Chapter Six

"Mama? Might I ask you something?"

Lillian caught the way that concern ripped through her mother's expression and smiled quickly so as to reassure her.

"You can, though might I ask if it is to be about the ball? You are prepared, are you not? Is there anything troubling you?"

"No, there is nothing troubling me and yes, I am quite prepared, as you can see." She twirled around once and then spread out her hands, looking to her mother for her approval and Lady Galesbury was quick to give it.

"Forgive me, my dear, I ought to have told you how very fine you look." Lady Galesbury hurried towards Lillian, grasping her hands in her own. "This is to be your first ball of the Season and I am sure that you will capture the attention of many a gentleman."

Lillian smiled. "I thank you, Mama."

"Now." Lady Galesbury's smile wobbled. "What was it you wished to ask me?"

Lillian pressed her lips together for a moment, then took in a breath. "The Duke of Wrexham has asked me to save him a dance this evening, by way of thanking me for… well, for some insight I gave him when we met unexpectedly today at the museum." She watched her mother's eyes widen slightly, before a smile spread right across her face. "I do not know what I should do. He has suggested that I save my favourite dance from the evening and keep it for him but I do not know what I ought to do in that regard."

"My goodness, but that is quite wonderful!" her mother exclaimed, pressing Lillian's hands tightly again. "You have been singled out by the Duke of Wrexham! How wonderful! You must, of course, choose the waltz."

"The waltz?" Lillian exclaimed, her hands pulling from her mother's and pressing them to her cheeks instead as she recoiled, shaking her head fervently. "No, I cannot. It is much too forward, much too impolite! Besides, not every debutante will have been given permission to waltz."

"But you have been." Her mother smiled warmly, clearly not in the least bit perturbed by Lillian's concern. "My dear, you must grasp a hold of this opportunity! It is the Duke of Wrexham, is it not? You must take a hold of every chance offered to you, for if he has taken notice of you already for your kind words or your advice or whatever it was, then he might now take notice of you as a beautiful young lady whom he then goes on to hold in his arms for a time. Would that not be pleasant?"

Lillian could not deny that the thought of that was a very delightful one indeed, though she did not let a single word of acknowledgement come out of her mouth. "But he might also think that I was much too forward for a young lady," Lillian answered, seeing how her mother's smile faded. "What then? What if he should never wish to dance with me again because he thinks poorly of me for asking for that particular dance."

At this, Lady Galesbury frowned. "Yes, I suppose that is a consideration. I had not given that a thought before now but yes… yes, I can see that it might be a concern." She took in a deep breath and then sighed. "Perhaps you are right. Shall you ask him, mayhap, for the country dance? Then mayhap, in a few days or weeks, the waltz will be offered to you by the Duke himself rather than you demanding it of him."

"Precisely." Lillian smiled with relief. "Then you think that the country dance would suit me well?" That had been the question she had been eager to ask her mother from the very beginning and now to get the answer brought her a good deal of comfort.

"Yes, I think that would do very well. Though you will need to write his name on your dance card before you arrive, so that the other gentlemen who will be sure to ask you to dance do not steal it from him." Lady Galesbury smiled again, pressing Lillian's hand. "How wonderful it is to think that you will be dancing with a Duke! And he who knows how quickly your mind works and the interest you have in numbers and the like. That is a good thing, for it means that he is not dissuaded by it."

Lillian's lips curved gently. "Yes, I suppose that it does," she said, softly. "Thank you, Mama. I am looking forward to the ball a great deal." Ignoring the kick of nervousness in her stomach, she took in a deep breath and, with a nod from her mother, turned towards the door.

***

"Thank you, Lady Greenock." Lillian curtsied and then stepped away from the receiving line, following after her mother into the ballroom. Lord and Lady Greenock's ball was one of the most notable events of the Season, for their ball always drew the greatest number of debutantes and, therefore, as many as were invited, came to join the party. The ballroom swelled with noise, the heat catching Lillian's throat as she took in the scene. This was nothing more than a crush of bodies and from where she was standing, Lillian could not see even the smallest amount of space for dancing.

