to come to the rescue.
‘Won’t Dorney?’ her companion asked. ‘He’s beso - I mean, he has a huge estate nearby, and would surely be willing to take one small dog.’
Bella changed the subject. She had not brought herself to plead Rags’ cause with Lord Dorney, and she was at a loss to understand her reluctance to involve him. They chatted about other matters until the dance ended, and then Bella glanced over her shoulder, with an instinctive need to see where Lord Dorney was.
Instead she saw, standing close behind her, a slender exquisite of medium height, hair dark as her own, but with a pale, bony face and watery blue eyes.
* * * *
He bowed as she caught his eye and moved forward, his hand outstretched.
‘Well met, Miss -
‘Mr Salway! What a surprise! I’d no idea you were in Bath!’ Bella gabbled, in a desperate attempt to prevent him from uttering her name.
Of all the people she’d met in Harrogate the despicable nephew of her former duenna was the worst. It was a monstrous piece of ill-fortune to encounter him here, for he knew not only her real name but the precise extent of her fortune. His aunt had been careful to ascertain that before taking on the task of chaperoning Bella.
Her partner, with a glance of curiosity at the newcomer, bowed himself away. Bella knew she had paled, then felt a rush of blood to her cheeks. Mr Salway took her arm and led her, unresisting, to a couple of empty chairs in a discreet alcove.
‘My aunt still hasn’t forgiven you for the despicable way you treated her, Miss Trahearne,’ Mr Salway said quietly, but his eyes were cold, gleaming with malicious triumph. ‘But forgive me, I’m at fault. I understand that for some odd reason you’ve changed your name?’
Bella seemed incapable of speech. She tore her gaze away from his icy stare, glanced with a shudder at his unexpectedly fleshy lips, which had more than once descended on hers when she’d been unable to avoid him swiftly enough, and down his slim figure. He was correctly attired in a well-fitting, dark blue coat and black pantaloons, but they were adorned with an unusual and excessive amount of lace and fobs, and vulgar, ostentatiously large but probably fake diamond buttons.
‘I don’t intend to betray you, if you are sensible,’ he said, and she looked up at him with mingled hope and astonishment, followed by swift suspicion. If he agreed to keep her secret he would demand an enormous payment, and from the way he was permitting his glance to rove slowly over her figure she suspected it would not be a mere financial bribe.
But she had to gain time to think. She swallowed hard, and nodded.
‘Call on us tomorrow morning, early,’ she suggested faintly. ‘I - I would be grateful for an opportunity to explain what must seem decidedly odd to you.’
‘Odd?’ he mocked. ‘Deuced smoky, if you ask me. Dorney won’t be at all pleased, after what happened to his brother.’
‘What do you mean?’ Bella demanded, surprised, but he shook his head, smiled, and calmly took her dance card out of her hand.
‘Well, you are popular, Miss Collins,’ he sneered, and before she could protest calmly struck through the name written against the final dance and handed the card back to her.
‘You can’t!’ Bella protested. The last dance had been promised to Lord Dorney. ‘How can I possibly explain?’
‘How can you possibly not?’ he mocked. ‘Tell him an old friend, a very dear old friend, has unexpectedly just arrived in Bath. I’m sure he’ll understand.’
‘I won’t!’ she declared angrily, rising impetuously to her feet.
‘You will, Miss Trahearne, indeed you will,’ he said softly, rising with her.
* * * *
He mockingly offered her his arm, but Bella swung away from him and walked rapidly towards the tearoom, where she hoped to find Jane.
She would escape, she vowed to herself. She would plead the headache and ask to be taken home. Then she straightened her back. No, she would not!
‘Won’t Dorney?’ her companion asked. ‘He’s beso - I mean, he has a huge estate nearby, and would surely be willing to take one small dog.’
Bella changed the subject. She had not brought herself to plead Rags’ cause with Lord Dorney, and she was at a loss to understand her reluctance to involve him. They chatted about other matters until the dance ended, and then Bella glanced over her shoulder, with an instinctive need to see where Lord Dorney was.
Instead she saw, standing close behind her, a slender exquisite of medium height, hair dark as her own, but with a pale, bony face and watery blue eyes.
* * * *
He bowed as she caught his eye and moved forward, his hand outstretched.
‘Well met, Miss -
‘Mr Salway! What a surprise! I’d no idea you were in Bath!’ Bella gabbled, in a desperate attempt to prevent him from uttering her name.
Of all the people she’d met in Harrogate the despicable nephew of her former duenna was the worst. It was a monstrous piece of ill-fortune to encounter him here, for he knew not only her real name but the precise extent of her fortune. His aunt had been careful to ascertain that before taking on the task of chaperoning Bella.
Her partner, with a glance of curiosity at the newcomer, bowed himself away. Bella knew she had paled, then felt a rush of blood to her cheeks. Mr Salway took her arm and led her, unresisting, to a couple of empty chairs in a discreet alcove.
‘My aunt still hasn’t forgiven you for the despicable way you treated her, Miss Trahearne,’ Mr Salway said quietly, but his eyes were cold, gleaming with malicious triumph. ‘But forgive me, I’m at fault. I understand that for some odd reason you’ve changed your name?’
Bella seemed incapable of speech. She tore her gaze away from his icy stare, glanced with a shudder at his unexpectedly fleshy lips, which had more than once descended on hers when she’d been unable to avoid him swiftly enough, and down his slim figure. He was correctly attired in a well-fitting, dark blue coat and black pantaloons, but they were adorned with an unusual and excessive amount of lace and fobs, and vulgar, ostentatiously large but probably fake diamond buttons.
‘I don’t intend to betray you, if you are sensible,’ he said, and she looked up at him with mingled hope and astonishment, followed by swift suspicion. If he agreed to keep her secret he would demand an enormous payment, and from the way he was permitting his glance to rove slowly over her figure she suspected it would not be a mere financial bribe.
But she had to gain time to think. She swallowed hard, and nodded.
‘Call on us tomorrow morning, early,’ she suggested faintly. ‘I - I would be grateful for an opportunity to explain what must seem decidedly odd to you.’
‘Odd?’ he mocked. ‘Deuced smoky, if you ask me. Dorney won’t be at all pleased, after what happened to his brother.’
‘What do you mean?’ Bella demanded, surprised, but he shook his head, smiled, and calmly took her dance card out of her hand.
‘Well, you are popular, Miss Collins,’ he sneered, and before she could protest calmly struck through the name written against the final dance and handed the card back to her.
‘You can’t!’ Bella protested. The last dance had been promised to Lord Dorney. ‘How can I possibly explain?’
‘How can you possibly not?’ he mocked. ‘Tell him an old friend, a very dear old friend, has unexpectedly just arrived in Bath. I’m sure he’ll understand.’
‘I won’t!’ she declared angrily, rising impetuously to her feet.
‘You will, Miss Trahearne, indeed you will,’ he said softly, rising with her.
* * * *
He mockingly offered her his arm, but Bella swung away from him and walked rapidly towards the tearoom, where she hoped to find Jane.
She would escape, she vowed to herself. She would plead the headache and ask to be taken home. Then she straightened her back. No, she would not!
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