Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

A deline took a deep breath and brushed down the front of her dress over her stomach.

"Are you sure this is what I should be doing?" she whispered to Christine.

"I am," Christine replied. "You said yourself that you didn't want anyone to know about anything, so the best thing to do is to continue with your life as if nothing were wrong."

Adeline smoothed down the front of her dress again. "Which means I should find a man to court me and then marry me, and then what? I don't want to pretend the child is his. How can I start a relationship with a man based on anything except for love?"

Christine sighed. "Many marriages are arranged or happen because of other circumstances, and the couple are not in love though some do grow to love each other. We will not force you to do anything you don't want to do, but you should have the chance to have a husband, and your child should have a father. If the real father wants nothing to do with the child, then he is better off not in your life. Theodore will take care of everything."

Adeline took a deep breath and smoothed down the front of her dress again.

"And for goodness' sake," Christine scolded, "will you stop touching the front of your dress? You will not show for a long time, but if you keep doing that, someone might work it out."

"I still can't believe it," Adeline said.

The Duke leaned closer to his sister. "If you continue to talk about it in public, everyone will be able to believe it. Now, we are at the ball, so go and have something to drink and eat, and start to fill your dance card. I have some people to talk with."

"You won't stay with me?" Adeline asked.

"I must speak with some lords and ladies about their sons, and then I will return to you both. Christine will take good care of you until then."

"Come on," Christine said. "Let's go and have some fun."

They walked off together, Christine with a smile and Adeline with a worried frown. Christie found where the refreshments were and ordered two glasses of sherry.

She handed one to Adeline. "Just a sip," she said. "It will not harm anything, and when people see you holding a glass of sherry, they do not think anything about pregnancy."

Adeline bit her bottom lip and looked down into her glass. Christine glanced at Adeline from time to time, wishing that she would not look so glum. No one liked the plan, but if Adeline put off any man who might approach her, they would not have a chance to put the plan into action.

Christine looked across the hall for the Duke, hoping he would return soon and make everything good, but he was nowhere to be seen. Christine was on her own, and she did not know if she would be any help. It already felt like the night would be a bust, and that left only one more chance.

"Good evening, Lady Adeline."

Christine looked toward Adeline, and Adeline looked up at the young man before her with as much surprise as Christine felt.

"Oh, good evening," Adeline replied.

"I am not sure if you will remember me. I shall introduce myself again. I am Lord St. Vincent," Owen said.

"Yes, I remember you," Adeline assured.

"You do?" Owen stood up straighter at the recognition. "I find that many people do not remember me, but that is only because?—"

"You look fine in your tailcoat tonight, Lord St. Vincent," Christine interrupted. "Does Adeline not look a picture?"

"She does, she does," Owen replied. "She is the most beautiful woman here. Sorry, Your Grace, I don't mean to?—"

"Think nothing of it," Christine interrupted once again. "If you came over here to tell me I was the most beautiful woman in the room, my husband might have something to say about it."

"His Grace, yes." Owen looked over his shoulder in case Theodore was standing right behind him.

Christine found it charming. The young lord had approached Adeline at the ball even though he was afraid of her brother. Christine did not want to think it, but he might be just the sort of man they were after.

Owen finished looking around before he looked back to Adeline. "You must excuse me for coming over and talking with you again."

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Adeline said. "Why would you say that?"

"After we danced the last time, I did not get the impression you wanted to dance with me again," Owen explained.

Adeline glanced quickly at Christine, and the same thoughts were running through both women's minds. Adeline had a strained smile, and Christine did not like to see the pain in Adeline's eyes, but everyone deserved a chance at happiness.

"I must apologize if I gave that impression," Adeline said. "I have had a lot going on, and I have not been thinking about any men. Yet, here you are standing before me which makes you the only man I have thought about tonight."

Owen practically jumped up and down as he stood before Adeline. "I had not planned to cross the hall and ask you to dance, but when I saw you in that dress, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did not come over here. I have never been more scared or as sure of anything in my life. It does not matter what happens after tonight; it only matters that I dance with you, Lady Adeline."

Christine almost burst out laughing at how shocked she was to hear the shy and reserved young man talk as he did.

"Then why are you standing there and not asking me to dance?" Adeline demanded. "I shall not wait around forever for you to ask me."

Owen swallowed and looked around the room one more time. "Lady Adeline, would you dance with me?"

"I can't, my dance card is full," Adeline said.

Christine just about had a heart attack, and Owen went so pale that Christine thought he had had a heart attack and had turned into a ghost.