Her stomach twisted and she took in a slow breath in an attempt to push away her anxiety. However was she to be seen or noticed by any gentleman in a place like this?

"Oh, Lady Lillian, I have been looking for your arrival!"

An eager voice caught Lillian's attention and she turned, only for Lady Dinah to grasp her hands, her eyes wide with the same concern that Lillian felt deep within her own heart.

"Good evening, Lady Dinah. Goodness, I do not think that I have ever seen such a great number of people present!"

Lady Dinah laughed but it was a tight, harsh sound that betrayed her fears. "I feel lost already and I have not even stepped out any further into the ballroom! The Duke and his mother are, of course, caught up with people eager to greet them though I have been glad to stay back. It is quite overwhelming, is it not?"

Lillian nodded. "It is." She made to say more, only for the Duke to turn his head and catch her eye and, after a moment, came to join them, his eyes never leaving hers.

A flurry of anticipation wound itself around Lillian's heart. "Good evening, Your Grace." She dropped into a curtsy as the gentleman bowed. "I was just telling Lady Dinah that I did not think that I had ever seen the like before!"

The Duke chuckled. "I have seen a little more than this in one ballroom – such as in Almacks – but yes, this is very busy indeed. But it is also the first ball of the Season and it is expected to be very busy. A good many debutantes will be here and all of the gentlemen are present simply to see the debutantes!"

Lillian flushed, looking away as a sudden heat rushed through her, though she did not know why. "I suppose that is true," she murmured, letting her gaze rove over the room. "I do not think that I can see even where we are to dance!"

"Ah yes, of course," the Duke said quickly, making Lillian's face burn with heat all the more as she saw his grin. "I had not forgotten about our dance, Lady Lillian. What dance is it that you have saved for me?"

Lillian forced her gaze back towards him. "I did not mean to remind you of it. My comment was only to – "

"No, no I quite understand." The Duke's kind smile reassured her. "But I should like to know, all the same. I have been looking forward to stepping out with you."

"Then, the country dance?" Lillian asked, a little surprised at how timid she felt. "If that is not too much trouble, of course."

A broad smile spread right across the Duke's face. "I very much enjoy the country dance so that is an excellent choice. I shall write it down at this very moment." He pulled out his own piece of paper and wrote down her name in that space and Lillian's nervousness, much to her surprise, began to grow with a great strength rather than fading. "I am sure that you will have the rest of your dance card filled very soon."

Lillian managed to smile and nod, wondering why she suddenly felt so ill at ease. Was she truly that nervous about stepping out to dance with the Duke? Or was this simply because this was her first ball of the Season?

"I am sure you shall both have your dance cards full," the Duke continued, his voice a little softer now as he looked to his cousin. "Dinah is a little anxious, Lady Lillian, and I am sure she will not mind me informing you of that."

"Because I am already aware of it," Lillian answered, linking arms with Lady Dinah again, "and you know that I feel much the same!"

Lady Dinah smiled though her eyes held a little sadness. "Indeed, though with it comes some sadness that my own brother and my mother are not present with me this evening. I felt it after I made my presentation to the royal family very strongly – and the Duchess talked to me about it thereafter – so I am afraid that you may find me a little melancholy this evening."

Lillian offered her a sympathetic smile, aware of the Duke's gaze resting on her. "I can understand why you might be feeling so, though I am glad that you have been able to share those feelings with the Duke and his mother. I shall also do my very best to make certain that you have a most enjoyable evening and smile a great deal."

This made Lady Dinah smile and Lillian looked back to the Duke. "Mayhap your cousin and I could take a short walk about the room together?"

"Of course." The Duke nodded to his cousin. "And do try not to worry, my dear. I am sure that you will have a wonderful evening, regardless of whether or not you dance every dance!"

