A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting(69)

Her tone was playful, but Radcliffe’s gaze, when it met hers, was intense.

‘I rather think,’ he said slowly, ‘that my answer should be quite different, if you asked me to dance now, Miss Talbot.’

Kitty was silent. She stared at him, for once not able to think of a thing to say. Instead, she allowed herself to imagine it for one stolen moment – what it might be like to waltz with Radcliffe, and not with Pemberton. It would be quite different, she knew. Quite different indeed.

She was not sure how long they would have stood there, in the wake of these words, but she did not get to find out, as the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them. Pemberton was standing before them, scowling at Radcliffe.

‘Miss Talbot, I believe you promised me this dance?’ he said imperiously. ‘It’s the cotillion.’

Kitty swallowed. She forced herself not to look over at Radcliffe.

‘Yes … thank you,’ Kitty said, numbly. Mr Pemberton took her arm and walked her away to make up the set.

Radcliffe turned abruptly, too – he’d be damned if he was going to watch. As he headed away from the dance floor, he found himself face to face with Hinsley.

‘Harry,’ he gripped his friend’s arm in welcome. ‘It is good to see you. Are you well?’

‘Not really,’ Hinsley’s expression was sour. ‘Dashed awful thing to do, only serving lemonade and tea. How am I supposed to get through a conversation with Pemberton on such stuff? Barely escaped with my life.’

‘Well, he shall be quite preoccupied with Miss Talbot for some time, I believe,’ Radcliffe said. ‘So you should be safe now.’

Radcliffe was sure his voice had been calm, his expression even, that he had conveyed nothing out of the ordinary in any part of his bearing – and yet Hinsley was looking at him with dawning realisation.

‘Oh, so that’s how it is,’ he said, beginning to smile.

‘That’s how what is?’ Radcliffe asked with a snap in his voice. Hinsley held up his hands, laughing.

‘Don’t bite my arm off! What’s stopping you, then? Worried how Archie would take it?’

‘Harry, I do not have the faintest idea what you are talking about,’ Radcliffe lied. ‘If you are going to continue talking nonsense, I beg you take yourself elsewhere.’

He pretended to catch the eye of someone in the distance. ‘Excuse me, I believe Lady Jersey has need of me.’

‘I’ll expect to see you in Hyde Park tomorrow!’ Hinsley called after him, grinning. ‘Don’t forget!’

Spotting the Lady Sefton approaching with a beady look in her eye, Captain Hinsley beat an early retreat and fled the assembly rooms forthwith. Deciding to walk home, for the night was brightly lit by the moon, he turned right for Mayfair – and ran into Archie, who was hurrying in the opposite direction.

‘Slow down, old thing,’ he said jovially. ‘What has you in such a hurry?’

‘Promised my mother I’d escort her,’ Archie gasped. ‘Quite lost track of time.’

Hinsley grimaced at him. ‘It’s past eleven, Archie, they’ll not let you in now.’

Archie deflated. ‘Blast,’ he cursed.

Hinsley looked more closely at him. Had the boy always been that pale? He was clammy-faced and sweating, though that could be down to his hasty journey.

‘Are you quite well?’ he asked.

Archie waved him off. ‘Yes, yes, I’m perfectly well. Busy Season, you know how it is.’

Hinsley did, yet now he thought of it, he had not seen Archie at a ball for weeks.

‘Perhaps you ought to sleep it off,’ he suggested. ‘I’ll walk you back – fresh air’ll do you good.’

For a moment, Archie looked tempted. But then he shook his head.

‘I had an appointment to make afterwards, anyhow,’ he said, turning left towards the city. ‘Good evening, Hinsley.’

Hinsley stared after him for a moment, wondering if he should follow the boy – see where he was going to – but after a few moments of deliberation, he shrugged and turned again for home. He was being a paranoid old fool.

Had Hinsley known, of course, exactly what kind of establishment Archie was heading towards, he would have dragged him back to Grosvenor Square by the ear. But he did not, and so Archie proceeded unchallenged onto Soho and into the gaming hell where he knew he would find Selbourne.





29


If Mrs Pemberton was to be at the Jersey ball, Kitty needed to be prepared. This was the final hurdle, after all, and not a moment too soon. They were getting dangerously close to June – it was already getting far too tight for Kitty’s liking.

The de Lacys had invited Mrs Kendall and the Talbots to join them in their box at the Theatre Royal, to catch a matinee performance of The Libertine before that evening’s ball, but when the de Lacy carriage arrived at Wimpole Street the next afternoon, Kitty only stepped out to send her apologies to Lady Radcliffe.

‘I am most fatigued, my lady, and my aunt has bid me rest,’ she told her. Radcliffe had stepped out of the vehicle to assist Cecily and Aunt Dorothy up into it – the theatre was one social event her sister was quite happy to attend – and, hearing Kitty’s apology, looked at her, concerned. He hoisted Aunt Dorothy up in one easy movement, and as she settled herself within the carriage, Kitty leant in to explain in a low voice.