Page 21 of The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere
Had he been at Lady Wylde’s ball tonight? If so, why hadn’t she seen him there? It seemed impossible she could have missed him. With his height and auburn hair, he wasn’t the sort of gentleman who blendedinto a crowd.
Georgiana cleared her throat. “Have you been, er…at an entertainment this evening, my lord?”
“No. That is, unless you consider Lady Wylde’s masque ball entertaining. Personally, I found it unspeakably dull.”
Hehadbeen there, then. Had he seen her? He might have chosen to ignore her if he had, but he surely would have greeted Lord and Lady Darlington. Unless he’d intentionally kept out of their sight? Why should he, though? Lord Darlington was his closest friend.
“Though now you ask, Miss Harley,” Lord Haslemere went on. “It wasn’t a completely wasted evening. I may have overheard a few things thatinterested me.”
“Overheard?” Georgiana’s eyes narrowed. “That implies you heard things by accident, my lord. I think the more appropriate word iseavesdropped.”
“Let’s not quibble over words, Miss Harley. You may call it whatever you like. The point is I was there, just as you were, though I confess I nearly overlooked you.”
Georgiana regarded him warily, the strangeness of his sudden appearance here sinking in at last. Not just here in London, where he wasn’t meant to be, but at Lady Wylde’s ball, and nowhere, in front of the Clifford School? It was almost as ifhe’d followed—
Dear God, hehad. There was no other explanation for it.
He’d hidden from her at the ball, eavesdropped on her conversation, then come here and skulked about in the bushes, waiting for her, all with the specific purpose ofaccosting her!
Butwhy? It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t as ifshehad any business with him, nor he with her. It was none of her concern what Lord Haslemere got up to, and no reason at all she should be lingering on a dark street with him.
Georgiana blinked, the first question she should have asked dawning on her only now.
Whywasshe lingering on a dark street with him? She didn’t owe Lord Haslemere any explanations. “As delightful as it’s been to see you, my lord, it’s quite late, and I—”
“You look rather different than you did the last time I saw you.” He frowned, his gaze sweeping from the ribbons in her hair to the toes of her slippers. “If you hadn’t been with Darlington, I’m not certain I would have recognized you.”
Georgiana wasn’t sure how to take that remark, but given she’d been far more plainly attired than any of the other ladies at the ball tonight, she doubted it was a compliment. “It was a masque ball, my lord. You weren’t meant torecognize me.”
“It wasn’t the masque that threw me off.” He eased a little closer to her—not so close as to be threatening, but close enough she could see the gleam of challenge in his eyes. “No, it was that Lady Wylde’s masque ball is the last place in the world I’d expect to findyou. So, you see, I can’t help but wonder what you were doing there.”
“Doing?” Georgiana forced a laugh. “Why, the same thing as everyone else. I don’t see what’s so scandalous about my being there. Lady Darlington invited me to go, and so I went. Nothing so amazing in that, is there?”
“Come now, Miss Harley.” A grin played about his lips, but his dark eyes roved over her face, scrutinizing every shift in her expression. “We both know that isn’t true. Lord and Lady Darlington went as a favor to you, not the other way around.”
Georgiana couldn’t prevent a nervous swallow. For a worthless rake, Lord Haslemere was proving far too astute for her liking. “I don’t see what concern it is of yours what I do.”
“No concern at all, under the usual circumstances, but your presence at atonball isn’t usual, is it? You see, Miss Harley, even a careless, feather-brained, arrogant rake like myself occasionally has a moment of illumination. You were there for a reason—likely at Lady Clifford’s behest—and I couldn’t help but wonder if that reason has anything to do with my sister, the Duchessof Kenilworth.”
Georgiana just managed to stop her mouth from falling open. How in the name of heaven had he worked that out? All of a sudden it was becoming uncomfortably clear how much trouble Lord Haslemere’s sudden presence in London was going to cause her. That, and how many lies she’d have to tell him if he chose to make a nuisance of himself.
Well, whatever the number, she’d tell them. She’d tell one lie after the next if it meant protecting the duchess’s privacy. Her Grace had made herself perfectly clear on the subject of her brother. Under no circumstances was he to know anything about the search for Clara Beauchamp.
So she crossed her arms over her chest, met his gaze, and spit out her first lie. “I’ve no idea what you mean, my lord. What reason should I have to poke about in the duchess’s business?”
But it was no use. Lord Haslemere was like a dog on a scent. “That’s not a denial, Miss Harley. Indeed, it almost sounds likea confession.”
“I have nothing to confess. Even if I did, I wouldn’t confess it toyou. Now, unless you’re such a blackguard you’d keep a lady standing on a dark street against her will, I’ll ask youto stand back.”
He braced his hand on the railing, blocking her way. “One more question first, if you please. Who is Clara Beauchamp? You had a great many questions about Clara Beauchamp for Lady Tilbury. It arousedmy curiosity.”
Oh, he’d spent a good, long time eavesdropping on her conversations tonight, hadn’t he? She was not, however, obliged to satisfy his curiosity. “Why, Clara Beauchamp could be anyone, my lord. Perhaps I could help you if you could tell me something more about her.”
His dark eyes narrowed, his playful humor now gone. “That what I’m waiting foryouto tellme, Miss Harley.”
Georgiana shrugged. “Forgive me, my lord, but there must be dozens of ladies named Clara Beauchamp in England. I can’t possibly know which one you’rereferring to.”
Without warning, she darted under his arm and scurried toward the stairs, more than a little pleased with herself, but before she could escape, his deep voice brought her to a halt on the steps. “Did Lord Draven ask you to prod into my sister’s affairs?”
