Chapter 22

Twenty-Two

S tephen followed his father across the dance floor to the lady his parents wanted him to meet, his heart still sitting with Ruth behind him. This has gone precisely as I expected, he thought in frustration. They are entirely predictable. He hoped that indulging in a few dances with the ladies his father deemed suitable would alleviate his parents worries for a bit. Then he could go back to his aunt and Ruth.

He thought of the way Ruth had looked that night when she came down the stairs, like a Greek goddess stepping off the pages of a history book. He thought of her eyes looking up at him, as blue and enchanting as the shimmering fabric of her gown, and he wanted to abandon his parents and run back to her side.

“May I introduce Lady Lina Astor?” Stephen’s father stepped aside, revealing a small woman with curling dark hair and a petulant pout. “This is my son, the gentleman I told you about — Lord Darnley.”

“A pleasure, I’m sure,” the girl said, her eyelashes fluttering prettily against her porcelain skin. “I have heard about you, my Lord. What an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Indeed,” Stephen said, resisting the urge to look back at Ruth and catch her eye. “Tell me, Lady Lina, is this your first Season? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”

“You are right,” his father interjected. “It is her first Season. A gem like Lady Lina will not make it to a second Season, I am sure.” He looked significantly at Stephen, as though trying to urge his son to snap up the damsel before her other suitors did. “Well,” he added. “I don’t want to keep you two from a good conversation. I will go about my own business and leave you to each other’s pleasant company.”

He left them together. Stephen cleared his throat. “How are you finding London, my Lady?” he asked .

She laughed, opening her fan and giggling.

He hesitated. “My Lady?”

“Oh,” she said with a quick smile. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were making a joke of some sort. Your tone and manner indicated as much.”

But what about my words? “My mistake,” he said, fighting to remain invested in the conversation. “I was asking legitimately how you find London these days.”

“Oh charming, charming,” she said. “I grew up in the countryside, you see. It is so unbearably dull there this time of year. Absolutely nothing to do. I find the city so exhilarating — so full of carefree happiness.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You are fortunate to have walked in circles where the primary experience is ‘happiness’, my Lady. The city is not entirely made up of carefree people.”

“I don’t know,” she said, contradicting him with a teasing note of flirtation in her voice. “My entire experience has been touched by magic these past few days. I see carefree people everywhere I look.”

Stephen could hardly stand how blind her statement was. Did you see the poor people working on the docks when you rode into town on your carriage? Do you think even the people in this room with you are all happy and free? He realized with a start that, after his conversations with Ruth, it was even harder to submit to the inane small talk society required of him. He wished he could go over to Ruth’s side and hear an actual, serious response to a question. He missed her perspective and wit.

He changed the subject, hoping to afford his companion something to talk about that she actually enjoyed.

“What are your interests, Lady Lina?” he asked.

To his surprise, this vein of questioning didn’t seem to spark much fervor in his companion either. She looked mildly confused.

“Are you asking about my accomplishments?” she said after a moment.

“Not precisely,” Stephen said slowly. “Although, I suppose if you are particularly interested in the things you’ve accomplished, you might share them.”

She let out another peal of giggling laughter. “My Lord,” she said, “You are too funny. I must say, you tease me far too much.”

Stephen bit his lip, attempting to hide his annoyance. “Lady Lina, I was not teasing you.” He turned in her a circle in accordance with the next dance move and then brought her back into position. He felt apologetic on behalf of his gender. He could just imagine what Ruth would be saying right now.

It isn’t Lady Lina’s fault that no man she’s danced with has ever really wanted to hear her thoughts on anything, Ruth would have said. Most men just tease and flirt and want us to look pretty.

He tried again. “I was honestly trying to learn more about you. Please, tell me what things interest you at present.”

“Oh,” she said, blushing and looking confused again. “Well, then, I suppose I do like piano, and singing. You ought to come to my family home some time. We have such grand dinner parties, and at the close I sometimes take a turn at the pianoforte afterwards. I've been studying the classics since I was a girl.”

“Marvelous,” he said. “I am sure you are very talented. Do you have a favorite composer? ”

She sighed. “Beethoven is terribly fashionable right now.”

“Yes,” he said, smiling. “I admire his work.” He tried to think of another question for her. The conversation was a grueling amount of work, and he couldn’t help thinking yet again of how easy things were with Ruth. He glanced over in search of her, catching a glimpse of her silver-blue gown by the refreshment tables.

She was in conversation with a gentleman there, and seemed to excuse herself to make her way back towards Aunt Cecelia. He felt a stab of jealousy and turned back to focus on his partner.

“How about authors?” he asked. “Have you a favorite author?”

“I have been reading the Romance of the Forest, ” she said with a little sigh. “It is taking me some time, but I find it absolutely exhilarating. Are you familiar with Radcliffe’s work?”

