Chapter Four

The Armstrong ball

Later that evening

S in stood on the upper landing of the ballroom stairs, his gaze sweeping the lively crowd below. Celia didn't leave a soul in London off her guest list —something that both intrigued and perturbed him.

At that moment, a familiar shrill voice sent a chill down his spine and filled him with a sense of dread. He riveted his attention to the back of the room and saw her…

The Widow Louisa Parker approaching his Aunt Millie.

"Woohoo, Lady Beadle! Woohoo!" she called, waving her gloved hand.

The exuberant greeting was met with a slow, stiff response from his aunt, who was engaged in a conversation with Lady Romney. She turned to face the interloper with a wan smile on her face, clad in a sapphire-blue satin dress with a matching turban. Sin was momentarily distracted by the unexpected sight of orange curls peeking from beneath the fabric of the turban. His aunt had always maintained gray hair, although now that he thought about it, his mother had mentioned, on more than one occasion, his aunt's collection of colorful Georgian wigs.

Beside her, a vision in rose-pink satin and shimmering muslin caught Sin's eye. The blonde woman stood with her back to him, elegantly sipping lemonade, her identity momentarily concealed. His breath caught at the lovely silhouette, but before he could ascertain her identity, his attention was diverted by a dark figure who suddenly appeared, blocking his view of the slender young woman, appearing to engage her in conversation. He stiffened as he realized the man was none other than the Earl of Blackwood. Why the hell did his sister and brother-in-law invite a man who was rumored to have attacked an innocent girl?

"Sin, it's good to see you," a voice said from behind.

Sin turned and greeted his friend and brother-in-law. "I had planned to say hello to Aunt Millie but heard the warning whistle of the widow," he said. He gave a brief nod in the direction of his aunt at the other end of the room. Thankfully, Celia knew he never stayed for the entirety of a function and often showed up late. His preference was always to come for a short while and then leave.

"I noticed her as well and had hoped we could take refuge on the balcony, if need be," Wright said. "Sorry to disparage a guest of yours, Armstrong."

"No need to apologize," Armstrong said. "I asked my wife the same thing. The widow is an irritation and makes herself an interfering nuisance wherever she goes. Celia never gave me a good answer—something about it being easier to avoid her here than all over London, should she not be invited."

Sin decided not to comment about Blackwood.

"Ah, I detect my friends may be avoiding the irksome widow," Romney said, approaching. "Indeed! This could be an interesting experiment! We could finally settle who the widow is more taken with—Sin or, as he so eloquently put it, the rogue pirate," he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The four men erupted into laughter at Romney's jest.

"Why don't we burn an hour and take in a game of billiards?" Wright asked.

Armstrong chuckled but declined. "As much as I'd enjoy a good game of snooker, my wife would have my head—and more," he said. "I must remain among the guests."

"There you are, baron," Lady Parker said, strolling up to them.

"Good evening, Lady Parker. It's nice to see you again," Wright said, his lips twitching.

"Lady Parker," Sin said flatly, hoping she'd keep walking.

"They are getting ready to strike up the band. I'm sure you promised me a dance," she cooed, lightly tapping Sin's chest with her fan.

"I did?" he asked in a placid tone. This woman was a manipulative menace and up to her usual tricks. Her blatant lying made him want to dig in.

She playfully slapped his arm. "Oh, Sin, surely you recall our recent little chat."

"Er…perhaps there is some mistake," Wright supplied. "Sinclair and I have been out of the country…and we've only just arrived back in England."

Sin noticed Romney stood quietly by, smiling.

Normally, Sin would never contradict a lady—but he had a hard time considering the widow a lady. At least by the standards he had been taught. "Lady Parker, I am sorry, but I don't recall. However, if—"

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Lady Parker," said his aunt, gliding up behind the widow and tucking her ear trumpet in the folds of her dress. "My nephew promised me the first dance—although, if you don't mind, I feel a turn around the room might be more to my taste. It's been a year since I've seen him, and we have much to discuss. And besides, your…er…companion Lord Blackwood awaits you."

"B-but we… He…" the widow sputtered as the older woman accepted Sin's arm and nodded toward Blackwood.

"I'm sorry." Aunt Millie pointed to her ear. "Perhaps another time, my dear," she said, taking Sin's arm. "I'm sure Lord Blackwood is eagerly awaiting you to dazzle him with your charms."

"How dare…" the widow started but turned on her heel and left in a huff.

"Armstrong, do be a dear. Hold my ear trumpet for me until my companion makes her way over," Aunt Millie said. "I won't be requiring it for a while. My adorable nephew will be doing more listening than I will."

"I'm happy to, my lady," Armstrong said, barely hiding a smirk while he accepted the conical hearing aid.

"Thank you, dear." She turned to Sin. "Nephew, we have much to discuss," she murmured behind her smile. "It might take us two turns around."

Sin chuckled. His aunt was one of the cleverest women he knew. And only she could get away with interrupting the widow and making the remarks she had.

He studied her as they began their stroll. For her age, she was a very spry woman. He had never known her to let anything keep her from something she truly wanted—not even the loss of her hearing or her much-loved husband. She stayed active. And he had noticed she didn't always need the hearing horn. It seemed a tool of convenience to him. But he would never admit his thoughts to her.

As they made the first turn in the room, Sin noticed Blackwood stride across the floor. It appeared the incomparable blonde he had noticed earlier was making her way toward the balcony and Lord Blackwood was still attempting to overtake her and speak with her. But it was her physical reaction that concerned him. Her head was down as she shook her head to something Blackwood had said. It appeared she would walk faster, but still, Blackwood seemed to persist. Was she trying to evade him?

