‘Lady Sefton,’ Alex said clearly, turning to the approaching patroness, ‘will you present me to Miss Jane Verey as a suitable partner for the waltz?’
Lady Sefton’s good-natured agreement and Jane’s acquiescence followed. It had to-she knew that he would brook no refusal. Meanwhile, across the ballroom another intriguing tableau was developing as Lady Jersey, not to be outdone, could be seen giving an eager Lord Philip her permission to waltz with Sophia.
Lady Verey, suddenly becoming aware that she had been neglecting Sophia in her concern for Jane, gave a little gasp. ‘Oh, Eleanor, he has asked her for a second dance and immediately after the first! I am sure that Sophia knows how to go on, but I feel she should have a little more care! Besides…’ her gaze swung back to Jane ‘…Lord Philip should surely be dancing with Jane!’
Jane dropped a neat curtsy. ‘Oh no, Mama!’ she said sweetly. ‘If I am favoured with the Duke’s attention I can have no complaint!’
‘Then come along, Miss Verey,’ Alex said gently, in a tone that suggested he would have liked to call her a minx, ‘for the music is starting!’
Jane took his hand, with a feeling that she was about to step right out of her depth. The gossip was deafening. Part of her was aware of the hum of discussion all around, but most of her senses were concentrating on the experience of being in Alex Delahaye’s arms.
The sensation of closeness was intimate but in no way unpleasant, more intense than it had been that afternoon. One of Jane’s hands rested lightly on his broad shoulder whilst the other was clasped in his. The touch of his fingers threatened to disturb her, for she found that she was very aware of him, and she tried to shut her mind to it. It would never do to make a fool of herself at Almack’s!
Jane tried to concentrate on the steps of the waltz. She was a good dancer and it was easy to waltz with Alex because he, too, was so good at it. Besides, it gave her the excuse to stay silent and avoid looking up at him, which she was sure would unsettle her completely. Instead, she looked around at their fellow dancers, noticing that Sophia was whirling around and chattering nineteen to the dozen to Lord Philip. He was smiling and looked boyish and happy. It was an extraordinary transformation.
‘It is not really so bad, is it?’ the Duke said ironically, after they had circled the room twice in silence. ‘I realise that, given a choice, you would not have danced with me, Miss Verey, despite your pretty little remark just now! You have a neat way of administering a set-down! It was a salutary experience for me!’
Jane raised her eyebrows, biting back a smile. The twinkle in his eyes was infectious. ‘You surprise me, your grace! I would imagine your self-esteem to be much more resilient than that!’
Alex Delahaye smiled, looking suddenly as boyish as his younger brother. ‘But appearances can be so deceptive, Miss Verey! Do you not find that?’
Jane was suddenly on her guard. There was no reason to read anything into his words and yet she was wary. He was too perceptive and she could not afford to trust him.
‘I must allow that to be true sometimes, I suppose,’ she said carefully. ‘This is not a society where one sees much below the surface.’
She saw his smile broaden with real amusement. ‘Indeed, Miss Verey! Yet sometimes it is the surface itself that is misleading! Take my brother’s visit to Ambergate, for example!’
Jane felt herself jump in his arms and was sure that he had felt it too. She cast one swift glance up into his face and saw that the smile held a hint of challenge now.
‘I have no notion as to your meaning, your Grace,’ she said, with more composure than she was feeling, ‘but I cannot regret the outcome of Lord Philip’s visit. I am persuaded that he and I should not have suited at all!’
‘Or was it that you took steps to ensure that you should not suit?’ the Duke asked, his lazy gaze still watchful. ‘As I say, I have the oddest suspicion, Miss Verey, that you have made a fool of my brother!’
‘Oh, no, your Grace!’ Jane avoided his gaze, her eyes fixed on the swirling dancers. ‘Whatever your brother has achieved has been on his own account!’
The Duke’s arm tightened momentarily around her waist. He gave her a look of brilliant amusement. ‘Touché, Miss Verey! You are quite right that Philip’s indiscreet descriptions of his visit have been most ill bred. But perhaps he was provoked? Perhaps you gave him a very different impression of Miss Jane Verey from the one that is on show tonight?’
Jane hesitated. She had no way of knowing how much he knew and what was mere guesswork. How she wished that she had never started this! In deception one could give oneself away so easily…
Whilst she hesitated, the Duke said blandly, ‘Philip has already described your meeting, of course. Perhaps you would care to give me your version of events?’
Jane made up her mind. ‘I think not, sir. That would be…embarrassing and unnecessary. You have seen that all has been forgiven and forgotten tonight!’
The Duke nodded. ‘Of course,’ he murmured, ‘it may be better to let sleeping dogs lie. But indulge my curiosity, Miss Verey! How did you disguise yourself? You must be an accomplished amateur actress…’
The colour flooded Jane’s cheeks as her guilty conscience, fully awake now, gave her a prod. He might as well have called her an accomplished liar!
‘Please, your Grace, may we not change the subject?’
‘I can see that it might not reflect well on you!’ the Duke agreed. ‘The disguise, the deceit…’
‘Sir-’
‘No, no,’ the Duke murmured, ‘say no more, Miss Verey! I would not wish to cause you mortification!’
Jane’s eyes flashed with annoyance. ‘But surely it was your intention to do precisely that, sir! And you have succeeded!’
‘No, indeed!’ Alex’s expression of virtuous indignation was as good as anything Jane could have achieved. ‘Surely you mistake, Miss Verey! It is never the lady who is at fault in these situations!’
Jane forced out a smile from between gritted teeth. Somehow-she was not at all sure how-Alex had managed to pin the blame on her neatly whilst turning the whole situation around to make it appear as though he was sympathising with her!
‘I do believe that you are spoilt, your Grace,’ she said unwisely. ‘Surely the real cause of your ire is that you are so accustomed to people falling in with your plans that you cannot bear to be gainsaid!’
She saw Alex’s eyes narrow in incredulous amusement, then he laughed. ‘What an acute young lady you are, Miss Verey, and one who dares much! You have my measure-I have a great aversion to being thwarted! And unfortunately your astuteness only serves to convince me that you are exactly the right bride for my brother!’ This time there was steel beneath the silky drawl. ‘I intend the marriage to go ahead despite your best efforts to prevent it!’
Jane almost stumbled over the steps of the waltz. She had never contemplated that the Duke would still be of the same mind and insist that the match be made despite all that had happened. Surely she had made it clear by both her words and her actions that she would not marry Lord Philip? Yet it seemed that Alexander Delahaye had either not heard her or had disregarded her words. His final, patronising comments had suggested that he viewed her as no more than a precocious child who might be humoured a little but whose final obedience was taken for granted.
‘I am sorry to hear you say that, your Grace,’ Jane said slowly. ‘I was in earnest when I said that Lord Philip and I should not suit and my mind is unlikely to change.’
‘But you see,’ the Duke continued softly, ‘Philip needs a clever wife and you have proved yourself to be eminently suitable, Miss Verey! Where a man lacks certain…qualities himself, it is most beneficial if his life partner can supply what is missing! A perfect combination!’