"I quite agree," Lillian murmured, turning and leading her friend away. " I am sorry to hear that you are a little sad about missing your brother and your mother. That must be a great trial for you."

Lady Dinah sighed as they walked through the growing crowd, their steps slow and careful. "My mother is taking the sea air to recover from a malady and though she made it very clear that she desired to come to London, I would not accept it. Not when she has just begun to recover!"

"And your brother?" Lillian asked, hoping that her friend would not think her too forward. "I think you told me that he has gone to France?"

Her friend nodded. "One of the many countries he has visited, I think. It is the Great Adventure, you see, so he will be going to various places and exploring a good many things and I would not want to pull him away from that."

"Though he knew that this was the Season for you to make your debut?"

Lady Dinah nodded but Lillian frowned, wondering why Lord Fullerton had thought not to return to London to make certain he was present for his sister's come out instead of lingering in France or whatever other country he was in. Surely Lady Dinah was worth the trouble! To her mind, this did not make her think particularly well of the gentleman, for though he was on the Great Adventure, did he not also have a responsibility towards Dinah? Instead, it seemed, he had pushed her onto the arm of the Duke of Wrexham and his mother, evidently quite contented to give his responsibilities to another. But, Lillian considered, as she walked, that does make me think all the better of the Duke of Wrexham himself.

" Lillian, there you are." A hand tapped her shoulder and, hearing her brother's familiar voice, Lillian turned to see him frowning hard, though he did come to stand beside her.

"Yes, as you see," she said, slowly, wondering why her brother appeared to be so distressed. "What is wrong?"

Her brother shook his head. "Nothing, nothing at all. It is only that I have come to find the ballroom so filled with people, I do not think that I will be able to dance with a single young lady for they are all too packed together and, even if I was to write my name on a dance card, it would take me all of my time to go and find the lady again. I – " He stopped dead, his eyes now lingering in Lady Dinah who, Lillian realized, had said and done nothing since her brother's unexpected arrival.

"Oh, forgive me!" she exclaimed, gesturing to Lady Dinah. "This is by brother, Lord Weatherly. Harry, this is my dear friend, Lady Dinah, daughter to the late Lord Fullerton. The Duke of Wrexham, whom you met this afternoon, is her chaperone for the Season."

"An honour to meet you." Harry bowed low, then took a step closer to Lady Dinah as she rose from her curtsy. "So you must be the young lady that my sister has been talking about so often! I have not been present to hear it but my parents inform me that she is often talking about you. How pleasant to hear that you have both struck up a friendship!"

"Indeed." Lady Dinah smiled warmly and, much to Lillian's surprise, took a small step closer to her brother. "Have you often been in London? This cannot be your first Season since I know that your sister has only just made her debut."

"You are quite correct. I have been in London for some Seasons before this one but this Season has been the first where I have been able to be out in society with my sister."

"How lovely." Lady Dinah smiled only for Harry's eyes to light up.

"I am to dance with my sister this evening, of course, given that it is customary to do so. Might I enquire as to whether or not you intend to dance this evening, Lady Dinah? I should like very much to ask for your dance card also."

Lillian watched with interest as Lady Dinah took her dance card from her wrist with great haste and then offered it to Harry, who took it with a smile of his own. Thus far, Harry had not spoken a word to her about dancing together though she was glad to hear that he would do so. All the same, Lillian could not help but wonder if the reason for her brother's statement that they would do so had come about simply because of his desire to dance with Lady Dinah. She hid a smile as her brother handed the dance card back to Dinah and then looked back at her, her eyebrows lifting in question.

Her brother cleared his throat. "What dance did we settle on, Lillian?"

The smile she had been trying to hide spread right across her face. "Dance, brother?"

From the flare of his eyes and the way his lips pressed together, Lillian could tell that he was silently begging her not to embarrass him and, with a chuckle, she spread out her hands, choosing not to torture him. "Was it not the quadrille?"

