Chapter 6

Chapter Six

" Y ou did not introduce her to me as you had said."

James scowled and waved a hand vaguely.

"It was very busy and I was caught up in another matter."

Lord Kingshill rolled his eyes.

"Might it be that you had caught someone up in your arms, forcing me to resign myself to an evening of loneliness?"

Scoffing at this as they walked through Hyde Park, James shook his head.

"I know very well that you would not have been lonely, not in the least."

"Well, I suppose not," Lord Kingshill admitted, though his smile did not return as James had expected. "But that does not mean that I am not disappointed."

"I am sure that you are."

"I do hope," Lord Kingshill continued, turning to look at James and coming to a stop as they walked, "that you have no intention of keeping the lady from me. Or that you have entirely made up the situation so that I will not fret about my lack of a wife?"

James shook his head.

"I assure you, I have not. I merely became a little distracted yesterday, that was all." He looked back at Lord Kingshill's face, speaking honestly. "I told the lady that I intended to introduce you. I even gave her your title so that she knows who it is that she is to be introduced to!"

Lord Kingshill began to walk again, seemingly placated by what James had told him.

"Very well."

"Good."

James ambled onwards, keeping a smile on his face, and doing his utmost not to linger on the strange tug of his heart which had bothered him a great deal the previous evening. The dance with Lady Prudence had been solely to speak to her privately about why she was a wallflower – an answer she had somewhat reluctantly given – but something about the flash in her green eyes and the touch of pink in her cheeks had given him pause. Disliking that feeling and the awareness that came with it, he had hurried away and had left her standing beside her mother, thinking that the sooner he moved away from the lady, the better it would be.

That had not proven itself to be the case, however. He had walked through the ballroom, looking for some young lady with whom he might dance, tease, and laugh, but his thoughts had been filled with nothing other than Lady Prudence. It had been very odd and, as he had continued to wander around the ballroom, James had found himself somewhat frustrated that he had not been able to remove such thoughts of her from his mind. He had told Lord Kingshill that he had simply been interested in another young lady and had not then been able to find Lady Prudence to bring her to him, but the truth was, he had ignored his responsibility and had set his mind to other things. He had not wanted to be back in company with Lady Prudence, had not wanted to even glance at her, in case another look from her green eyes would give him pause and thus, the evening had come to an end without him making the introductions.

"Did she ask anything else about me?"

James looked at his friend, having been lost in his thoughts for some time.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did she ask anything about me?" Lord Kingshill said again. "This Lady Prudence, did she ask about my title, my social standing, my reputation?"

Chuckling, James shook his head.

"No, she did not. Have no fear, my friend, even if she had done, I would not have told her about your roguish reputation."

A look of relief passed over Lord Kingshill's face.

"Though she is going to find out at some point," James continued, making Lord Kingshill's eyes shadow again. "You will not be able to keep her from that until your wedding day, I can assure you."

"Hmm." Lord Kingshill rubbed his chin with one hand, his eyes slanting away from James. "That is a consideration."

"Though she is eager to make any match," James reminded him. "I am sure that your reputation will not make any difference to her."

Lord Kingshill nodded slowly, then frowned.

"I should be introduced to her just as soon as can be arranged," he said, firmly. "There is no need to delay. I confess that I find myself eager to be free again within society, albeit with a betrothal clinging to me!"

Silently reminding himself that he was doing all of this to make certain that both he and Lord Kingshill could return to their full and free enjoyment of society, James smiled a little tightly.

"Indeed. I assure you that, the moment I see the young lady, I shall make the introduction."

"That would be good. I thank you."

Much to James' relief, Lord Kingshill then began to talk at length about another subject – namely the upcoming evening of cards and gambling at Lord Dickson's townhouse – and left James again to his own thoughts. Listening with only half an ear, he turned his head to the right and then to the left, taking in which other members of society were present, only for his gaze to fall upon the very person they had been speaking with.

Lady Prudence.

"Shall we turn around?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself, frowning as he said them for, even to his own mind, they made very little sense.

"Turn back already?" Lord Kingshill chuckled and then, much to James' relief – though he did not know where such relief came from – turned about so that he might return along the path they had been walking. "And here I thought you were going to be walking through all of Hyde Park until the fashionable hour, hoping that there would be some young lady good enough to catch your eye!"

James snorted.

"I could have any young lady that I wished in my arms," he said boldly, grinning as his friend spluttered with both indignation and laughter. "Now, let us consider this evening's entertainment – and how we might be able to cheat just a little to gain a good deal more coin than ever before!"

At this, Lord Kingshill laughed aloud, but then immediately began to discuss what it was that he and James might do, and how they might play their particular hand of cards. James settled into the conversation though, much to his irritation, he could not help but glance over his shoulder and take one more look at Lady Prudence.

There she is.

"Lady Prudence, good evening." Without having had any sort of intention to walk towards Lady Prudence, James found his feet moving towards her of their own accord. He bowed, waiting for her to bob a curtsey but she did not do anything of the sort. Instead, she simply looked at him, her eyes a trifle narrowed, and her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "I have not yet introduced you to Lord Kingshill, I know," James continued, sighing heavily. "I shall."

