“And the first of our dances is to be in only a moment!” Lord Havers exclaimed, looking delightedly at her. “The cotillion. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, Lady Selina, I must go and ask Miss Lindale for her dance card, which I am sure she will give me without any sort of reluctance.”
Selina remained silent until he had made his way past her, before turning to glance at Lady Hayward.
“The cotillion and then the country dance,” she said, slowly. “I cannot tell which one he means to –”
“We did not expect him to pick two dances,” Lady Hayward murmured, as Selina shook her head. “The cotillion is a very busy dance indeed. I am sure that Lord Barrington will be stepping out to dance it also.”
Selina swallowed hard and nodded, feeling a small swirl of fear begin to wrap itself around her heart. They had not expected Lord Havers to write his name down for two of her dances and, thus, she was now uncertain as to which one he intended to bear her away from once it had come to an end.
“There is no time for me to speak to Lord Barrington,” she said, realizing that the cotillion was only minutes away. “What shall we do, Lady Hayward?”
Lady Hayward smiled gently.
“Lord Barrington has been near to you this entire evening,” she said, quietly. “Can you not see him?”
Startled, Selina looked all about her but saw nothing but strangers and acquaintances, only to suddenly catch sight of his familiar face looking directly back at her. He was standing with Lady Amelia and their mother, with Lord Banfield just to Lady Amelia’s left. With a questioning look on his face, his brow began to lower and Selina gave him a sharp nod, praying that he understood.
“I think it will be this dance,” she said hurriedly, as the dancers from the previous dance began to make their way back from the floor. “At present, there is nowhere for me to go to escape him. I have no other choice but to dance with him. However, for the second dance which is some time away, I might choose to avoid him – and therefore, the dance – entirely.”
Lady Hayward’s eyes lit.
“Indeed, that is true,” she said, reaching out to press Selina’s hand. “It would be easy enough to slip away for the country dance. Lord Havers cannot risk you doing so.”
“Therefore, it will be this one,” Selina replied, just as Lord Havers turned back towards her. “It is, as you have said, a very busy dance indeed.”
Lady Hayward squeezed her fingers again and then let Selina’s hand go.
“Be careful,” she said, urgently. “Be on your guard.”
Nodding, Selina looked up to see Lord Havers grinning broadly at her, although the darkness in his eyes frightened her somewhat.
“The dance is about to begin, Lady Selina,” he said, as Selina steeled herself inwardly. “Shall we step out onto the floor?”
“If I must,” Selina replied, not wanting to pretend that she was quite content with the situation at present but making her dislike quite clear.
She ignored the offer of his arm and walked out onto the dance floor, with Lord Havers quickly falling into step with her. Rather than allowing her to remain near to Lady Hayward, however, he led the way across the room to the opposite side of the dance floor, where they joined other couples ready to form a set. The dance was, as Selina had expected, very busy indeed and, after only a few moments, she could not see Lady Hayward at all, such were the number of couples lining up to dance.
“I do hope that you enjoy this dance, Lady Selina,” Lord Havers said, as the music began and he bowed towards her. “I am certain that I shall.”
She did not reply but instead kept her face turned just a little away from him, although she did drop into a very quick curtsey, as was expected. The ladies stepped forward and Selina calmly began to dance the required steps, but inwardly, her heart was beating at a furious pace as she felt her anticipation and nervousness begin to rise steadily within her. Lord Havers watched her with a sharp eye, a small smile on his lips throughout the entirety of the dance, and Selina felt her stomach twist. She could give him no awareness that she knew of what he planned. She had to act accordingly, when he made his move, had to make every appearance of fright and dismay. Only then would he believe himself to be fully in control.
The music finally, blessedly, came to an end and Selina curtsied towards Lord Havers again, knowing that she would have to take his arm this time. He, in due course, offered it to her and, after a momentary hesitation, she took it.
“Now, Lady Selina,” he said, as they began to meander slowly back through the crowd. “I have an acquaintance whom I am sure you are aware of.” Selina kept her mouth firmly closed, although she noted that he was beginning to veer to the right, away from where Lady Hayward was waiting. “Lord Telford?” Lord Havers continued, quickly. “He was greatly displeased to learn that you were the one who spoke to Lord Barrington about his involvement in a particular situation with Barrington’s sister.” Her stomach still twisting in a tight knot, Selina kept her gaze straight ahead and still chose to say nothing. “Lord Telford and I have gained a good deal of coin from Lord Barrington and, given his interest in you, I believe that he might be willing to give us a little more, should something similar happen to you.” Selina’s skin crawled and she attempted to remove her hand from his arm, only for Lord Havers to reach across and grasp it with his own. “Now, if you struggle and attempt to go anywhere other than remaining by my side, Lady Selina,” Lord Havers continued, his voice now
