Page 16

Siobhan gritted her teeth and looked away but the question of how he’d felt about her non-attendance to the ball plagued her. Had he been relieved? Was that the reason? Maybe it was because he did not wish for Glenora to know he and she were acquainted. If not for her mother’s stern talk about impropriety, she would have bumped into them after the performance and ensured that Glenora became aware she and Miles were acquainted.

“Is something the matter?” Henriette asked, looking at her with concern. “You seem very cross.”

Siobhan smiled. “I was thinking about what Mother said. I should put it out of my mind. However, it does annoy me,” she admitted.

“You must not dwell on it,” Henriette said. Her friend did not understand how much easier it was for her to say that than it was for Siobhan to do that—though she tried.

When the performance ended, two men approached and waited for them to acknowledge their presence.

Henriette’s cheeks pinkened prettily. “Lord MacIntosh, I did not expect you’d be here.”

Lord MacIntosh was of medium stature, handsome, and with vivid blue eyes. His attention was riveted on Henriette. Henriette introduced him to Siobhan.

His companion, a tall, dark brunette man with equally dark eyes stood by, waiting to be introduced. Lord MacIntosh motioned to his friend. “This is Charles Winthrop, recently returned from travel.”

The man kissed both of their hands, but his scrutiny lingered on Siobhan. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Blair.”

Jean-Paul had yet to return, which meant he had probably been distracted by a woman as Siobhan had suspected. Henriette didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“May we escort you to your carriage?” Lord MacIntosh asked her friend, who nodded in agreement.

“Where did you travel?” Siobhan asked Winthrop, who walked beside her. By the way he kept stealing glances at her, it was apparent he found her attractive.

“On safari in Africa. I also went to Egypt and Morocco.”

“My father is in the midst of coordinating a talk on ancient Egypt. Perhaps you could meet with him. He would be delighted to speak to someone who’s been there recently. He’s a historian interested in antiquities.” She didn’t mean the invitation as a way to get to know him better, though she worried it might sound that way. “He would genuinely be very intrigued with your travels,” she added, just in case.

“If I may call on you tomorrow, I would be happy to speak to your father.” Winthrop looked at Lord MacIntosh. “And perhaps a carriage ride after, with Thomas and your beautiful friend?”

It was all the encouragement both Lord MacIntosh and Henriette needed. Plans were made while Siobhan wanted to kick herself for encouraging the man into thinking she might be interested in him.

Chapter Five

The ballroom was crowded and overly hot. Miles made an excuse to Glenora, who’d clung to his side for much too long, and went out onto the balcony. The cool fresh air almost made him close his eyes as it swept across his face like a lover’s caress.

He’d not escorted Glenora to the event, despite her obvious hints, claiming the usual excuse of escorting his sister. But then she’d run into him at the event and had been determined to capture all his attention. As much as he should appreciate how easy it would be to seduce the woman, the fact of the matter was, he was not interested in her—or her money.

His three friends, Evan, Grant, and Henry had all acquired the necessary funding for the sponsorship of the ship to the West Indies through various means. Always wishing to win and despite having enough money himself, he’d wagered that he’d come up with the necessary funding in seven days by seducing a rich widow. Glenora was making the wager far too simple and hardly a wager at all.

Even though she was the key to gaining the money for the sponsorship of the ship, the more time he spent with the woman, the less he wished to seduce her. But never one to back down from a challenge, he considered other ways to come up with the money. He supposed he could just ask her for a loan, but then rumors of his family having financial instability would spread. Although it could be proven they were quite wealthy, rumors would persist and in truth, it would involve his parents, something he truly did not want to do.

While looking at the stars in the darkened sky, he mused about other ways to come up with the funding. At first, the wager had been an entertainment for him and for his friends. But now it was nothing but a chore and in a few days, he would lose to Grant.

Maybe he could just give up.

“Lord Miles.” Amelia Blair approached. “I find you have not signed my dance card as yet.” She held up her card and pretended to study it, her eyes flitting from it to him. “Thank goodness there is one spot left.”

As much as he wished to avoid dancing with the persistent young woman, propriety dictated he had little choice. Before taking the offered pencil, he searched the room for anyone who could rescue him. Of his male friends, only Grant was in attendance. At the moment, however, he was nowhere to be found. Across the huge ballroom, his mother and father stood too far to get their attention, although they would in all probability not try to help. For them, Miss Blair was considered an acceptable choice for a bride. He was trapped.

“Brother!” To his delight, Penelope seemed to appear out of nowhere. Even though he’d said she shouldn’t attend any more balls, apparently she’d managed to override his wishes and now he was more than relieved of it. As far as he was concerned, right now especially, she could attend any balls she wished, if she could be relied on to get him out of dancing with persistent and unwanted misses. “I cannot find Mother. Have you seen her? Where is she?”

He wanted to grab his sister and hug her. “I will help you find her.” He acted as if he’d forgotten about the pencil and the dance card, and bowed his head to Amelia. “If you will excuse us…”

Penelope pulled his arm as he practically dragged her back into the ballroom. “Slow down. You act as if there’s a fire behind us.” Her face was bright with mischief. “I could tell that you wished for help. So I came.”

Miles laughed and touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “I adore you.”

“I know.” She laughed.