LITMIR.BIZ

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beg a favour of you. You will escort your cousin to the ball this evening, will you not? I must return home at once for your uncle is down with a chill and no one but I can handle him when he is ill.’

      ‘Aunt...’ Jack protested, thrown off balance by the unexpected change to his plans. ‘My uncle could surely spare you for a few hours—and Julia really should not go without her mama.’

      ‘Please credit me with a little intelligence.’ His aunt fixed him with a beady eye. ‘If you promise to look after your cousin and make sure she doesn’t dance too often with any particular gentleman—or with an undesirable acquaintance—I can look after your poor Uncle David. If this chill goes to his chest...’

      ‘If my uncle is truly ill, then you must stay with him, but surely Julia would be best at home with you and her father.’

      ‘Don’t be so mean,’ Julia wailed, her pretty face screwing into an awful pout. ‘What trouble can it be to you to escort me this evening? Mama’s best friend, Lady Meadows, will be there and I may join her party once we are there, but I cannot turn up without an escort.’

      Jack sighed inwardly, knowing that his own plans for the evening must be shelved. Julia would do well enough with Lady Meadows and her bevy of three rather plump daughters, but she would need an escort home, which meant his plans to leave early with friends and go on to a gambling club would be ended.

      ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I suppose I must take you, brat, but do not expect me to dance with you all evening.’

      ‘You must dance with me once,’ Julia said, but she was smiling now, having gained her way. ‘Thank you, dearest Jack.’ She took his arm and hugged him, bringing a frown from her mama.

      ‘Remember your decorum, Julia,’ she warned. ‘Jack, I rely on you to look after this child for me.’

      ‘Yes, Aunt,’ Jack said. ‘I suppose Cousin Reginald was unable to oblige?’

      ‘Your cousin has his duties in the House, which he takes very seriously—and he may be late for they are sitting over an important bill this evening.’

      ‘Of course.’ Jack smothered his desire to retort that his cousin took both himself and his duties too seriously. Reginald was the personal secretary to the Prime Minister and one would think from his weighty manner and the way he gave his opinions on matters of State that he was himself meant for high office. ‘Go home and take care of my uncle, Seraphina. Julia will come to no harm with me.’

      ‘Thank you, dear Jack,’ Julia said and hugged his arm once more as her mama disappeared in a whirl of satin skirts and lace petticoats. ‘You are a darling.’

      Seraphina was his Uncle David’s second wife, at least twenty years his junior and still an attractive woman. Her daughter, Julia, was their only child, for she had lost two other babies, and since there was already an heir to Lord Handley’s estate in Reginald, they had given up trying for more. Jack knew that his uncle’s constitution was far from robust and could therefore understand why his wife fussed over a mere chill.

      ‘Behave yourself this evening,’ Jack said, but the smile in his eyes denied the brusque tone of his voice as he added, ‘And stop ruining the sleeve of my coat. I’ll have you know it took ten minutes to get me into it and I’m not going to change because of your childish behaviour.’

      Julia’s eyes took fire and she sparked with wrath as she removed her hand from his arm. ‘I’ll have you know I’m eighteen next week—and I’ve had three proposals of marriage this month.’

      ‘Only three?’ He quirked an eyebrow at her. ‘Does my aunt know?’

      ‘Of course not. You are not to tell her, Jack!’

      ‘What do you take me for?’ he drawled. ‘If I were your brother I would put you over my knee and spank you...’

      ‘But you’re only my cousin and it wouldn’t be proper, so you can’t,’ she crowed and laughed, realising that he was teasing her. Her eyes sparked with laughter. ‘It’s such fun, Jack. At least two of them were fortune hunters. Not that my fortune is so very large, but I suppose twenty thousand pounds and the estate Aunt Tilly left me is a great deal if you are in the suds...anything to keep them out of debtors’ gaol, I imagine.’

      ‘Where did you get such ideas?’ Jack asked. ‘Your tongue will lead you astray if you’re not careful.’

      Julia gave a trill of laughter. ‘Only with you, Jack dearest. I can say what I like to you. Naturally, I would not say such a thing in society—but it’s fun leading them on, knowing that they only want my money.’

      ‘You are a cruel minx,’ he retorted. ‘Just make sure you don’t go too far. Some gentlemen are not really very nice if you scratch the surface. Be careful, Julia. Lead some of them on and you might end up getting hurt. Besides, you will get yourself a reputation as a flirt and then the right sort of gentleman—the kind you truly want—will not look at you as the proper material for marriage.’

      Julia pouted at him as the footman opened the door of his carriage and Jack handed her in and then climbed in beside her. She waited until he had settled before turning to look at him.

      ‘I only let them go so far, Jack. I wouldn’t do anything foolish—but when they try to take advantage of a young girl, well, I think they deserve to look foolish. I would never hurt anyone I liked.’

      ‘You are an innocent.’ Jack looked at her seriously. ‘But just be careful. I would not want to see you hurt.’

      ‘Yes, I know what you mean. I am careful...but if a gentleman tries to persuade me to meet him in the gardens later at night and will not take no for an answer, it seems good to me to leave him waiting.’

      Jack laughed shortly. ‘In that case, I would agree, but take care whom you tease, cousin. There are some that might try to take a nasty revenge.’

      ‘I shall,’ she said. ‘You mustn’t worry about me, Jack. If ever I think someone is really threatening me, I shall come and tell my big strong cousin all about it.’

      * * *

      Charlotte looked at her dance card and felt a tiny thrill of excitement. They had arrived twenty minutes earlier and already more than half of the spaces on her dance card were taken and the music had just started for the first set of country dances. She moved towards the ballroom itself and was greeted on the threshold by Sir Percival, who had come in search of her.

      ‘I saw you earlier,’ he greeted her with a smile, ‘but you were surrounded by eager young men. I trust you have not forgotten our dances, Miss Stevens?’

      ‘Certainly not,’ Charlotte said, laughing up at him. ‘I never forget a promise, sir. You also have the last country dance before supper.’

      ‘I think I was fortunate to secure them this morning,’ he said and took her hand, leading her towards a group of young people making up the sets for the first dance. ‘I believe you will be much in demand this evening, Miss Stevens.’

      Charlotte accepted her place in the line just as the music began and they all joined hands for the first few steps, before forming into two lines, the gentleman on one side, his partner on the other and another lady beside him. The lines came together in the middle, then broke apart, the promised couples taking each other’s hands to promenade down the line and rejoin it. A similar movement was performed and this time a gentleman crossed to the next lady on the line and the promenade was resumed. It meant that everyone eventually had a chance to dance with everyone else and was the first of a lively set of three dances before the music stopped and the lady’s original partner escorted her from the floor.

      Charlotte returned to her mama and a group of young ladies and matrons. Some people refreshed themselves with a drink or a cooling ice before dancing again, but the next was a waltz and Charlotte’s partner was prompt in claiming her.

      ‘Our dance, I believe, Miss Stevens?’

      ‘Yes, thank you.’

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