Adeline slapped her hand to her chest. "Oh, my goodness! I should not have said that. It sounded very humorous in my head. Yes, of course, I will dance with you. You shall have the very first dance of the night."

Owen gasped and then smiled. "I am so relieved. I didn't realize you liked to joke and jest so much."

"I am not sure I realized it either," Adeline replied. "I apologize again, Lord St. Vincent. It took a lot of courage to come over and speak with me, and I very much look forward to dancing with you."

"Thank you," the Lord said. "You really do look beautiful in that dress. It really brings out your eyes."

Adeline smiled and held the Viscount's gaze.

"I shall return soon when the music begins," Lord St. Vincent said. "I am supposed to ask as many women to dance as I can. Father believes it will give me the best shot of finding my future wife, and—" Owen rolled his eyes at himself. "I am prattling on now. You will surely be taken soon, but I shall get to dance with you before then."

Owen left the conversation before saying something that would make him look truly foolish.

"He seems very taken with you," Christine noted.

"It makes me feel worse," Adeline said. "He is so nice and naive, and I could tie him in marriage if I wanted to, I am sure of it, but he does not deserve that."

"Yes, he is not very handsome either, is he," Christine pointed out.

"Oh, I don't know," Adeline admitted. "He has a certain something, don't you think? He dresses well and is well groomed, and I do like his smile."

"Yes, but he does not converse very well," Christine added.

"We had a pleasant conversation the last time we danced," Adeline replied.

"And did he dance well?" Christine asked.

"Yes, he was a very adept dancer."

"Still, he doesn't sound very intelligent," Christine went on.

"You don't think?" Adeline asked. "I think he is just a little shy at times and doesn't know what to say. I don't believe he is a fool."

"So, an intelligent, handsome, talkative, good dancer?" Christine commented. "It sounds like you are very taken with him."

"Oh, you are the worst," Adeline replied. "You tricked me into all of that."

"You have someone to dance with, and that is all that matters for now," Christine said. "You don't have to trick him into anything. Dance with as many men as you like tonight, and try to find a good match. Once you do, Theodore will handle the rest."

Theodore returned soon after with some additional names to add to Adeline's dance card, and then Owen returned to take Adeline to the dance floor for the first dance.

Christine helped herself to some wine while the Duke had some barley water. Christine raised her eyebrows at him.

"I shall have a drink at some point in the future, but I don't much feel like it right now after my two nights this past week. Besides, if we are to enact our plan, I must have my wits about me. I remember Lord St. Vincent danced with Adeline before. Do you think he could be a match?"

Christine watched as Adeline held Owen's hand, and then the two of them took up a dancing position as the musicians finished their fine-tuning.

"I don't know," Christine admitted. "I believe he could be easily coerced into marriage, but that might make things worse for Adeline. She has enough trouble with the plan, and to force a man to marry her and then reveal the truth, or not reveal it, will weigh on her mind. It will be doubly so with a man as courteous as Lord St. Vincent."

"It was an un-courteous man who got her into this mess, so it follows that a courteous man will get her out of it," the Duke said.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like it makes sense, but it doesn't work like that. Adeline should get to choose a man she wants to be with."

The Duke looked at Christine, and Christine wanted to tell him that she didn't mean it like that, but she did. She enjoyed the Duke's company, but he was the man he was, and he would not change. And while she understood why he would not change, it did not make it hurt any less. If she could go back and not be caught with the Duke, she would do it.

Would I? I would not be here to help Adeline, and I would not have been pleasured by him, and I would not have changed him for the better.

Christine was unsure if the positives outweighed the negatives.

"I know nothing has worked out as it should, but it is great to see her happy." The Duke pointed to the dance floor as the dancing started.

It warmed Christine's heart to see Adeline laughing as she danced with the Baron. Usually, it was the woman who blushed while dancing with a man, but Owen was the one with the pink face. And he was the one with the biggest smile on the dance floor.

"I don't want to trick anyone into giving Adeline a better life," Christine admitted.

"I know you don't, but it might have to happen. If I need to force a man to wed my sister, I will do it."

"I know you will," Christine admitted. "I still don't like it."

"It looks like Adeline has forgotten about it for now," the Duke pointed out. "How about we do the same?"

Before Christine could respond, the Duke took her hand and spun her around in time with the music, even though they were not on the dance floor.

Christine gasped and then laughed.

The Duke pulled her into him, and the two spun on the outskirts of the hall as others moved out of their way, some with mutters but most with amused smiles.

"If we help Adeline together, I think we can figure out something with balance," the Duke said.