discretely turned to watch Lady Madeline’s reaction to the duke’s very public display of attention to the Armstrong girl. What they saw was Madeline Maxwell, looking as pretty and feminine as ever with her yellow curls perfectly arranged and wearing a baby blue Worth gown, clinging rapturously to the arm of Oliver Parkridge, seemingly oblivious to the duke’s presence in the room.
Betsy Warring whispered frantically to Mary Ellen Talbot, “Why is the duke dancing with Caroline Armstrong?” She tugged self-consciously at the too-tight fit of her lemon satin gown and wished desperately that she were the one dancing in the arms of the handsome duke with everyone watching.
“I haven’t the faintest idea! He never dances with anyone. Oh, I just don’t understand how Madeline could have refused him.” She shook her head in disbelief. “She must be blind. Will you look at him?” Mary Ellen sighed, her big brown eyes gazing longingly at the duke.
“Who would have guessed that the duke would show interest in her of all people? She just appeared out of nowhere,” wondered Betsy, as she turned her rather wide nose up in the air with a disdainful sniff. “I heard that she was quite tedious at the Maxwells’ ball.”
“Well, she seems nice enough, just a little shy. Her sister, Emma, is great fun, though. I think my brother, John, is sweet on her,” Mary Ellen whispered to the girls as they continued to watch the couple at the center of the ballroom.
After her dance with the duke, the ton’s interest in Caroline increased. There had to be something special about the older Armstrong sister if the Duke of Woodborough danced with her. Surely Arthur Kingston’s reports of her being a stuffy country bore must have been exaggerated. The gentlemen all flocked to the shy beauty. Caroline’s dance card filled up quickly, and she danced with so many partners that night that she could not recall any of their names the next day.
Alex stood aside, watching her dance, never taking his eyes off her, an enigmatic smile on his face. By dancing with Caroline, he had set her apart from the other girls, which is exactly what he intended. Now aware of her sheltered childhood, the loss of both her parents, and how she supported her family, Alex felt that she needed this special time for herself, to enjoy being young and beautiful. She deserved it after all she had been through. It was surprising how happy it made him to see her laughing and smiling.
When he recalled how sad she looked on the balcony that night and compared it to her glowing face on the dance floor now, he was amazed at the difference in her. It would be criminal to have such a beautiful girl hide herself and pretend to be uninterested in life when she deserved to be admired and the center of attention. There was a sadness about her. She was hiding something, and he was determined to find out what it was. Watching her glide across the room in graceful, fluid movements, he actually felt proud of her.
“What’s all this about you and the Armstrong chit?” a familiar voice asked.
Lord Peter Forester grinned at Alex. He was a handsome man, almost as tall as Alex, with sandy blond hair and laughing eyes. The two men had been friends since childhood, and Peter knew that there had to be a very important reason for Alex to put in an appearance at a second Season ball within a week. Peter was more than a little intrigued by his friend’s current behavior.
“What are you doing here?” Alex countered. Peter detested the social season almost as much as he did.
“I was going to ask you the same,” Peter responded. “But you didn’t answer my first question.”
“Shouldn’t you be dancing with your fiancée?”
Peter grinned knowingly. “Another artful dodge. But to answer your question, my darling Victoria is chatting with her friends at the moment. More to the point, what are you doing here?”
“I am simply enjoying the Season,” Alex answered casually, feigning innocence.
“This isn’t your thing at all, Alex. You haven’t attended a ball in years. Only a week ago you were complaining to me of matchmakers and giddy girls throwing themselves at you. I do recall you saying that after you straightened out the Maxwell situation, you were returning to the peace and quiet of Ridge Haven. What gives, my friend?”
Alex hesitated, not sure how to answer, his eyes following Caroline moving across the ballroom.
Observing that Alex had not taken his eyes off the young lady in question, Peter concluded, “Then it must have something to do with the lovely Miss Armstrong everyone is suddenly buzzing about.”
“Maybe it does.”
“Word is she’s a bluestocking.”
A slight smile played across Alex’s face. “Not true.”
Without another word, Lord Forester handed Alex his drink, maneuvered agilely across the crowded ballroom, and managed to catch Caroline just as a dance ended. Leave it to Peter to take matters into his own hands. Alex watched in amusement as Caroline smiled at his friend in acceptance of his invitation to dance and moved elegantly with Peter on the dance floor. Peter must have said something that charmed her, because her laughter brightened her eyes, and her smile was captivating. She was truly breathtaking and was the most beautiful woman in the room. The jade-colored gown she was wearing accented the green in her eyes, and her golden hair framed her delicate face prettily. When the dance ended, Peter bowed smoothly to her and made his way back to Alex.
“I now understand completely why you are here,” Peter commented evenly, taking his drink from Alex’s hand.
“I thought you might,” was Alex’s only response.
“It seems you have finally been caught, my friend. And by a most lovely trap.”
“It seems that way,” Alex admitted.
Continuing to watch Caroline, Alex didn’t mind when she danced with young Henry Whiting or Lord Marshall, or even his best friend, but he most definitely minded when Lord Kingston claimed her for a dance. Kingston was a notorious rake and treated women carelessly. The man clutched her too closely, and the lecherous look on Kingston’s face alone would have made Alex want to strangle him.
Ignoring Peter’s smug expression, Alex quickly made his way to the dancing couple and tapped Kingston, none too gently, on the shoulder as he overheard the man whispering to Caroline, “Are you sure you are the same girl I danced with last week?”
“I believe the lady has saved this dance for me,” Alex interrupted.
Smiling in relief, Caroline yanked herself free from Kingston’s clinging hands and gratefully slipped into Alex’s arms. “Of course, Your Grace. How silly of me to have forgotten that I promised this dance to you! Please excuse me, Lord Kingston.”
Leaving the slick man standing there alone and irritated, Alex expertly waltzed Caroline away.
“Oh, thank you!” she exclaimed. “I wasn’t sure how to extricate myself from his grip without being too rude.”
He held her close as he guided her across the floor in time to the music, marveling at how perfectly she fit in his arms. “You could always cough in his face again.”
“I was thinking just that!” she laughed.
He looked down at her, again struck by her beauty. “You met Lord Forester.”
Her eyes sparked with
