AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 6
The dance concluded and Crispin smiled at Lady Charlotte Bolton. She was a beautiful woman to be sure, but he was not certain that she was being genuine when she told him that she enjoyed reading. When he had asked about her favourite books, she hesitated and seemed to be trying to remember the names of them, as though she could not think of any.
At last, she had mentioned a book by Thomas Riley and Crispin was surprised to have met two women in one evening who were fond of Riley. He counted himself rather lucky in that regard.
But now, he smiled and bowed his head, leading her away from the dance floor. There, he saw Lady Mary once more, parting from the man she had been dancing with.
They’d seemed rather comfortable with one another while dancing and he had noticed a few times that Lord Becker had made her laugh. Crispin was not sure he could ever amuse a woman in that way, even if he wished to. He wondered if Lady Mary would prefer a humorous man over one such as himself. He assumed most any woman would prefer that.
Nevertheless, as soon as he saw her, he bid a quick farewell to Lady Charlotte.
“It was very nice to meet you, Lady Charlotte. Thank you for the lovely dance,” he said.
Lady Charlotte did not appear ready for him to rush away from her, but Crispin wanted to ask Lady Mary for a dance just in case she had a single one left available for him.
When she saw him coming near, she smiled, but glanced over to Lady Charlotte and her cheeks burned.
“Lady Mary, I do hope that I am not bothering you,” he said.
“N-no. Not at all. What may I do for you, Lord Hanbrooke?” she asked gently.
“I wondered if there is, by some fortunate chance, any opportunity left to dance with you this evening?”
It was clear to him that Lady Mary was surprised by his request, and he feared that he had been so rude initially when they danced that she thought he disliked her. However, he had managed only one dance since and all he had thought about was how soon he could get back to dance with her.
But the faint smile on her face told him she was simply trying not to show just how overjoyed she was. It was a good sign, and he was delighted that it meant they would actually have the opportunity to not only dance again, but to speak and interact more.
He could not help noting the quick glare from Lady Charlotte as Lady Mary glanced her way, but Crispin ignored it. He knew that young ladies of such a high rank might show jealousy towards one another, but it was far more important that he just be glad about the dance with Lady Mary and forget whatever else was going on around him.
“Thank you, Lord Hanbrooke. You are most kind,” Lady Mary said as he took her hand and led her back to the dance.
He still had a sense that Lady Mary was uncomfortable dancing with him after his turn with Lady Charlotte, but Crispin was simply delighted to have this moment. He found Lady Mary to be even more striking than before and, this time, he was ready with conversation.
“I am curious to know what else you recommend for me to read. I have a few things in mind,” he said, bowing with the other gentlemen as Lady Mary curtseyed. The first note struck, and they launched themselves into the dance.
It was a slower dance, one where he could hear himself think, where he could enjoy the discussion with her.
“There are a great many options. Do you wish for something tragic, or a commentary on our times that still ends with a lightness?” she asked.
He laughed and considered it for a moment.
“I suppose something light will do me good. Lady Charlotte recommended a Riley, but I was curious about your thoughts,” he replied.
“A Riley? Lady Charlotte?” she asked, quite perplexed.
“Yes, that is what she said. Why?”
At once, Lady Mary replaced her expression with one significantly more proper and gave him a smile once more.
“Nothing,” she replied. “Lady Charlotte is not overly fond of reading, but I am glad to hear that she has begun to enjoy it more.”
At this, it was Crispin who was confused. Lady Charlotte had expressed a deep love of reading and, while he had felt it a bit forced, he had not thought it a complete lie.
“Is that so? How very strange. Yes, she must have discovered the love of reading more recently,” he said, thinking it an acceptable response. He sensed that Lady Mary and Lady Charlotte knew one another, but he was uncertain as to the relationship.
The two appeared somewhat at odds and he assumed that there had been some feud in the past. Perhaps one had appreciated a suitor who preferred the other. He wondered what it could be but knew that it would be rude to enquire on the matter.
It was clear to him that Lady Mary did not wish to say anything more on the matter, so Crispin decided it was best to simply move the conversation along.
