Toast of the Season

❖ Chapter 4 ❖

❖ Lord Edmund Westworth ❖

I cannot help but smile when Miss Cavendish obediently abandons her shawl at my suggestion. If I was more proper, I would address her only by her formal name, but I would like to call her 'Elizabeth', however inappropriate that would be for someone with which I have shared only one dance. Now that I think on it, I may have unwittingly already called her 'Elizabeth'. I certainly just now called her 'Lizzy' and she did not reprimand me. So perhaps I will test using a more familiar form of address again when no one can overhear.

I did the best I could manage to make her a desirable looking dance partner. Apart from her horrible taste in clothing, and her untidy hairstyle, she is quite a pretty girl. Her face is, I will admit, rather appealing as I have not seen a more attractive pair of eyes in all my days. Her figure is also rather pleasing, her waist fit nicely in my hand, which I perhaps enjoyed more than I should. Unfortunately no one will be able to see her physique under the horrific buttercup yellow dress, even with my cravat tied around her. 

But what little I was able to do must have been enough for I cannot overstate how happy I was to see all the gentlemen waiting to dance with her. I am sure to win the bet tonight, as long as her energy does not wane and she truly knows all the dances, as she claims. Part of me might be disappointed in the ton that I can make any girl popular by dancing with her once. And now there is no question that this is certainly the case, because Elizabeth, er, Miss Cavendish was sure to be overlooked after her unfortunate entry to the ball, along with her unkempt appearance. But perhaps the socialites will surprise me and her popularity will die out in a week. Then happily, the rumor of my gift will fade to nothing. And next year I will be free to dance with anyone I choose without speculation.

I escort Miss Tufton to the dance floor and notice that she does not fit perfectly in my arms as her cousin did. I need to awkwardly lean a bit to hold her hand and it reminds me that Miss Cavendish is pleasingly quite tall. The dance begins and I attempt light conversation, "How are you enjoying the dance tonight, Miss Tufton?" As I look down at her, the brightness of the pink of her dress is almost blinding. I am amazed that it is possible to create fabric this bright.

She bats her eyelashes as she speaks. I cannot help but notice they are not long and black, nor do they lay across her cheeks when she closes her eyes. "I am enjoying the dance very well, my Lord. Thank you for asking. I will admit that I never dreamed that you would ask me to dance. I am sure the fact that you are dancing a second dance tonight is all everyone is talking about right now. Don't you love the thrill of everyone watching us? All the girls are likely feeling faint with envy, wishing they were me right now." Her beaming smile shows that she is delighted with the other ladies' supposed distress.

This conversation is exactly why I usually have one dance then go to the card room. I cannot overstate how refreshing it was that Lizzy, Miss Cavendish I mean, had no idea of the rumor. "Yes, hmm, quite. So how did your cousin come to live with you, Miss Tufton?" Looking down into her brown eyes makes me miss a charming green set I was gazing into moments earlier. 

"My parents graciously took in Beth two months past when her father died unexpectedly. She sadly had no one else that wanted her. Her mother and mine were sisters, you see. But Beth's mother died giving birth to her, so my cousin never knew her own mother. Can you imagine how sad that would be?" I nod hoping she will continue. "Beth was raised by her father who was a Baron on his small estate in Cornwall. He was a second son, you see. My parents say that he was quite eccentric and raised Beth to run wild. When he died, everything passed to his brother's second son and Beth had no place to go. I never even knew I had a cousin until she came to live with us. She will stay with us one month more and then will become a governess or lady's companion or find another living. I think I will likely miss her when she goes. But now that we are acquainted, I feel we must keep in touch, even if she moves to the Northern border of England as my mother predicts. Apparently the standards up there are not as high as they are here in London."