"How long have you been in town?" his aunt asked, looking up at him and distracting him from his thoughts.

"Not long. I stopped by your townhouse in Mayfair, but Jenkins said you were not in London."

"Ah. I had been visiting my cousin," she said, still watching him. "She implored I visit her."

"I see. Were you there long?"

"Six weeks. But now I'm entirely versed on the layout of Bath and all it offers."

He chuckled. His aunt and her cousin were always at odds, but secretly, they depended on each other. "I had planned to surprise you, Aunt Millie."

"Well, I'd say you've done it. Will you be in town long?" she asked.

"I am not sure. As you know, I'm rather involved with some security matters—" He stopped. "How is it you are hearing me?"

She cackled. "I assure you. I cannot hear you. But I can read your lips. It's my secret power. Don't tell anyone."

He laughed and lightly squeezed her hand that was holding his arm. "You never cease to surprise—"

"But…you must look at me when you talk," she interrupted.

"I'm sorry." He turned and looked down at her, smiling. "I will keep your secret, Aunt Millie. But I must ask—where and when did you learn to read lips?"

She chuckled. "You know, of course, that my dear Arthur helped me establish a school for the deaf. And I volunteered—a lot! Over time, I realized that I was learning alongside many of the children who lived there. It's a remarkable way of communicating. You cannot hear voices, but sometimes when you read lips, you see more than you might hear."

Sin could relate to what she was saying. "In my work, I have to pay attention to similar nuances of the face and form."

"Exactly! Speaking of your work, there is something I would ask you to assist me with, my dearest."

"Are you missing one of your cats?" he teased.

"No," she said, swatting him. "I assure you, my cats are fine. However, I am rather concerned about Zeus. He is somewhat lazy and is getting quite…" She held her fan up and covered her mouth. "He is getting fat ," she said in a hushed tone.

Sin started to suggest she feed him less, but that would have been impolite. Instead, he asked, "What do you plan to do about it?"

"I'll feed him less, of course!" she said. "He's dratted lazy, but I adore him. And the extra weight might cause him difficulty with his health later in his life."

Sin bit back a smile.

"I have a favor to ask of you, my sweet boy."

"Go on. I will do it if I can," Sin said. As long as it doesn't involve your matchmaking.

"I wonder if you might help my companion find a member of her family. Her brother is missing. She has no other family to speak of. You must do it in secret—she would be upset with me if she thought I was meddling. At the very least, it would make her uncomfortable, and I can't have that."

"Aunt Millie, you would never meddle," he said, holding back a smile.

"Of course not," she said, pulling her shoulders back in mock surprise.

"I will try to locate his whereabouts, Aunt Millie. But I should prepare you. I won't be in London long."

"Pish! I'm sure the duke would not mind you helping an old woman."

How did she know Wellington was involved with his travels? Surely his aunt didn't know he was working for the newly formed diplomatic corp. She was making a stab in the dark. And he had learned not to address those, or risk being ensnared. Instead, he answered, "I will do my best. You, my dearest aunt, may have years behind you, but you are anything but old."

"I knew it! The orange curls are working!" She clapped her hands together gleefully. "I told my modiste my red wig would be just the ticket," she pronounced and then narrowed her eyes as if taking his measure. "I'll let you in on a secret. After all my years of being happily married, it's lonely living without a man. So I've decided to find myself a man—just to share my time with," she added hastily.

"But what of your companion? Celia mentioned you've found one whom you adore."

"Your sister is right." His aunt's eyes sparkled with affection as she spoke of her companion. "I have no plans to let her go. She's young and absolutely lovely, and her family is even connected to the peerage. She has every right to be a part of this crowd—if she would just allow herself," she said, gesturing casually toward the bustling room. "She's bound to find her perfect match one day, and I don't want to be too far behind her in that regard."

Sin chuckled at his aunt's frankness. "You are one in a million, Aunt Millie."

She was swift in her response. "You couldn't handle me," she quipped, smiling. "Ah. We've come full circle. And reached the end of our journey."

Sin noted Armstrong was still patiently holding Aunt Millie's ear trumpet, but his other friends had scattered, no doubt taking part in the lively reel. He was relieved to see that Lady Parker had taken Aunt Millie's advice and was now dancing with her escort, Blackwood.

"It was a lovely stroll, Aunt Millie," Sin said, bowing over his aunt's hand.

"Yes, it was, dear. Now…where is she?" she said, turning and gazing about. "Oh, there she is!" Aunt Millie suddenly began waving excitedly at someone in the throng of guests. "Yoohoo! Yoohoo!"

Sin glanced in the same direction and saw a vision emerging from the crowd. A beautiful young woman with golden hair, wearing a rose-pink gown.

His aunt's voice was clearly filled with pride as she said, "Come here, my dear. Allow me to introduce you."

"Yes, my lady," the woman replied softly.

And then everything froze. Everything went still.

His breath caught in his throat and his heart thundered in his chest. And Sin felt as though he were being pulled back in time to that first moment he beheld her beauty—that golden halo of hair, that angelically lovely face, that mellifluous voice. And those eyes, those incredible emerald-green eyes that had haunted him from the moment he left her standing on the small porch of her cottage on the outskirts of Boston a year ago.

"Sin, allow me to introduce my companion…"