hand to draw her forwards into the throng of dancers. ‘This is a waltz. You have no objection, Miss Bancroft?’
‘I have danced a waltz only twice, Lord Seaton. You must forgive me if I am not entirely proficient.’
‘Just allow me to lead you. You need not fear, Miss Bancroft. You are in good hands.’
Eliza trembled inwardly as he put his hand at the small of her back, but her calm smile remained intact. As soon as they began to dance she lost all sense of nerves and the sensation was like floating to music. With no one else had Eliza experienced this glorious feeling of lightness and a sense of being far away from the crowd. It was as if she were alone with Lord Seaton and there was no one else in the world. Had she closed her eyes she could have believed she was dancing in the moonlight; there was no one but the man whose arms held her, making her heart beat with slow sure strokes. A little sigh of pleasure left her lips.
‘You approve,’ Lord Seaton’s teasing voice broke the spell. ‘I am better at dancing than some other things, perhaps?’
‘You must know you are an excellent dancer, sir.’
‘It is a pleasure to dance with you, Miss Bancroft. You are like thistledown in my arms. I could wish our dance might last for ever.’
His words so exactly mirrored her own thoughts that she felt a blaze of pure happiness. It was like being in heaven…the most wonderful feeling she had ever known.
When the music ended, Eliza felt a sharp pain of loss as he let her go and stood back. She wanted to be back in his arms, out in the moonlight. She wanted… She made an effort to control her emotions as he escorted her to her friends. This was so foolish! It was just a dance, even though it had seemed so much more.
Lady Sarah was talking to a gentleman Eliza hadnever met before. She felt Lord Seaton’s fingers tighten on her arm and sensed tension in him. Glancing at his face, she noticed the pulse flicking at his temple.
‘Ah, there you are, my dearest,’ Lady Sarah said. ‘I should like to introduce you to the Marquis of Cheadle, Eliza. As I am sure you recall, it was he who sent his carriage to Norwich to collect you.’
‘Yes, of course, and I am extremely grateful, sir,’ Eliza said, her keen gaze taking in a man in his late thirties or early forties perhaps, attractive, elegantly dressed with eyes of a greenish-brown that some called hazel. ‘It was a most comfortable journey due to your generosity.’
‘I am glad to hear it, Miss Bancroft, though my coachman tells me you had an unpleasant incident on the last stage of the journey?’
‘Oh…’ Eliza resisted the temptation to look at Lord Seaton. ‘It was really nothing very much, my lord.’
‘Nothing, you say?’ The marquis’s eyes narrowed. ‘Not quite what I expected to hear, Miss Bancroft. But perhaps we should discuss this at another time? If I may call in the morning, I should like to hear your side of the affair.’ He inclined his head and then looked at her companion. ‘Seaton, good evening.’
‘Cheadle. Where are you staying? I must call on you soon.’
‘Yes, I have a debt to settle. At your convenience, Seaton. We have a house in Queen’s Square.’
‘Perhaps the day after tomorrow?’
‘If you wish.’
‘Eliza, I am ready to leave,’ Lady Sarah said. ‘Lady Julia will see you home if you wish to stay later?’
‘No, thank you, ma’am. I am perfectly ready to leave.’
‘Very well. We shall say goodnight to our friends.’
‘Allow me to summon your carriage, ma’am,’ Lord Seaton said and went off to arrange it.
Lady Sarah smiled as she took her leave of friends, but leaned on Eliza’s arm, and she guessed that her employer was feeling tired.
Lord Seaton was there to see them into the carriage. Eliza sensed that he, too, had realised Lady Sarah was a little done up and his care for her employer pleased her.
‘Good evening, ladies,’ he said and smiled as he stood back to allow the groom to close
‘I have danced a waltz only twice, Lord Seaton. You must forgive me if I am not entirely proficient.’
‘Just allow me to lead you. You need not fear, Miss Bancroft. You are in good hands.’
Eliza trembled inwardly as he put his hand at the small of her back, but her calm smile remained intact. As soon as they began to dance she lost all sense of nerves and the sensation was like floating to music. With no one else had Eliza experienced this glorious feeling of lightness and a sense of being far away from the crowd. It was as if she were alone with Lord Seaton and there was no one else in the world. Had she closed her eyes she could have believed she was dancing in the moonlight; there was no one but the man whose arms held her, making her heart beat with slow sure strokes. A little sigh of pleasure left her lips.
‘You approve,’ Lord Seaton’s teasing voice broke the spell. ‘I am better at dancing than some other things, perhaps?’
‘You must know you are an excellent dancer, sir.’
‘It is a pleasure to dance with you, Miss Bancroft. You are like thistledown in my arms. I could wish our dance might last for ever.’
His words so exactly mirrored her own thoughts that she felt a blaze of pure happiness. It was like being in heaven…the most wonderful feeling she had ever known.
When the music ended, Eliza felt a sharp pain of loss as he let her go and stood back. She wanted to be back in his arms, out in the moonlight. She wanted… She made an effort to control her emotions as he escorted her to her friends. This was so foolish! It was just a dance, even though it had seemed so much more.
Lady Sarah was talking to a gentleman Eliza hadnever met before. She felt Lord Seaton’s fingers tighten on her arm and sensed tension in him. Glancing at his face, she noticed the pulse flicking at his temple.
‘Ah, there you are, my dearest,’ Lady Sarah said. ‘I should like to introduce you to the Marquis of Cheadle, Eliza. As I am sure you recall, it was he who sent his carriage to Norwich to collect you.’
‘Yes, of course, and I am extremely grateful, sir,’ Eliza said, her keen gaze taking in a man in his late thirties or early forties perhaps, attractive, elegantly dressed with eyes of a greenish-brown that some called hazel. ‘It was a most comfortable journey due to your generosity.’
‘I am glad to hear it, Miss Bancroft, though my coachman tells me you had an unpleasant incident on the last stage of the journey?’
‘Oh…’ Eliza resisted the temptation to look at Lord Seaton. ‘It was really nothing very much, my lord.’
‘Nothing, you say?’ The marquis’s eyes narrowed. ‘Not quite what I expected to hear, Miss Bancroft. But perhaps we should discuss this at another time? If I may call in the morning, I should like to hear your side of the affair.’ He inclined his head and then looked at her companion. ‘Seaton, good evening.’
‘Cheadle. Where are you staying? I must call on you soon.’
‘Yes, I have a debt to settle. At your convenience, Seaton. We have a house in Queen’s Square.’
‘Perhaps the day after tomorrow?’
‘If you wish.’
‘Eliza, I am ready to leave,’ Lady Sarah said. ‘Lady Julia will see you home if you wish to stay later?’
‘No, thank you, ma’am. I am perfectly ready to leave.’
‘Very well. We shall say goodnight to our friends.’
‘Allow me to summon your carriage, ma’am,’ Lord Seaton said and went off to arrange it.
Lady Sarah smiled as she took her leave of friends, but leaned on Eliza’s arm, and she guessed that her employer was feeling tired.
Lord Seaton was there to see them into the carriage. Eliza sensed that he, too, had realised Lady Sarah was a little done up and his care for her employer pleased her.
‘Good evening, ladies,’ he said and smiled as he stood back to allow the groom to close
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