Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager - By Sarah Mallory Page 0,71
Susannah hesitated as she thought of a way to delay her next meeting with the viscount. ‘Perhaps we could put off our visit to Florence House until Thursday morning?’
‘Very well, my dear, Thursday it shall be.’
‘Thank you, ma’am.’ The sudden scrape of the fiddles caught Susannah’s attention. She wanted very much to go home, but to leave so suddenly after the announcement would cause comment, Instead she turned to Gerald.
‘The dancing will be starting again very soon. Shall we join them?’
‘Why not?’ He grinned. ‘And now we are betrothed I need not give you up for the rest of the evening!’
* * *
Jasper stood back, watching the dancers. He could not keep his eyes from Susannah, who skipped and twirled about the room, her bouncing curls gleaming in the candlelight. She was going down the dance with Gerald, and although she was smiling Jasper thought her enjoyment a trifle forced. He considered seeking her out for the next dance but decided against it. Their earlier meeting had flustered her. He grinned to himself. It had thrown him, too, to discover just how much he wanted her. His inner smile grew and he shook his head a little, thinking of the mull he had made of his proposal. For once his charming address had deserted him, so it was no wonder he had startled her. But she was no fool. She would know he was in earnest, so he would leave her to become accustomed to the idea of being Lady Markham.
A movement nearby caught his attention. Lady Gisburne was making her way towards the door.
‘Going so soon, ma’am?’
‘I am. These late hours no longer agree with me.’ She paused, her eyes following his gaze to the centre of the room.
‘Are you hoping to dance with Miss Prentess? You will be disappointed, I think.’
‘No, let Barnabus enjoy himself. I shall be calling upon Miss Prentess on Thursday.’
‘Will you now?’ She paused. ‘And does the lady know of it?’
He smiled.
‘She does indeed.’ He dragged his eyes away from the dancers and fixed them upon the old lady’s face. ‘Why do you ask?’
She did not reply and for an instant Jasper wanted to take her into his confidence, to tell her he intended to make Susannah Prentess his wife. But no. She was Dominic’s godmother, not his. His family must be informed first, and he would tell them just as soon as he had made his formal proposal to Susannah.
The dowager waved her hand as she finally replied, ‘Oh, no reason. But if you are not going to dance again, Markham, then you can make yourself useful and escort me back to Laura Place.’
He laughed at that.
‘Of course, ma’am. With the greatest of pleasure.’
* * *
Jasper had never been so impatient to be done with his estate business, but at length it was concluded and he could return to Bath. On Thursday morning he rose early and dressed with particular care, honouring the occasion with a morning coat of midnight blue, a white-embroidered waistcoat and buff coloured pantaloons tucked into shining Hessians. He arrived at Royal Crescent shortly before ten o’clock. He was shown into the morning room, where he found Mrs Wilby engaged with her tambour frame. She quickly put it down when he entered, and rose to greet him.
‘Lord Markham, this is a pleasant surprise.’
He bowed over her hand.
‘Did Miss Prentess not tell you I would be calling?’
‘No, my lord, she did not.’ She waved him to a seat. ‘She has gone out.’
‘Oh? And when do you expect her to return?’
‘Not for some time, my lord. She is gone to Florence House with Lady Gisburne.’ She noticed his frown and added quickly, ‘They arranged it some days ago, I believe.’
‘Then she did not tell you I intended to call?’
She fluttered her hands.
‘No, but with all the excitement of the past few days I expect it slipped her mind.’
‘Excitement, ma’am?’
She looked at him in surprise.
‘Did you not know? She is engaged to Mr Barnabus.’
It took all Jasper’s self-command to get him through the rest of the interview and back out into the street. While his mouth uttered the congratulations expected of him, his mind was seething with conjecture, none of which made any sense.
So she had accepted Gerald’s proposal. But why now, when she had consistently turned him down in the past? And to do so within days of their explosive encounter on Monday evening? The two events must be linked. She had said she could not marry him—was that because she