Waiting for an Earl Like You by Alexandra Hawkins

Author:Alexandra Hawkins
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Chapter Sixteen

Olivia entered the Countess of Purles’ ballroom, her eager gaze taking in its opulence from the painted mural of Helios crowned with the aureole of the sun driving his chariot pulled by four winged steeds across the sky to the land of the Hesperides. Huge chandeliers of gold blazed like tiny suns. The polished floors gleamed and reflected the candlelight, and the white marble columns along the walls were lined up like warriors reaching for the heavens.

“I am so happy you joined my mother and me this evening,” Lady Arabella said, clasping her hand as they strolled into the ballroom.

“After Lord Kempthorn drove me home, I took a walk in the garden and contemplated my reasons for politely declining your invitation. With my father still out of Town, it seemed sensible to wait for him to arrive.”

“A prudent decision,” the young woman said. “I likely would have come to the same conclusion.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said, feeling a frisson of nervousness. “Then I recalled Lady Felstead’s lament that I was too young to be sitting at home like a spinster aunt, and then there was your brother.”

Lady Arabella’s lips parted in wonder. “You spoke to Oliver? When?”

“Briefly at the tea shop this afternoon,” she confided. “He seemed pleased to encounter me. To be truthful, I was amazed he recalled our conversations last spring.”

“What nonsense!” Lady Arabella teased. “The moment I introduced you, I could tell that he liked you. My brother rarely speaks more than once to a lady who bores him. Nor would he ask such a creature to partner him in a dance on several occasions.”

“Oh, do not weave romantic tales about me and Lord Marcroft, dear friend,” Olivia cautioned. “He was being polite, but seeing him again reminded me that I have already missed so many outings. My father has no patience for balls and would have placed me in the care of Lady Felstead or another respectable lady he trusted, so there is no reason to deny myself an evening out. I am perfectly safe in the company of you and your mother, Lady Norgrave.”

“Marcroft cannot be trusted.”

Thorn’s words whispered in her mind, but she dismissed his warning. Olivia had done nothing wrong in politely acknowledging Lord Marcroft at the tea shop. It was not as if she had arrived at the ball with Lord Marcroft at her side. Nor had she given the gentleman any encouragement earlier. Lady Arabella’s genuine surprise when Olivia had mentioned that she had encountered the earl was proof that her friend was unaware of her brother’s plans for the evening. Even if he strolled into Lady Purles’ ballroom, it was not due to any scheming on her part.

Olivia had not accepted Lady Arabella’s invitation in hopes of meeting Lord Marcroft again. It was Lord Kempthorn who had driven her out of her house for the evening. How dare he tell her who she should call her friend, bully her, and then kiss her senseless when she disagreed with him.

After her stroll through the hedge maze, she had stared at the iron gate separating the two properties.

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