"Yes, yes, the quadrille." Harry let out a breath, then grinned at her, though his face was flushed. "And you and I have the country dance, Lady Dinah."

"Oh." Lillian's exclamation caught both her brother and Lady Dinah's attention. "It seems that I shall be dancing with your cousin, Lady Dinah, while you dance with my brother!"

Lady Dinah's eyes twinkled. "A very happy coincidence indeed."

***

For whatever reason, the nervousness which Lillian had felt in seeing the Duke sign her dance card had only increased as the time drew near. The ball had been going well thus far, with her dance card slowly filling and many new introductions and acquaintances made, but now, knowing that the announcement was soon to be made for the country dance, Lillian felt as though every part of her was trembling. Why ever should she feel this way? She had already danced with Harry, thereafter with Lord Montague and after that, Lord Darlington and she had not felt in the least bit concerned then, so why was she so anxious now? She swallowed at the lump in her throat, praying that the Duke would not notice her nervousness, only for her brother to come alongside her and nudge her lightly.

"Are you quite all right?"

"Yes." Lillian looked at him. "If you are looking for Lady Dinah, she is standing only a short distance away." Her eyes flickered as she saw her brother smile. "You seemed to be quite taken with her when you were first introduced."

Her brother's gaze instantly pulled away from Lady Dinah and instead returned to Lillian. "Taken with her?"

"Yes." Lillian smiled. "It is quite all right to state that you find a young lady of quality to be both beautiful and intriguing, brother. I do not think that I have seen you look at anyone with such an interest before! And Lady Dinah is quite lovely… though she is a friend of mine now and I must insist that you take the greatest care."

Harry frowned. "I am not about to ask her to court, Lillian."

"I am not suggesting that you are," Lillian laughed, "but only to say that if you find yourself interested in her, you must be very cautious and careful in your thoughts for I do not want to see her upset. She is upset enough already." Her smile faded as she spoke though Harry took a step closer, his brows furrowing.

"She is upset?" he asked, as Lillian looked back at him. "What is the source of her distress?"

Her heart softened. "The Duke is her chaperone, because her father has passed away, her brother – the new Lord Fullerton – is absent due to being on the Great Adventure and her mother has been unwell and is taking sea air. I believe that she is recovering and did want to come to London, though Lady Dinah begged her not to do so, so that she might recover completely. I know that she misses her, however."

Harry nodded slowly, his gaze returning to Lady Dinah. "A most considerate young lady, then."

"I think so, yes."

"And the Duke?" Harry asked, turning his attention back to Lillian, his eyes twinkling suddenly. "He walked with you at the museum and now he is to dance with you?"

Despite her determination not to give in to her brother's teasing, heat wound its way up Lillian's spine and rushed into her neck and cheeks. "The Duke of Wrexham is simply a gentleman, that is all," she said, though her brother chuckled. "Pray, do not jest with me, Weatherly. I am already a little nervous about dancing with him."

All laughter left her brother's face. "But why should you be?"

"Because he is a Duke! And because everyone will be watching me and I am afraid I shall either put a foot wrong or speak to the Duke so foolishly due to my nervousness, that he will think me utterly ridiculous."

Harry smiled and caught her hand for a moment. "Do not fear, I am sure you will do very well indeed. Father told me about what you did to help the Duke's carriage and it is clear to me that the Duke thinks highly of you. I would not ignore his interest, Lillian." His head tipped and he scrutinized her. "I should say that you are a little interested in the Duke in return, are you not?"

"Do not speak foolishness," Lillian hissed, squeezing her brother's hand in order to silence him, fearful that others nearby would hear him. "I have only just become acquainted with him and – "

"And yet, all the same, one can feel a connection to another that one did not expect, is that not so?" her brother interrupted quietly, though his eyes darted to where Lady Dinah stood, giving Lillian pause. "Do not be afraid of what you might feel, Lillian." He smiled and took his hand from hers. "It might be the happiest Season you have ever known… mayhap for the both of us. One can never tell!"