.”
Emily felt a chilly chasm open up in the pit of her stomach.
“Scandal, Lord Bagley?”
“No need to play so very coy with me, Lady Emily.” He winked at her, making her want to shudder a little. “We both know that you are a woman with a bit of a past, hm?”
“Lord Bagley, I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Emily’s voice sounded frosty and level in her own ears, but inside she was shrieking with panic. Did he know about Swandon and who lived at Everly? How did he find out? What in the world did he want, and would she be able to provide it?
He only chuckled. There was a greasy sound to it, and he leaned closer to her.
“Now, don’t fret, my dear. I am not one of those who judges, you see? I only think that after Lord Greville, you may not mind... well, a gentleman of my disposition.”
Relief flooded Emily so powerfully that she nearly went weak at the knees. However, that would have meant clinging to Lord Bagley for support, and she refused to do that.
“My goodness, Lord Bagley, what a ridiculous story! I should be embarrassed to try spreading that one around, were I you.”
He scowled at her before he remembered himself and painted that smile over his face again.
“Why, everyone knows...”
“Everyone knows that Lord Greville’s reputation is his own problem. I had the occasion to speak to the gentleman at that ball not long ago, where he so cruelly outraged Lady Castlereagh. I’m afraid I was quite overcome by the shock and fainted. And that, my lord, is the extent of my contact with Lord Greville. You may take that one to the bank.”
She wondered darkly how far Lord Bagley had gotten picking up what he considered Lord Greville’s leavings. The important thing, however, was that his grasp loosened enough that she could step back from him.
“I wish you joy of the evening, my lord. I really must find my aunt.”
Lord Bagley’s face darkened like storm clouds rolling over a sunny day, and he stepped closer to her.
“I think you should be more concerned about what a lord can do to your reputation, you silly little bit of—”
“Lord Bagley! I see you there!”
In shock, Lord Bagley stepped back from her, and they both turned to see Charles Hartley striding toward them. The smile on his face was cheerful, but there was no warmth to it at all as he approached them.
Lord Bagley put that disgusting simper back onto his face, bowing to Charles.
“My lord...”
“It’s good I caught you, Lord Bagley. I believe you are wanted.”
“Wanted, my lord?”
“At home. Immediately. Out of my sight.”
Emily watched the scene unfolding in front of her with fascination. Lord Bagley turned several shades of green, and Charles watched him with an utterly remorseless chill despite his friendly smile.
“I... take your meaning, and I shall be off to attend to matters.”
“See that you do,” Charles said shortly. He waited until Bagley had disappeared into the crowd, and he turned to Emily.
“I’m dreadfully sorry about that. I don’t even know how he got onto the invitation list. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I am. Thank you for the interruption, believe me, it is very welcome. But how did you know I was in trouble?”
“Oh, I didn’t, but Bagley’s a known toad, and he was hanging on to you rather tight. And I thought, well, if I get there before Wellford does, I can perhaps keep things a bit quieter while having something like the same effect. You’re a little pale, if you don’t mind my saying so, Lady Emily.”
“Yes, I am... I just feel a bit faint.”
“Ah. You know, I just saw my sister in the green drawing room. Perhaps I could escort you there?”
The prospect of a quiet room out of the crush was too tempting.
“Yes, please, and thank you, Lord Hartley.”
He grinned at her.
“I don’t think Victor would forgive me if you came to harm. Come on, just this way.”
The green drawing room was a beautiful little space, lined with bookshelves and arranged with beautifully appointed but somehow still comfortable chaise lounges. Cherry Hartley turned out to be a nineteen-year-old with Charles’ bright eyes but hair as dark as a raven’s wing, and she leaped to her feet immediately as Charles brought Emily in.
Charles gave Cherry a brief and expurgated version of events, and Cherry turned a sympathetic gaze to Emily.
“Oh, you poor thing. Auntie Charlotte never puts as much thought into her lists as she ought. Come sit with me, I have secured the loveliest pear cordial from a friend I met earlier.”
“Cherry! What are you doing with cordial?”
“Oh, do hush, Charles, I promise, it is delicious but quite weak. We ladies deserve to have our hurrahs as well, don’t we?”
“Rightly so, Lady Cherry,” said Emily, who instinctively liked Cherry a great deal. “Thank you so much for sharing.”
Charles muttered about girls running wild in the streets of London, but he sat with them and had a sip of Cherry’s excellent cordial as well. It was, as the younger Hartley sibling promised, quite good, though perhaps a little stronger than she had implied.
“I can’t thank you both enough,” Emily found herself saying. “I truly can’t. It’s a lovely ball, and your aunt’s home is so very beautiful...”
“But Auntie Charlotte does rather like a spectacle, it is very true. And unless you are willing to be quite brave, it’s horrendous to deal with all the pushing and the people.” Cherry patted Emily’s hand. “Don’t worry. I need to go out and to meet some people in a bit, but then it is straight back here to enjoy Auntie Charlotte’s collection of French novels.”
“Cherry, you are not meant to know about those!” yelped Charles.
She waved him away.
“Well, you aren’t either, but you certainly do. I think all our cousins do as well.”
They bickered on with so much familiarity and love that Emily found a deep and wounding melancholy fall over her. Without knowing it, her eyes filled with tears as she listened to them.
“Oh, my goodness, Charles, she’s crying. Oh, Emily, poor dear, whatever’s the matter? Is Charles being a terrible brute? Should I make him leave?”
“Thank you,” Charles said wryly. “But yes, Emily, I’m sorry about rabbiting on in front of you. Should I leave?”
“No, no, please, stay. It is only that I am not from London, you see. I’ve only been here a short while, and... and before that, I lost my sister, and hearing you two talk, oh but I miss her...”
To her dismay, the tears that she had held back for so long, spilled over. Cherry came immediately to sit on one side of her, hugging her as close as if they had known each other for years and not just for half an hour. After a moment, Charles did, too, placing his arm over her shoulders.
Emily’s tears dried up, and she took the handkerchief Charles offered her gratefully.
“I’m sorry to you both for acting such a ninny. And thank you for comforting me. If I can ever repay the favor, please know that I will.”
“Well, no favor at all, for we are friends now, aren’t we?” asked Cherry. “All will be well, or at least that’s what Father always used to say.”
Charles started to add something to that but then the door crashed open, and Victor stood in the doorway.
He took in the scene in a split second, crossed the room, and took Emily’s hand in his.
“We are going the hell home.”