His Darling Belle by Elizabeth Bramwell

Author:Elizabeth Bramwell
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2017-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Nine

Christopher was not sure how it had all come about, but his sister appeared to be the toast of the Ton.

The suspicion began at the Putney’s ball, where for the first time in his memory Bella had not wanted for a partner. True, several of the gentlemen seeking her hand were married, but they were high ranking peers whose word held weight in the Beau Monde. Then, of course, was the growing stream of visitors to the house, and the sudden flood of gilt-edged invitation cards.

Nevertheless, he’d remained dubious when his mother informed him that they had inadvertently been missed from the guest list of Lady Cottingham’s upcoming ball, and that invitations had been sent that morning with a prettily-written note of apology. He half expected some kind of cruel trick, but he had dressed in his finest clothing nonetheless and been on his best behaviour for both her sake and Bella’s.

He had not shared his sense of dread with either his mother or sister, and as they had made their way to the door of the Cottingham’s home he’d entertained a lively fear of being tossed out on the street by some erstwhile butler, before being laughed out of London by half the Ton.

It did not happen, however. In fact, Lady Cottingham expressed her delight at Lady Snowley’s condescension at attending her little gathering on such short notice, and complimented her beautiful daughter. Her son, Lord Cottingham, shook his hand and said he was happy to make his acquaintance, noting that they had a few friends in common from their university days.

Indeed, they had barely made it five steps into the ballroom before their party was besieged by a group of erstwhile young men and several noted peers, all of whom begged to put their name on his sister’s dance card. Even his mother was approached by a number of older gentlemen, but it was Lord Pocklington who took her by the arm and led her away for some champagne, leaving Christopher to stand guard on his sister until he was able to prise her away from her gaggle of admirers.

“Bella, did you become an heiress overnight and neglect to tell me?” he asked at the first opportunity.

His sister laughed as she hooked her arm through his. “Isn’t it glorious? It is all a hum, of course, but it is so nice not to worry about being a wallflower! Ever since the Duchess of Lexborough was so good as to take me out for a drive it seems that the Ton has decided that we mere Snowleys are worthy of their attention.”

“I’m glad she’s taken a shine to you,” asked Christopher, with a shake of his head. “Isn’t she Colbourne’s sister?”

For some reason Bella blushed. “Yes, she is. The Earl has been so kind as to dance with me a number of times as well.”

Christopher thought back to his conversation with Colbourne a few days earlier, and felt satisfied with a job well done. “As he should, of course. You’re an excellent dancer.

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