He remembered his sister’s warning not to lead the young miss into any misconception that he might fancy her. He would never be so cruel to any young lady. The topic of the weather was safe. He couldn’t tell if she was disappointed with it, as she kept a gentle smile on her face throughout their time together. Around and around he twirled them until the last strains of the waltz could be heard.
“Thank you for a most pleasurable dance,” he said, holding out his arm to escort her back to her mother.
“The pleasure was mine, Lord Easton.”
When they reached Lady Wright, he took his leave without inquiring about any future engagements they might attend.
He’d already danced with the woman he loved and saw no reason to stay any longer. As he made his way out of the ballroom, he turned to see Miss Parker dancing with another young buck. The young man was leering at her, and he didn’t like that look. He had an uneasy feeling and changed direction, walking along the perimeter of the room, keeping a keen eye on them.
He knew what the young man was thinking. He’d thought the same thing in his youth. The scene played out in his mind.
“Miss Parker, it’s quite warm in here. Care for a bit of fresh air?”
Of course she would agree, not knowing that all the gentleman wanted was to steal a kiss.
When he reached the back of the room, he positioned himself beside the French doors, watching as the dance ended. The young man held out his arm and whispered something to Miss Parker. Much to Easton’s surprise and relief, she shook her head, and he led her back to her sister.
Easton’s admiration for her went up threefold. So, she wasn’t as naïve as he’d thought. Good for her. Not that he wouldn’t have liked to be the one stealing a kiss out on the balcony. But he didn’t want to steal a kiss. He wanted Miss Parker to be fully aware and to want him to kiss her.
He left the ball with a smile on his face.
He had an outing to Vauxhall Gardens to plan.
Chapter13
Mia saw Lord Easton standingbeside the French doors. Was he guarding them for her?
Ah…what a man Lord Easton was! It gave her such a warm feeling to have him looking out for her. The gentleman she’d been dancing with asked her to stroll out to the balcony for a bit of fresh air, but she knew what that meant from her previous mistake and politely declined his invitation. Once she’d been safely returned to her sister’s company, she looked around for Lord Easton and saw him nod at her before leaving the ball.
Was she correct that he had indeed been looking out for her? Of course, if he were, that begged the question of why. She didn’t know the answer to that, but what she did know was that she was looking forward to the outing at Vauxhall Gardens and spending more time with him.
After that last dance, Audrey signaled it was time to leave the Gardner ball, and Mia was more than happy to agree, for her feet were sore from so much dancing, but it had been worth it. She’d never enjoyed an evening so much, especially her waltz with Lord Easton.
“I hope you enjoyed yourself, dearest,” Audrey said once they were in the carriage.
“Oh, I did. It was wonderful to dance with so many gentlemen.”
“Anyone in particular?”
Mia shook her head. “No. Everyone was quite delightful. I’m glad I got to meet Lady Arabella. She’s lovely, and I look forward to seeing her again soon.”
Audrey nodded. “Yes, she’s quite pleasant.”
“You don’t mind that I invited her to tea, do you? I should have consulted you first and not put you on the spot like that. I do beg your forgiveness.”
“Nothing to forgive, dearest. I would be happy to have her and her mother for tea. It’ll be good for you to have friends your own age. What about Lady Victoria and Lady Wright? Shall we extend the invitation to them once a date is set?”
Mia nodded. “Yes. That would be wonderful. I do like Lady Victoria ever so much.”
She thought about Lord Easton and wondered if he fancied Lady Victoria. She’d seen him dancing with her friend and couldn’t tell if he was enamored with her or not. It didn’t matter because she wasn’t about to deprive herself of Lady Victoria’s company. That would be foolish. She’d seen how invaluable it was to have a circle of supportive friends. Her sister had that with Kathryn and Lady Devon, and she wanted to experience the same camaraderie with her friends.
Audrey leaned her head on Fletcher’s shoulder.
“Audrey, are you well? I hope you didn’t push yourself too much,” Mia said.
“No. I’ll be fine with a good night’s rest.”
When the carriage pulled up to Fletcher House, the footman opened the door, and Fletcher helped the ladies down.