Stephen nodded. “Yes,” he said slowly. “I know of her work, certainly, although I sadly have not read it myself. Her tales are rumored to be quite dark and fantastic, are they not?”

“Yes, and terribly romantic.” Lady Lina turned her face suggestively up towards Stephen. “Her heroes are all dashing and handsome and tortured.”

“And the heroines?” he asked.

“Just as ladies should be,” she said with a pleased smile, “pale and afflicted and of course very beautiful.”

“You are contradictory, Madame,” he said, smiling at her. “You believe London should be carefree and ladies should be afflicted. How can both go hand in hand?”

She stared at him blankly for a moment. “Pardon me?” she said.

He resisted the urge to sigh, thankful for the next movements of the dance that took him in a brief movement away from Lady Lina so he could gather his thoughts. When she was back in his arms again, he tried something else.

“For my own part,” he began, “I enjoy reading about—”

Before he could go on, however, there was a cry from the other end of the room. It took a moment for Stephen to put together all the pieces that the scream had jumbled in his brain — Aunt Cecelia, Ruth, anger, fear — when he turned and saw that it was indeed his aunt who had cried out.

She was coming towards him across the dance floor, her eyes wild. She passed through the shocked, pale dancers, her red gown billowing out amongst them like a bloodstain. She had one arm extended, pointing accusingly at Stephen.

“It isn’t right, you know,” she was saying, her voice shrill. “Not her. Not her.”

Lady Lina gave a little cry, clinging to Stephen as though the woman approaching them was dangerous. It was the last straw for Stephen — he pushed her gently away and hurried towards his aunt without even giving a brief apology to the girl he left behind.

He could see Ruth hurrying towards his aunt, and across the floor Lord and Lady Richmond had started in their direction as well. They would converge on Aunt Cecelia at the same time, but in the meantime, she had grown more agitated, anger flashing in her eyes as she cried out towards Stephen.

“You don’t know the first thing about what is right,” she cried, turning in a staggering circle. “ She is not right. This dance is not right. You were supposed to be with someone else. Foolish. Foolish. Foolish—”

Ruth reached her first, catching her up in her arms and pulling her gently away from the dance floor. She spoke to the Duchess in low, kind tones.

“It’s alright, my Lady,” she was saying as Stephen came up. “It’s going to be alright. Just come with me.”

“No,” she said angrily, pulling away and fixing her stare on Stephen. “He’s a foolish boy,” she said sharply.

“We can talk about it somewhere else,” Ruth said, keeping her focus completely on Aunt Cecelia. Stephen was touched, watching her. The ballroom around them was frozen. The music had ground to a halt. People were already starting to whisper. His own parents arrived, out of breath and frantic to move the spectacle out of sight.

Yet Ruth seemed unaware of all of this. She had focused all her efforts on Aunt Cecelia.

“I hear you,” she was saying softly. “I understand, but we must get you some fresh air.”

“You cannot possibly understand,” Lord Richmond said in a harsh whisper. “No one here understands. We must get her off this dance floor at once.”

“Father, Ruth’s trying—” Stephen began.

“Less trying, more doing,” Lord Richmond said, reaching as though to help the older lady off the floor by the arm.

Ruth stepped up abruptly, coming between Lord Richmond and her charge. “That will only frighten her,” she said firmly, her eyes like flint. “I will take care of this,” she added, almost as an afterthought, “my Lord.”

Stephen was as shocked as his parents. It was no way for a girl of Ruth’s standing to speak to her superior, and the Duke of Richmond was momentarily silenced by the mere surprise of it all.

Ruth put her arm around the older lady and leaned down so that even Stephen could barely hear her.

“You’re not listening,” his aunt was saying, her voice filled with anger and, under the surface, a heartbreaking sorrow. “He wasn’t supposed to dance with her. He’s making a mistake. He should be dancing with—”

“I know,” Ruth said quickly; quietly. “But it doesn’t matter now. What matters now is taking care of you. Let’s get away from all these people and we can talk more there.”

“Foolish.” Aunt Cecelia seemed suddenly confused and looked up, her eyes settling briefly on Stephen. “Foolish?” she said again, questioning now.

“Not foolish,” he said, coming forward alongside Ruth. “Let’s speak outside, dear Aunt.”

They moved off the dance floor, avoiding the shocked expression of the guests, and through the grand hall to the stairs outside.

“Send for the carriage,” his father said in a hoarse voice to the valet waiting on the step.

Stephen turned and looked at his parents. “You’re leaving?” he asked.

“We are all leaving,” Lady Richmond said in a low tone.

Stephen nodded. “Perhaps you are right. I’ll go back inside and get our things,” he paused. “And call for my own carriage. We will meet you back at the manor.”

His parents said nothing; only nodded and turned towards the front to await their carriage. Stephen looked at Ruth before walking inside, but her eyes were still on the Duchess. She would not meet his gaze.