A Kiss in the Dark by Joan Smith Page B

mean. Nick still has both of his.” He looked at the puddle of gray merino in Miss Wantage’s lap and said, “I say, has someone died?”
    Miss Wantage cast a sad eye on him. “One ought not to make jokes about death, Beau. It is coming to us all, sooner or later.”
    “I wasn’t joking.”
    “It is time to dress for dinner,” Cressida said. “We are invited to the castle, Beau.”
    “I hope they have invited some ladies. The neighborhood is thin of ladies. I have not seen a pretty face since I arrived.”
    It had been understood when Miss Wantage was taken on that she would perform as Cressida’s dresser. Until the present, her poor health had prevented it. She made a token offer now.
    “Would you like me to try to do something with your hair, dear?” she said, looking uncertainly at Cressida’s raven tousle of curls. “The sea air is so hard on it, is it not? I really don’t know what could be done with it. A turban, perhaps.”
    “I look a quiz in a turban.”
    “I agree, it takes a well-proportioned face to do justice to a turban. I have a few spare caps with me, if you would like to borrow one.”
    Cressida refused to take issue on the caps. “Jennet usually helps me dress.”
    “Oh, the simpleton. That accounts for it,” Miss Wantage said, and walked languidly up to her room.
    Beau grinned. “Now that Jeremiah has completely demoralized you, I want to say that I think your hair looks dashed nice, Sid. How do you keep your patience with that creature?”
    “I try not to listen, but on this occasion I have been amusing myself by wondering how Dauntry will take to her slights. He was quick to condemn us for speaking ill of Miss Wantage. Let us see how much forbearance he has.”
    “She’ll not blister him with that tongue of hers. She likes a marquess very well. He comes right below a duke. If she tries her stunts on him, he will give her a set-down in short order.”
    Cressida’s mirror told her that her hair looked fine. She had Jennet brush it out and pinned a pearl brooch in the curls above her left ear. For a simple country party, she wore a crepe gown in pale green with a simple strand of pearls. Jennet brought her a perfect white rosebud, which she pinned at her bodice.
    “Oh, so you are wearing that. It is no matter. No one will see us,” was Miss Wantage’s forgiving speech when Cressida entered the saloon.
    Lady Dauntry delayed dinner until eight for her party, but her guests began arriving at seven. The party from the dower house arrived at seven-thirty, to find the saloon well populated. Allan Brewster and his parents were there, as were the vicar and his wife and a sprinkling of country neighbors. Lady Dauntry introduced Lady deCourcy’s party to them. If Beau found the few young ladies present objectionable, one would never have guessed it from the way he went haring after them.
    Lord Dauntry was present to play host. He was on good terms with his neighbors. The gentlemen spoke of farming and politics while the ladies caught up on the local gossip over a glass of sherry. Miss Wantage requested water.
    “Have you heard from the honeymooners, Lady Dauntry?” Mrs. Simmons, the vicar’s wife, inquired.
    “Not a word! I expected Tony would write from Haslemere, where they were to rest the first day after the wedding.”
    “They have better things to do, hee-hee,” the vicar said.
    Miss Wantage stiffened. “Indeed they would have,” she said. “There is a fine church there, if memory serves.”
    The talk turned to other neighbors, finally hitting on another name Cressida recognized, James Melbury.
    “I hear Melbury is off to Bath, Lady Dauntry,” a Mrs. Forrester said.
    “I believe he mentioned something of the sort at the wedding.”
    “Yes,” Mrs. Forrester continued, “the Anglins saw him at the Assembly Rooms there the night before last, chasing after Miss Addams.”
    Dinner was soon called. Cressida had the place of honor at Lord Dauntry’s right side. She said in a