in the line with the other chits while he took his place with the gentlemen. For a moment he attempted to remember what the devil her name had been, but in truth the crowd had been so dense that he’d barely been able to glimpse the ladies who belonged to the dance cards he’d signed.
As the music began he bowed and turned, then held out his hand for her. “I read Captain Langley’s book,” she chirped as he circled her. “I would have been frightened at being stalked by a leopard, as well.”
“Mm.” He walked down the line, turned, and came back to her side.
“I’ve been wondering why you didn’t ride horses there? It would have been much faster than walking all that distance.”
“They wouldn’t fit in the canoes,” he commented, his jaw beginning to clench again.
“Oh.” She laughed uncertainly. “But you wouldn’t have needed the canoes if you’d had horses.”
Good God . “I’ll consider that for next time.”
She smiled cheerily. “I’m so pleased I could help.”
He’d be more pleased when the dance ended. By the time it did, he’d heard all about English weather, as though he hadn’t grown up with it, and a listing of the young men whom she would consider should they ask for her hand in marriage. He was dismayed to hear that he’d made it onto that list.
As soon as the dance ended he collected Kero and resumed walking. He’d managed to avoid the quadrille, next, and then came his waltz with Phillipa. If he didn’t slow down until then, hopefully no other female would be able to maneuver him into the torture.
As he began another circuit of the room, he caught sight of the Duke of Sommerset cutting a swath in his general direction. For a man who’d spent so much time traveling to rather harrowing places under less than ideal circumstances, Nicholas Ainsley fit into Society rather well. Amazingly well, actually. He wore civilization like a comfortable overcoat—and Bennett suspected he could remove it just as easily.
“Captain,” the duke greeted, cutting him off with apparent ease from the trailing scavengers, “a word with you.”
In a moment they were out on the balcony overlooking the Fordham House garden. Kero left his shoulder to scamper along the granite railing, and Bennett took a deep, cleansing breath. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he said feelingly.
“One of the mysteries of the female mind,” Sommerset drawled with a short grin, “is how they will pursue an adventurer to the ends of the earth, but once they’ve caught him, they never want him to leave home again.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“I remain uncaptured, though I suppose I won’t be able to put that off forever.” Steel gray eyes sent him a sideways look. “You’ve moved your things to Fennington’s residence.”
“I wanted to keep a closer eye on him and his publishing partner.”
Sommerset nodded. “I think that’s wise. And if you dispute the…exaggerations of the book at a later time, your association with Fennington will gain you more credibility.”
“So you called me out here to approve my living arrangements?”
Running a hand through his raven black hair, the duke snorted. “You’re supposed to be proving your worth to your peers. Small talk is essential to that.”
“Bugger small talk. What do you want?”
“You should stop by the Adventurers’ Club again, Bennett. You can snarl there to your heart’s content. Don’t do it in public.” With a sigh, Sommerset turned his back on the stone railing and leaned his hips against it. “Langley’s father is the Earl of Thrushell.”
“I know that. I heard about the amount of Langley’s likely inheritance for three years.”
“Yes, well, Thrushell’s petitioning to join the Africa Association. We require a two-thirds approval to add to the membership, and he hasn’t quite got it yet. But he will. His son’s book has gained us a great deal of favorable attention, despite the fact that he hasn’t
As the music began he bowed and turned, then held out his hand for her. “I read Captain Langley’s book,” she chirped as he circled her. “I would have been frightened at being stalked by a leopard, as well.”
“Mm.” He walked down the line, turned, and came back to her side.
“I’ve been wondering why you didn’t ride horses there? It would have been much faster than walking all that distance.”
“They wouldn’t fit in the canoes,” he commented, his jaw beginning to clench again.
“Oh.” She laughed uncertainly. “But you wouldn’t have needed the canoes if you’d had horses.”
Good God . “I’ll consider that for next time.”
She smiled cheerily. “I’m so pleased I could help.”
He’d be more pleased when the dance ended. By the time it did, he’d heard all about English weather, as though he hadn’t grown up with it, and a listing of the young men whom she would consider should they ask for her hand in marriage. He was dismayed to hear that he’d made it onto that list.
As soon as the dance ended he collected Kero and resumed walking. He’d managed to avoid the quadrille, next, and then came his waltz with Phillipa. If he didn’t slow down until then, hopefully no other female would be able to maneuver him into the torture.
As he began another circuit of the room, he caught sight of the Duke of Sommerset cutting a swath in his general direction. For a man who’d spent so much time traveling to rather harrowing places under less than ideal circumstances, Nicholas Ainsley fit into Society rather well. Amazingly well, actually. He wore civilization like a comfortable overcoat—and Bennett suspected he could remove it just as easily.
“Captain,” the duke greeted, cutting him off with apparent ease from the trailing scavengers, “a word with you.”
In a moment they were out on the balcony overlooking the Fordham House garden. Kero left his shoulder to scamper along the granite railing, and Bennett took a deep, cleansing breath. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he said feelingly.
“One of the mysteries of the female mind,” Sommerset drawled with a short grin, “is how they will pursue an adventurer to the ends of the earth, but once they’ve caught him, they never want him to leave home again.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“I remain uncaptured, though I suppose I won’t be able to put that off forever.” Steel gray eyes sent him a sideways look. “You’ve moved your things to Fennington’s residence.”
“I wanted to keep a closer eye on him and his publishing partner.”
Sommerset nodded. “I think that’s wise. And if you dispute the…exaggerations of the book at a later time, your association with Fennington will gain you more credibility.”
“So you called me out here to approve my living arrangements?”
Running a hand through his raven black hair, the duke snorted. “You’re supposed to be proving your worth to your peers. Small talk is essential to that.”
“Bugger small talk. What do you want?”
“You should stop by the Adventurers’ Club again, Bennett. You can snarl there to your heart’s content. Don’t do it in public.” With a sigh, Sommerset turned his back on the stone railing and leaned his hips against it. “Langley’s father is the Earl of Thrushell.”
“I know that. I heard about the amount of Langley’s likely inheritance for three years.”
“Yes, well, Thrushell’s petitioning to join the Africa Association. We require a two-thirds approval to add to the membership, and he hasn’t quite got it yet. But he will. His son’s book has gained us a great deal of favorable attention, despite the fact that he hasn’t
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