An Unexpected Pleasure (The Mad Morelands #4)(69)

“She is a beautiful woman,” Megan pointed out.

“She has a number of admirers,” Theo agreed. “I, however, am not one of them.” He looked down at her. “I prefer a woman of a different sort.”

“Indeed?” Megan knew that the smile she turned up to him was flirtatious, and that it was wrong of her smile at him that way, but somehow she could not seem to stop herself.

“Yes.” His face sobered as he stopped and turned to face her. “If we were not in this place, I would show you what sort of woman appeals to me.”

Megan’s breath came faster in her throat. “Then it is just as well that we are here, is it not?”

“I find it quite the opposite,” he responded, his gaze drifting down her face to her mouth. “Megan…”

Heat flickered deep within her. Megan clasped her hands behind her as though to make certain that they did not move of their own volition to touch him.

“My lord, as you said, this is a public place.” She turned her head away; it was too difficult to think when she was looking at him.

“Yes, dammit, I know,” he ground out. His face knotted in frustration. “I need to talk to you. I need to know—”

“Theo, darling, there you are,” a woman’s voice sounded, and they turned to see the Duchess of Broughton walking toward them. “Hello, Miss Henderson. Are you enjoying the party?”

“Yes, ma’am, very much.”

“Good, good.” The duchess smiled, then turned to her son. “I have been looking everywhere for you. Lady Rochester is here and asking about you.”

Theo let out a groan. “Mother, no…”

“She insists upon seeing you. Says you haven’t paid her a visit since you came to town this summer.”

“Indeed I haven’t,” Theo retorted with heartfelt emotion. “All she ever talks to me about is settling down and doing my duty.”

“Yes, dear, I know, it’s terribly tiresome,” the duchess sympathized, patting his arm. “But she was threatening to come stay with us for a few days just so she can see you.”

“So I am to be the sacrificial lamb?” Theo asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes, I am afraid so,” the duchess agreed serenely. “Your father nearly swallowed his tongue when Lady Rochester suggested visiting us. He cannot abide his aunt, and one can scarcely blame him.” She turned to Megan with a smile. “Now, my dear, I have been absolutely deluged with requests to be introduced to you. I fobbed most of them off, of course, but there are a few young men who aren’t entirely silly, so I thought I would introduce you to them. Unless, of course, you would prefer not to dance—I am sure they will all ask you.”

“Thank you. That is very kind of you.” Megan ignored the ill-natured grunt Theo let out behind her and smiled at the duchess, letting her lead her back toward the ballroom.

The duchess introduced her here and there, and before many minutes had passed, Megan found her dance card filling up. She danced with several young men, all the while keeping her eye out for Mr. Barchester and for Mr. Coffey.

She managed to catch sight of Julian Coffey two or three times, but he was always talking to someone, and she had little time to spare before another man came to lead her out onto the dance floor. It was going to be harder to get a chance to talk with the director of the museum than she had thought. She decided to tell anyone else who asked her that her dance card had been filled, so that she would have some time alone to interview Coffey.

As luck would have it, she was just walking off the floor after a lively waltz with a young man who danced expertly but had trouble saying anything but boring pleasantries when she came face-to-face with Mr. Barchester and her sister. Megan drew in her breath sharply, and her companion glanced at her with vague curiosity.

“Miss Henderson,” Deirdre exclaimed. “How very nice to see you again. You know Mr. Barchester, I believe.”

“Yes, of course.”

The two men seemed to be acquaintances and they shook hands politely. Megan wrapped her hand around her sister’s arm, saying, “Will you walk with me? It has been an age since I have talked to you.”

Megan bade her dancing partner a polite goodbye, and whisked her sister through the crowd and into the hallway.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I didn’t know,” Deirdre replied. “Mr. Barchester did not ask me until after you came to visit us. Isn’t it grand?” Her blue eyes sparkled. “Do you think my dress looks good enough? I didn’t have anything fancy, but I so wanted to come. So I threw some lace and bows on my best dress and ripped out the lace fichu. Da was scandalized.” She let out a little giggle.

“You look lovely,” Megan replied, which was the truth, despite the fact that Deirdre’s gown was not as elegant as most of the others in the room. Deirdre’s fragile beauty was what drew the eye. “It’s just—I don’t know—it seems dangerous. Is he introducing you as Deirdre Mulcahey? What if Theo hears your name and remembers?”

“He won’t. Why would he? Andrew—Mr. Barchester, I mean—will not introduce me to him. He said that he and Lord Raine rarely speak to each other. Well, he would not want to, would he? Where is he? Lord Raine, I mean. Mr. Barchester hasn’t been able to point him out to me yet.”