No Earls Allowed (The Survivors #2)(114)

“In the meantime, you should enjoy yourself tonight.” Lady Ravensgate sounded bright and cheery, as though Collette could possibly wish to attend a ball when her father was suffering across the Channel. “And do not forget to save the supper dance for Mr. Beaumont. If he follows protocol and sits with you at dinner, you may be able to discover what he knows about the Foreign Office. Men do so love to brag about their perceived importance.”

“And what if he is working for the Foreign Office, and he is gathering information on me?”

“Then you smile and dance and flirt and give the man nothing. On this point, you must be vigilant.”

Collette nodded. Lady Ravensgate suddenly seemed far more confident in Collette’s ability to rebuff Beaumont’s advances. She was naturally somewhat reserved, even shy. She had never enjoyed these sorts of social affairs, and she was not very good at talking with people she did not know well. She had not needed to be very skilled until now because she had mainly been listening to other people talk and drawing out information. But if this ball was anything like the last she’d attended, it would be full of important people. It would be more difficult to listen in on conversations with the orchestra playing and men asking her to dance.

Or not asking her to dance.

As a wallflower, she might overhear interesting information, but she would probably hear more if she were able to move about freely and question men with ties to the Foreign Office. Once the dancing began that would be difficult. As a young unmarried woman, she was expected to be dancing or waiting to be asked to dance.

Finally, the carriage arrived at Montjoy’s town house. It had taken far longer than Collette had expected, but then she had not anticipated so many carriages all traveling to the same place. When the stifling air in the carriage gave way to fresh air, Collette was loath to follow Lady Ravensgate into the town house and the crush of guests.

But she kept her thoughts on her father and did as she was expected.

The town house was as lovely on the inside as the outer facade promised. Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and expensive furnishings were everywhere she looked. Collette had known wealthy families in France, mostly the inner circle of Napoleon. Those men and women had money and power but not nearly as much taste. And it was generally new wealth. What antiques they possessed had been stolen from the ousted ancien régime. But Collette had been a baby during the revolution and had never seen the homes of the French nobility. She wondered if those homes had been as rich and opulent as Lord Montjoy’s. If so, she could hardly blame the starving French people for revolting.

Once she and Lady Ravensgate were inside, Collette stayed close to her sponsor, speaking to the men and women she spoke to and listening—always listening—for any information that might be useful in securing the codes and thus her father’s release. And as much as she wanted to forget him, she could not keep from looking over her shoulder or around the room in search of Lord Beaumont. But as the hours dragged on and still she did not see him, she began to worry that he would not attend.

Lady Ravensgate seemed to share her fears. “I do hope Mr. Beaumont will arrive in time for the supper dance.”

Collette smiled and tried to appear unconcerned. But inside she was torn. On the one hand, she would be glad not to battle her attraction to him tonight, especially in the close physical quarters a dance would mandate. On the other hand, if he gave her some piece of information that might help her father, then she could not afford to miss an opportunity to spend time with him.

As the evening progressed, Collette accepted several invitations to dance from various men. They were all quite polite, but they were not men who might give her the information she needed. Nor did she particularly enjoy dancing with them. She found the conversations difficult and awkward, and blushed continually. And then as the supper dance approached, men attempted to engage her for that dance. Collette had to decline, saying she had already reserved it. When pressed, she had to admit Mr. Beaumont had asked her to dance. She could not have anticipated the excitement that information caused. It seemed in mere moments the news had spread through the ballroom.

“Why is everyone looking at me?” Collette asked Lady Ravensgate as she sipped champagne after a dance.

“Oh, do not be silly!” Lady Ravensgate said, waving a hand. “No one is looking at you.”

Collette inclined her head toward a group of ladies staring at her just a few feet away. “They are.” She pointed to a mixed group—the ladies glaring and the men peering at her with interest. “And they are.”

“I am certain you are imaging it,” Lady Ravensgate said.

“Could it have something to do with my dance with Mr. Beaumont?”

“I very much doubt anyone at the ball is interested in that.”

“Lady Ravensgate!” A woman with dark hair and pretty blue eyes approached them. She wore a green silk gown with emeralds at her throat and ears.

“Why, Lady Birtwistle. How are you?”

“Very good.” She turned and smiled at Collette. Collette would have sworn she had never met the woman before, but there was something familiar in the way she smiled and in her face. “I came to meet your friend. It seems everyone at the ball is talking about her.”

Collette gave Lady Ravensgate a meaningful look. Lady Ravensgate went on as though the interest in Collette was to be expected.

“Oh, this darling creature is my cousin, Collette Fournay. She is from the French side of the family and visiting London for a few weeks. So sweet of her mama to send her. You know I am all alone now, and it has been so pleasant to have company. Collette, this is Lady Birtwistle. She came out with my middle daughter, and the two have always been good friends.”