"It has been a sennight since we first danced and you found out that I was not ruined," she said, one eyebrow lifting. "And yet you still have not introduced me to Lord Kingshill. I am beginning to wonder if this is something that you have told me for reasons of your own, a situation that is entirely of your own making with, no doubt, a dark and selfish end in mind."

James shook his head, then put one hand on his heart.

"I assure you, I have every intention of introducing you to this gentleman. It is only that I have not yet had the opportunity to do so. Society always demands so much of us, as you know, and–"

"You need not tell me that you and Lord Kingshill are a good deal more popular than I, Lord Childers." She looked away, her shoulders dropping and a heaviness seeming to come into her frame. "I am already well aware of that."

Something like sympathy crept into James' heart though he fought hard to rid himself of it.

"I am glad that you understand." Those words did not seem to have any sort of effect upon Lady Prudence. She did not turn to look at him, did not make any sort of remark but, as James watched, the droop of her shoulders became a little more pronounced, and her head lowered just a fraction more. Guilt tore through him. "I did not mean to injure you." Coming closer to her, James found himself stumbling over his words, seeing the pain that now drew itself across her expression as she finally lifted her eyes to his, only to pull them away again. "It must be rather difficult being a wallflower, I am sure."

Her smile was barely there.

"It can be."

"I – I am sorry for that." He found himself speaking truthfully, his heart feeling a good deal of compassion for what she now expressed. "I have never once thought about what it must be like to be a wallflower."

Slowly, Lady Prudence dragged her gaze to his for the second time, a slight sheen in her eyes.

"It can be rather lonely, I will admit. Though," she continued, blinking quickly and then standing tall, "that does not mean that I should accept all offers of company."

A slight sting whipped across his cheek at her words, but James accepted it, nonetheless. He was a scoundrel and could well understand why she would not be agreeable to his company, especially with the warning from her mother.

"I do not mean any harm to you," he said, wondering if she would trust his words even a little. "After all, if I am trying to betrothe you to my friend, do you really think that I would treat you with any sort of disrespect?"

Lady Prudence looked at him for a long moment, only for her lips to quirk at the edges, her eyes burning with a sudden mirth.

"I do not know, Lord Childers. Just how much of a rogue are you?"

This made James laugh, his heart lifting suddenly, filling with a sense of happiness that he had not felt in a long time. Lady Prudence was tenacious, yes, and she was hesitant and uncertain of him, but now, it seemed, there was also a little good humor within her heart.

"I may not have the very best of reputations, Lady Prudence, but I can assure you that I would never betray my friend." He inclined his head just a little, a smile still lingering on his lips. "Therefore, I can promise you that I shall always treat you with respect and consideration."

Lady Prudence's smile grew and, much to James' relief, she nodded.

"Very well, Lord Childers," she said, quietly. "Though you must soon introduce me to this friend of yours so that I know for certain that your words are true."

"I shall do so as soon as I am able," he promised, astonished to find that even though he spoke those words, the reluctance within him grew to such an extent that he could barely stomach the thought of bringing Lady Prudence to Lord Kingshill.

"Might I ask you something else?"

He nodded.

"Of course. I should be glad to answer any questions you have and indeed, would encourage you to ask them of me."

She bit her lip and then looked away.

"I do not mean any insult, but you have said that Lord Kingshill wishes to marry quickly. It also seems that he has not had any opportunity to find a suitable match of his own, which I cannot understand, given his title and standing."

James hesitated, his stomach knotting. He did not dare say too much about Lord Kingshill's reputation, for fear that it would push her away from the idea.

"He is eager to wed because there is a requirement for him to produce an heir," he said, rather bluntly. "A prolonged courtship, followed by betrothal and then, some time thereafter, the marriage, would all take a little too long, to his mind." He shrugged. "Most young ladies of the ton wish to be courted. They desire very much to revel in the attentions of whichever gentleman pursues them, and Lord Kingshill has no time for such things." Catching the blossoming heat in the lady's face, James shrugged and looked away. "I am sure that you understand."

"I do, yes."

Her response was so faint that James was not certain he had heard it. What he had just told her had been nothing more than a lie, but it had hidden Lord Kingshill's reputation from her, at least. Trying to douse the quickly igniting guilt within him, James cleared his throat and then gestured to the space beside where she was standing.

"Now, might I join you for a few more minutes? I am sure that, after a few more conversations, you will find me less terrifying and more trustworthy."

She laughed at this, her whole expression altering, light shining in her eyes – and James' breath hitched. It was the first time that he had ever seen her laugh and, as she did so, James almost felt the lingering tension between them fade.

It was both wonderful and disconcerting in equal measure.

"Shall we dance, Lady Prudence?"

Quite where such words had come from, James did not know, but the desire within him to have her back in his arms was so great that it could not be denied. Lady Prudence's eyes widened, and she looked over his shoulder to where the other guests were already gathering.

"It is the waltz, Lord Childers."

"And you can dance the waltz, can you not?"

She looked at him, blinked, and then frowned.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then what is to stop us?" He held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

It took her a moment to respond but, when she did, the smile that spread across her face was so beautiful, it took James' breath away for a moment.

"How very kind of you, Lord Childers," she answered, softly. "I should very much like to dance the waltz with you."

"As should I with you," James murmured, before turning to lead her out to the floor.