Selina closed her eyes and drew in a long breath.
“Then I am all the more glad that we spoke to Lady Amelia when we did,” she replied, fervently. “And I am sure, given what Lord Barrington wrote to me, that he will have spoken to Lady Amelia of it also.”
Lady Hayward nodded, the carriage coming to a stop as footmen hurried to open the door for them.
“I should think he would have done,” she agreed, with a wry smile. “And I do not think he would have held back his upset from her either which, I would state, is precisely what Lady Amelia requires.”
Nothing more was said on the matter as Selina and Lady Hayward made their way up towards the house. There was a slight chill in the air, but Selina barely felt it, her anticipation and nervousness growing in equal measure. This evening, she would be required to dance with, and converse with, various gentlemen of the ton and, whilst most young ladies would revel in such an experience, Selina felt some anxiety building up within her. She prayed that she would not falter during any of the dances, that she would be able to converse without difficulty and that her nervousness would not show to any of those she spoke to that evening.
Will Lord Barrington be present?
The question came, unbidden, to her mind and Selina frowned hard, pushing it away as she came to join the line of guests being welcomed by their hosts. Lord Barrington had upset her, she reminded herself, for he had been very rude to her when they had first spoken at the soiree last evening.
Although his letter was very well written and filled with many compliments, she considered, nodding slowly to herself as the line moved steadily forward. Perhaps he was not displeased with me last evening but, mayhap, it was his sister.
These thoughts lingered as she greeted Lord and Lady Folkstone, thanking them for inviting her and commenting on the loveliness of the evening as well as the beautiful decorations she had seen upon arrival. She knew precisely what to say and what was expected of her and Lord and Lady Folkstone appeared very satisfied with what she had said. Making her way into the ballroom alongside Lady Hayward, Selina held her breath and tried to push away the swirl of anxiety which swayed her stomach. The ballroom was already very busy indeed, with the musicians playing for those who had taken to the floor to dance.
“A very crowded evening, I should think,” Lady Hayward remarked, as Selina nodded, trying to smile. “We shall have to be careful not to lose each other this evening, Lady Selina.”
“I will do my best to always return to you immediately, should I be asked to dance,” Selina replied, her heart thumping in a most uncomfortable manner. “Although there may not be any such requests!”
“Lady Selina, how wonderful to see you this evening!”
She turned hastily, recognizing one Lord Aldridge, who had evidently seen her enter the room and had made his way towards her. He was a handsome gentleman and very kind indeed, but with only the title of Viscount, Selina knew that he would never be accepted by her father as a suitable match and that, most likely, Lord Aldridge knew that also. Still, that did not prevent him from seeking out her company!
“Might I hope that I am the first to ask to peruse your dance card this evening?” Lord Aldridge asked, after quickly greeting Lady Hayward. “I must hope that I am, for I should very much like to choose the very best two dances to claim for myself!”
Selina smiled at him and handed him her dance card without hesitation, seeing Lady Hayward’s knowing look and finding herself resisting the urge to laugh. After saying, only a moment before, that she was not certain that anyone would ask her to dance, she now had Lord Aldridge placing his name down for a dance!
“The cotillion,” he said, handing her back the card and bowing low. “I do hope that is satisfactory?”
“You are very kind,” Selina replied, accepting it back from him. “Thank you, Lord Aldridge.”
The noise of someone clearing their throat caught Selina’s attention and, as she turned, she was astonished to see none other than Lord Barrington approaching, a twinkle in his eye and a small smile on his lips.
“I do hope that Lord Aldridge has not stolen you for all of the dances left on your dance card this evening,” he said, as Selina’s stomach twisted with a sudden, inexplicable tension. “I should like to ask you to dance also, Lady Selina.”
“Of course I have not!” Lord Aldridge replied, with a hearty chuckle. “But I will say that I am very glad indeed to have been the first to write my name down upon Lady Selina’s dance card, for now I feel quite happy that I have chosen the very best of dances.” He bowed again, his boyish face lighting up with good humor. “Until the cotillion, Lady Selina.”
“Thank you, Lord Aldridge.”
She turned back to Lord Barrington, wondering if she ought to say something about his letter to her today, only to realize that he was holding his hand out expectantly. A little embarrassed, she slipped the ribbon from her wrist and handed it to him quickly, daring a glance at Lady Hayward who was, much to her surprise, watching Lord Barrington with a rather sharp gaze.
“Thank you for your letter this afternoon, Lord Barrington,” Selina found herself saying, almost tripping over her words as she hurried to speak clearly. “I was very glad to receive it.”
Lord Barrington glanced up at her from under his brows, his blue eyes still bright and sending a slight
