Page 45 of A Devious Secret

“It suits you nicely.” Stephen stifled the groan on his lips. Why had he said that?

“You are too kind,” Lady Hawkinge said, lowering her gaze.

Lord Hawthorne stepped up with his wife and greeted him. “I hadn’t expected to see you here this evening.”

“I promised Marielle that I would attend,” Stephen shared.

Marielle patted his arm with her hand. “If Stephen hadn’t come, I have no doubt he would have been sitting in that ramshackle townhouse of his and be drinking away his woes.”

“You sound as if you disapprove,” Stephen joked.

“I do wish you would come live with us until the end of the Season. There is plenty of room and it is much more pleasant than where you are living now,” Marielle said.

Stephen shuddered. “I can’t imagine the torture of living under the same roof as two sets of newlyweds.”

Hawthorne looked amused. “I do not fault you for that.”

The orchestra began warming up and the next set was announced. Before he had a chance to ask Lady Hawkinge to dance, another gentleman did just that.

As Lady Hawkinge was escorted towards the dance floor, Marielle leaned in and said, “You shouldn’t have waited so long.”

Hugh held his hand out and asked, “Would you care to dance, my love?”

“I would love to,” she replied.

Stephen gave Hawthorne a questioning look. “Are you not dancing with your wife?”

Dinah spoke up. “I do not feel like dancing this evening.”

“Then may I ask, why did you come?” Stephen asked.

“We already accepted the invitation and my mother-in-law said it would be inconceivable for us to miss this ball,” Dinah replied.

“Are Lord and Lady Montfort in attendance this evening?” Stephen asked, his eyes roaming over the room.

“They always are fashionably late,” Hawthorne said. “My mother rather enjoys making a grand entrance.”

“I see,” Stephen said, even though he didn’t see.

Stephen wished that he could speak freely to Hawthorne but they were surrounded by people, including his wife. But Hawthorne didn’t have any such qualms about it.

“I spoke to my contacts, and no one knows anything about Benjamin Heathcote, or Colin Staley, for that matter,” Hawthorne said, keeping his voice low.

“I did see Benjamin when I was trying to secure a hackney and he ran from me,” Stephen shared.

"Why would he run from you?" Hawthorne asked.

"I don’t know, but by the time I arrived at the alley, he was gone.”

Hawthorne grew pensive. “What is Benjamin about?” he asked. “People only run when they have something to hide.”

Lady Hawthorne placed her hand on her husband’s sleeve and commented, “It is rather warm in here. Would you mind terribly if we step outside for a moment?”

With a loving smile at his wife, Hawthorne placed her hand into the crook of his arm. “Not in the least bit,” he said.

Lady Hawthorne offered Stephen an apologetic smile. “You are welcome to join us.”

“Thank you, but I do believe I will remain here,” Stephen said.