“Miss Ely. My lord.” When Mr. Nash rose from his bow, flustered, he stumbled over his feet as he proceeded down the line.
“Enjoying the ball, Miss Kershaw?” Lord Dorchester asked, when next they came together.
“Yes, very much, my lord.”
“I was right,” Mr. Nash whispered when he returned to her side. “Dorchester has taken note of me. Wouldn’t you say so?”
“Of course,” Lucy said promptly.
The dance ended, and she and Mr. Nash joined the orderly line to leave the dance floor. After Nash had left her, Lord Dorchester and another young lady with darker hair came over to Lucy.
“Miss Kershaw. Might I have a moment? Sarah, this is Miss Lucy Kershaw. Miss Kershaw, this is my sister, Lady Sarah Fairburn. She has expressed a desire to meet you.” Lord Dorchester turned toward the young woman beside him. “As debutantes, perhaps you’ll find much in common.”
Lucy bobbed, very surprised that an earl’s daughter, who smiled graciously, wanted to meet her.
“Would you care to sit with me until the next dance is called, Miss Kershaw?”
“I would, thank you, Lady Sarah.”
Lord Dorchester bowed and left them. After telling her aunt, who looked pleased, Lucy joined Lady Sarah, and they sat together watching the noisy, chatting crowd traversing the rim of the ballroom floor.
“Mama is talking to friends.” Lady Sarah raised her voice above the din and gestured with her fan toward the far row ofseats where several ladies sat chatting together. The dowager countess was recognizable by her blue eyes and dark-brown hair the same color as her son’s and daughter’s. She was deathly pale. Had she suffered from an illness? “She rarely comes to London and is catching up on news.”
Lady Sarah’s natural manner soon put Lucy at ease. She was slender to the point of thinness, her sharp collarbones revealed by the neckline of her gown with a thin, rather delicate face. Her best features were her abundant dark-brown hair and stunning light-blue eyes, much like her brother’s. “Tell me about yourself, Miss Kershaw. Where do you hail from?”
“Bath, my lady.”
“Ah, yes, Bath. My mother and I have just returned from there. We enjoyed the entertainments in the town. How blessed you are to have grown up in such a vibrant city.”
“It is a busy, interesting place,” Lucy agreed, although she hadn’t been able to enjoy many of the functions. But she and her good friend, Alice Graham, rode together and shopped on the Pulteney Bridge. They enjoyed tea and buns at Sally Lunn’s shop, but not since Alice had married and given birth to a daughter.
“The Kentish countryside where I grew up is pretty, but a trifle dull. Apart from the dances at the assembly hall and dining with the neighbors, there’s little to do. But I love to ride.” Lady Sarah laughed. “Mama had a terrible time making me abandon my horse, Beauty, to attend my lessons.”
“I love horses.” Lucy had ridden in Bath but had never owned a horse, although she’d often yearned for one.
“We might ride together in Rotten Row. My brother doesn’t keep a suitable horse in London, so I shall hire one.”
“I must do the same.” Lucy wondered what Aunt Mary would think of that.
“Then let’s meet at the Hyde Park stables. Is Sunday morning, after church, suitable?”
“I must ask my aunt. But if she gives her permission, it would be most agreeable.”
As they talked, the gulf between their rank in life seemed to matter a little less. Lucy relaxed until Lady Sarah mentioned her brother. “Did you meet in Bath?” Curiosity widened her lovely, light-blue eyes.
“Merely a few words in passing,” Lucy said carefully. “And we danced once at a ball here in London.”
“You danced with Hugh?” Lady Sarah’s gaze became speculative. “Fancy. My brother said he wasn’t fond of dancing, but he seems to have changed his mind. But this is my first time here, so I daresay I shall discover more about him.” She sighed. “Brothers seem to keep their thoughts and feelings close to their chest. I’ve always wanted a sister to talk to. Do you have a brother or sister?”
“No.”
“How sad for you.”
Lucy nodded, not sure how to reply. Perhaps if she had a brother, or sister, she might not have worried so much about Papa.
Their partners made their way through the crowded ballroom to them when the last dance was announced.
Lucy stood, disappointed that their conversation had been cut short.