“Delighted, sir,” Hester said, taking his arm.
She could feel her mother watching and willed her not tocomment. Mr. Donner was not an eligible bachelor, to Hester’s mind. He had comefrom London, and he would return one day. She had no wish to be anywhere buthere.
He was, however, a reliable partner—always remembering thesteps, always there to take her hand and lead her when the dance required. Theyfinished the set, and he returned her to her seat. Rosemary slipped in behindhim as he left, fanning herself with one gloved hand.
“I never thought I’d be a seven day’s wonder,” she toldHester. “Nor have to plan a wedding so quickly. Drake is riding for a speciallicense. We’re to be married on the twelfth.”
“That’s only nine days away,” Hester realized. “Mother willhave apoplexy.”
“We can manage with Jesslyn’s help,” Rosemary assured her.She pressed something into Hester’s hand. “Here. Ihave a present for you in the meantime. You need them now more than I do.”
Hester frowned down at the little pair of glasses on theblack satin ribbon. “Why would I need your lorgnette? My eyes are fine.”
“So are mine,” Rosemary informed her. “These aren’t forimproving your vision. They are a highly effective shield to keep others fromlooking too closely.”
Is that why her sister had used them all these years? Thelorgnette had appeared in her sister’s hand shortly after Rosemary had begunhelping catalogue their uncle’s collection. Hester had assumed the painstakingwork had tired her sister’s eyes. Strange to think of her brave and cleversister needing a shield.
As their mother returned to her seat as well with a nod toRosemary, Hester draped the ribbon about her neck. The lorgnette felt oddhanging between her breasts, like a weight on her heart. It didn’t seem like muchprotection.
“Pardon me, ladies.”
That voice. Hester closed her eyes a moment before pastingon a smile and turning.
Rob stood just beyond, polite smile on his own face. “Wouldyou care to dance, Mrs. Todd?”
Before she thought better of it, she grasped the lorgnette,lifted it to her eyes, and pinned him through the glass. He shifted on hisfeet, as if considering running.
How very marvelous.
“The last dance tired me,” she told him. “I had thought tosit this one out.”
“But you are welcome to sit with us, my lord,” her motherput in.
Rob promptly plunked himself down next to her mother andlooked up at Hester expectantly.
“Keep the lorgnette handy,” Rosemary murmured before takingherself off to join the earl.
~~~
For a moment, Rob thought Hester would find another excuseto avoid him. Then she sighed and sank onto the chair next to his. He caught ahint of spice, like apple cider on a crisp autumn day, before she folded herhands in the lap of her cinnamon-colored gown and pointed her gaze out into theassembly room.
“There’s Jesslyn,” her mother announced, rising. “I mustspeak to her. Will you save my seat, my lord?”
“Assuredly,” Rob promised even as Hester stiffened anew. Hedraped an arm over the back of the chair.
The music started. The couples began hopping about.Elizabeth had accepted the arm of a curly-haired fellow who seemed entirely tooenthusiastic. Voices hummed all around him and Hester. Crystal chimed assomeone must have touched glass to glass.
“How was school today?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“I’ve asked my steward to put the money on deposit atHazard’s bank in Upper Grace,” he explained. “You can draw on it whenever youlike.”
“Thank you.”
Why was it so difficult to talk to her? Rob leaned back asfar as the chair would allow. “An economy of words, I see. Impressive. What ifI were to ask you about your daughter?”
She eyed him. “She’s fine as well.”
“Your mother?”
“Fine.”
“The tree outside your window?”
She frowned. “What tree?”
“The one I imagined you shinnied down to escape your tyrantof a merchant father.”
Color flared in her cheeks. “I must beg your pardon, mylord. There is no tree in front of my bedchamber window. There are no merchantsin my family. My father was a Riding Officer for the Excise Office, stationedin Kent. He was killed by smugglers when I was a girl. Rosemary and I found himin a bed of flowers of all things.”
He could imagine it, the two girls, their father’s unseeingeyes. The shock would have been as great as learning of his family’s suddendeath. He reached out and touched her hand, finding it stiff. “I’m so sorry.That had to have been terrible. Small wonder you made up a fictitious father.”
She raised her chin, but she did not pull away. He tried totake comfort in that.
“We came to live with my uncle, Flavius Montgomery. He hadrules as to how a lady should behave, and, at times, I felt them toorestrictive. Still, I should not have given you a false name.”
“And I should have given you the correct one,” heacknowledged. “Like you, however, I discovered a certain liberty in pretendingto be someone else. My father also had a set of rules I found hard to obey.”
She dropped her gaze to where his hand remained on hers. “Iunderstand your father, mother, and brother are gone, now. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“As am I, more than I can say.” His throat tightened. “Itwas such a stupid accident. My father was christening a new pleasure craft onthe Thames. The ship collided with another attempting to shoot the tide.Everyone aboard was lost.”
She pulled away as her fingers leaped to her lips. “Oh, how horrid.”
The blackness threatened. “It was. Elizabeth and I neverexpected to find ourselves in this position. We were the spoiled youngerchildren, you see. We were supposed to be exempt from such things.”
Her face was sad. “None of us is really exempt from sorrow, Ifear.”
How well she must know that. “Allow me to express my owncondolences on the loss of your husband. He must have been an impressive fellowto capture your heart. A love match, I take it?”
She lifted the lorgnette, and her gaze speared him throughit, the blue-green of her eyes sharpened by the glass.“Why would you assume otherwise?”
A dozen reasons came to mind, but she wouldn’t like any ofthem. “I try not to assume. Perhaps you’ve noticed the danger?”
Too late he realized
