Miss in a Man's World by Anne Ashley

Author:Anne Ashley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-09-01T22:00:00+00:00

The Duke and Duchess of Merton’s annual ball had always rated high in the social events of the Season, and as such attracted the very cream of society. This year’s entertainment was proving no exception. A stream of the most notable figures in London had been filing past the entrance to the lavishly decorated ballroom for well over an hour. Consequently, the large room had become crowded, much to the annoyance of one of the latest arrivals who had quite failed to locate the person he particularly wished to see.

Reaching for his quizzing-glass, Lord Fincham once again scanned the room and spied a pretty blonde-haired girl engaged in a set of country dances, which resulted in his irritation lessening. A further sweep of the room through his aid to vision resulted in locating not his quarry, but a rather forbidding-looking matriarch in a maroon-coloured gown, sitting by herself against the wall.

He didn’t allow her somewhat unapproachable mien to deter him, and sauntered over to where she sat, bowing with his customary elegance. ‘May I have the felicity of bearing you company for a few minutes, ma’am?’

Appearing anything but impressed by the faultless address, the Dowager Countess of Grenville merely cast a cursory glance up at the immaculately attired figure before her. ‘You may, if you so wish, Fincham,’ she responded, betraying scant pleasure at the prospect. ‘But I think I should warn you I am not in a particularly sociable mood this evening.’

Again he was not deterred. ‘Why so, ma’am? Are you perhaps finding the rigours of chaperoning your granddaughter fatiguing? If so,’ he continued, when he quite failed to elicit a response, ‘I wonder you do not enlist the aid of your late son’s goddaughter. I’m sure she could assist you in many ways.’

Fincham discovered in those next moments that the Dowager Countess of Grenville’s dark eyes could be very nearly as directly probing as his own. But rather more revealing, he fancied, for he judged in an instant that the Dowager was, in all likelihood, in Miss Grey’s confidence, even before she said,

‘Miss Grey has always been of immeasurable help to me, Fincham, whenever I have requested her assistance.’

‘But not tonight, it would seem,’ he returned, after a further confirming scan of the ballroom. ‘I was expecting to find her here this evening.’

The Dowager smiled grimly. ‘Yes, I’m sure you were. And, in truth, she was most looking forward to enjoying the entertainment on this occasion,’ she revealed. ‘Until, that is, she succumbed to a sick head just prior to our departure and begged to be excused.’

His lordship returned the compliment by staring intently at the Dowager, his mind having woken up to the most alarming possibility. ‘Is she, perchance, usually subject to these rapidly developing megrims?’

‘I’m rather surprised you felt the need to ask,’ was the prompt response, and his lordship was on his feet in an instant.

‘I must away to your town house, my lady, to ensure that Miss Grey receives my personal good wishes for a speedy recovery.

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