‘All these people …’ she whispered helplessly.
‘Our guests,’ he answered.
‘Your guests, perhaps, but they are strangers to me.’
‘You met them all in the receiving line just now. And yet they frighten you?’
She managed the barest nod.
He laughed, but squeezed her hand. ‘You are quite fearless in your dealings with me. Perhaps it will help you to remember that I am the most important person here.’
‘And the most modest.’ She could not help herself.
He laughed again, ignoring the gibe. ‘At any rate, they all must yield to me. And since I intend to yield to you, you have nothing to be afraid of.’
‘You yield to me?’
‘If you wish, we will cancel the evening’s entertainment, and I will send the guests home immediately.’
‘For the last time: no. It would be even more embarrassing to do that than to stand in front of them as I do now, looking like a goose.’
He nodded. ‘At least you are speaking to me again. Even if you are lying. Your obedient silence just now was most disconcerting. And you do not look like a goose. Do not concern yourself.’
‘We are the centre of attention.’
He glanced around. ‘So we are. But it cannot be very interesting for them, to stare at us and do nothing. Soon they will find other diversions. See? The floor is beginning to fill with couples. And others are returning to the buffet. Crisis averted. They no longer care about us. As long as the music is good and the wine holds out, they will entertain themselves and we are free to enjoy ourselves for the rest of the evening in peace.’
It was true. The worst was over. She could pretend that she was a guest at her own party, if she wished, and allow the servants to handle the details.
And as he spun her around the room, she relaxed at the sight of smiling faces and happy people.
And there was Clarissa, staring at her with death in her eyes.
He turned her away, so that she could no longer see, and they were on the other side of the room by the time the music stopped. When they parted, he brought her hand to his lips, and she could feel the look of pleasure on her face when he’d kissed the knuckles. And then he turned to part from her.
‘You are leaving me alone?’ She could not hide the panic in her voice.
He nodded. ‘Our job as host and hostess is to entertain the guests, not each other. There is nothing to be afraid of, I assure you. Continue to smile, nod and say “thank you for coming”. Much of your work is done.’ He smiled again. ‘And I swear, once you have done this thing for me, I am yours to command.’
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, prepared to meet the horde that had infested her home.
He nodded. ‘Very good. If you need me, I will be in the card room, hiding with the other married men. Madam, the room is yours.’
She fought the feeling of disorientation as she watched him go, as if she was being spun by the elements, with no safe place to stand. But she admired the way her husband moved easily through the crowd, stopping to chat as he made his way to the door. Smiling and nodding. Listening more than he spoke. He was an excellent example to her.
What had she to fear from her guests? It was not as it had been, during her come-out, when all the women were in competition, and the men were prizes. The race was over. And, without trying, she had won first place.
She thought how miserable she had been at those balls, and how awkward, and how good it had felt to find a friendly face or hear a hostess’s word of welcome or encouragement.
And then she scanned the crowd. There was the daughter of an earl, barely sixteen, excited by her first invitation, but terrified that it was not going well.
Penny made her way to the girl’s side. ‘Are you enjoying your evening?’
The conversation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The girl was in awe of her. The conversation was peppered with so many ‘your Grace’s’ and curtsies, that Penny had to resist the urge to assure the girl that it was not necessary. She was a nobody who had stumbled into a title.
She smiled to herself. The less said on that subject, the better. She had the ear of the most important man in the room. She could do as she pleased. And it pleased her that people like the girl in front of her should be happy. They talked a bit, before she gently encouraged the girl to a group of young people near to her age, and made a few simple introductions. When she left, the girl was on her way to the dance floor with a young man who seemed quite smitten.
After her initial success, Penny threw herself into the role of hostess as though she were playing a chess game, with her guests as the pieces. Penelope Winthorpe had been an excellent player, and loved the sense of control she got when moving her army around the board. This was no different. Tonight she could move actual knights, and the ladies accompanying them, urging weaker pieces to the positions that most benefited them. While her husband was able to engage people more closely, she enjoyed the gambits she could arrange in a detached fashion. It made for a harmonious whole.
Perhaps that had been her problem all along. She had never been a successful guest. But that did not mean she could not be a hostess.
‘Your Grace, may I have a dance?’
She turned, surprised to see her brother-in-law. ‘Of course, Will.’ She stammered on the familiarity, and felt her confidence begin to fade.
He smiled, and she searched his face for some shred of duplicity or contempt. ‘Penelope?’ He gestured to the floor. Since she was rooted to the spot, he took her hand, leading her to the head of the set.
She watched him as they danced, comparing him to his older brother. He was not unattractive, certainly, and moved with grace and confidence. But he lacked his brother’s easy sense of command. When they reached the bottom of the set and had to stand out, he leaned closer and spoke into her ear. ‘I owe you an apology.’
She looked at him without speaking.
‘When I found that my brother had married in haste, I told him to get an annulment. I was convinced that you would both regret the decision.’
‘I had no idea,’ she replied blandly.
He smiled. ‘I suspected you had, for I saw the look in your eyes when you left us that night. I am sorry I caused you pain. Or that I meddled in something that was none of my affair to begin with. It is just that …’ he shook his head ‘… Adam has always had an excellent head for politics, and I cannot fault him for his dedication to responsibilities as Bellston. But in his personal life, he has always been somewhat reckless. He thinks last of what would be best for himself in the distant future, and seems to see only what is directly in front of him.’
She shrugged. ‘I cannot fault him for that. I, too, have been known to act in haste.’
‘Well, perhaps your tendencies have cancelled each other. You appear to be a most successful match.’
She looked sharply at her new brother. ‘We do?’
‘You are just what my brother needs: a stable source of good advice. He speaks well of you, and he appears happier than I have seen him in a long time.’
‘He does?’ She tried to hide her surprise.
‘Indeed. He is at peace. Not something I am accustomed to seeing, in one so full of motion as Adam is. But his activity in society brings him near to people that are not as good as they could be. Compared to the foolish women that normally flock to his side, you are a great relief to a worried brother. And I can assure you, and your family, if they are concerned, that in my brother you have found a loyal protector and a true friend. I am glad of your union, and wish you well in it.’