Miss Winthorpe's Elopement (Belston & Friends #1)(46)

She smiled to herself. The less said on that subject, the better. She had the ear of the most important man in the room. She could do as she pleased. And it pleased her that people like the girl in front of her should be happy. They talked a bit, before she gently encouraged the girl to a group of young people near to her age, and made a few simple introductions. When she left, the girl was on her way to the dance floor with a young man who seemed quite smitten.

After her initial success, Penny threw herself into the role of hostess as though she were playing a chess game, with her guests as the pieces. Penelope Winthorpe had been an excellent player, and loved the sense of control she got when moving her army around the board. This was no different. Tonight she could move actual knights, and the ladies accompanying them, urging weaker pieces to the positions that most benefited them. While her husband was able to engage people more closely, she enjoyed the gambits she could arrange in a detached fashion. It made for a harmonious whole.

Perhaps that had been her problem all along. She had never been a successful guest. But that did not mean she could not be a hostess.

‘Your Grace, may I have a dance?’

She turned, surprised to see her brother-in-law. ‘Of course, Will.’ She stammered on the familiarity, and felt her confidence begin to fade.

He smiled, and she searched his face for some shred of duplicity or contempt. ‘Penelope?’ He gestured to the floor. Since she was rooted to the spot, he took her hand, leading her to the head of the set.

She watched him as they danced, comparing him to his older brother. He was not unattractive, certainly, and moved with grace and confidence. But he lacked his brother’s easy sense of command. When they reached the bottom of the set and had to stand out, he leaned closer and spoke into her ear. ‘I owe you an apology.’

She looked at him without speaking.

‘When I found that my brother had married in haste, I told him to get an annulment. I was convinced that you would both regret the decision.’

‘I had no idea,’ she replied blandly.

He smiled. ‘I suspected you had, for I saw the look in your eyes when you left us that night. I am sorry I caused you pain. Or that I meddled in something that was none of my affair to begin with. It is just that…’ he shook his head ‘…Adam has always had an excellent head for politics, and I cannot fault him for his dedication to responsibilities as Bellston. But in his personal life, he has always been somewhat reckless. He thinks last of what would be best for himself in the distant future, and seems to see only what is directly in front of him.’

She shrugged. ‘I cannot fault him for that. I, too, have been known to act in haste.’

‘Well, perhaps your tendencies have cancelled each other. You appear to be a most successful match.’

She looked sharply at her new brother. ‘We do?’

‘You are just what my brother needs: a stable source of good advice. He speaks well of you, and he appears happier than I have seen him in a long time.’

‘He does?’ She tried to hide her surprise.

‘Indeed. He is at peace. Not something I am accustomed to seeing, in one so full of motion as Adam is. But his activity in society brings him near to people that are not as good as they could be. Compared to the foolish women that normally flock to his side, you are a great relief to a worried brother. And I can assure you, and your family, if they are concerned, that in my brother you have found a loyal protector and a true friend. I am glad of your union, and wish you well in it.’

‘Thank you. That is good to know.’ Impulsively, she reached out and clasped Will’s hand, and he returned the grip with a smile.

Her eyes sought her husband on the other side of the room, and she smiled at him as well.

He returned a look that indicated none of the affection that Will had described. Perhaps her new brother was mistaken.

The music ended. ‘I will leave you to your other guests, then. I suspect we will have ample time in the future to speak.’ And Will took his leave of her.

Another guest asked her to dance. And then another. At last she excused herself from the floor to check on the refreshments. And found Clarissa, standing in her way.

‘Penelope, darling. What a charming party.’

There was no way to cut the woman, no matter how much she deserved it. Penny pasted a false smile on her face and responded, ‘Thank you,’ then went to step around her.

Clarissa reached out to her, in what no doubt appeared to the room as a sisterly gesture of warmth, catching both hands in hers. Then she pulled her close, to whisper what would look to observers like a girlish confidence. ‘But if you think it makes any difference to your standing in society, you are wrong.’

Penny summoned her newfound bravery. ‘My position in society is secure. I am Duchess of Bellston.’

‘In name, perhaps. But in reality, you are a trumped-up shop girl. People know the truth, and they can talk of little else this evening.’

She had heard nothing, and she had been to every corner of the room. It must be a lie, intended to wound her.

But there was no way to be sure.

Then she thought of what Will had said, and tossed her head in her best imitation of someone who did not give a jot for what people ‘said’. ‘Let them talk, then. They are most unaccountably rude to be doing so in my home while drinking my wine and eating my food.’