“You believe we are.”
“Everyone says it,” she shot back hotly.
“Would you be interested in proving that theory?”
That caught Leah up short. She frowned. “There is no way to prove such a thing.”
“Yes, there is—in the way these things have always been proven.”
“Which is?” Leah asked, her interest piqued.
“Marriage offers.”
Leah sniffed. “Oh, well! You are the undisputed queen of that contest. Of course, you’ve been at this game longer than I have.”
Her insult drew a chorus of “Oooo’s” from the other girls, but Tess just laughed, enjoying herself immensely. “Not in the past, but the present, this evening.”
Anne laid a hand on Tess’s arm. “I’ve seen this look in your eyes before, Tess. Don’t do whatever you are thinking.”
“Oh, pish, what is life without a little risk?” Tess turned to Leah. “Plus the Garlands’ ball needs a little enlivening. It’s a complete bore. What do you say, Leah? Shall we make a wager?”
“I never gamble. It’s a waste of money.”
“Our wager isn’t for money,” Tess protested. “If I win, you will leave Mr. Hardiston alone—”
Anne groaned. “He means nothing to me. Not any longer!”
Tess held up her hand for quiet. Anne was being silly. Mr. Hardiston was her last chance for a decent match. Her aunt had threatened to hire her out as a companion if she didn’t take this Season.
“And if you win, then I will—” Tess paused. What did she have that Leah would consider to be a suitable prize? It had to be something she had that Leah didn’t. Connections. “If you win, I will see that you receive an invitation to Mrs. Burrell’s musicale one week from Wednesday.”
Leah went very still. “You can do that?”
Tess smiled. “She is very fond of me. And who knows? If you impress her, you may receive the vouchers to Almack’s that you have so far been denied. Then there will be no doors closed to you, Leah.”
Leah wet her lips. “What are you proposing?”
“Nothing harmful. I’m willing to wager that I can receive a proposal of marriage before you can. This very night, in fact.”
A gasp from around the room met her words.
“You’re joking,” Leah said.
“No, I’m very serious.”
“Tess, that doesn’t sound right,” Anne protested.
Tess shrugged. “Is it right that they consider us little more than ornaments or bank accounts or brood mares?” She addressed the other women in the room. “In the last two hours, have any of you had an escort ask you about yourself? No, of course not. They rattle on and on about their interests and their pursuits but they don’t care anything about us other than our appearances—and our dowries. Worse, most gentlemen believe you are fortunate they’ve even bothered to notice you. Of course, we can’t help but notice them since most have sour breath or reek of Imperial water. I swear, the scent of cloves and frankincense at these events makes me nauseous.”
Her observations were quickly seconded. Daphne added, “I danced with one gentleman who was so ugly I could barely look at him, but then he made a very unkind comment about the looks of another young woman. I wondered if he owned a mirror and could see himself! Worse, he trod on my feet.
When I complained to Mama, she reprimanded me for speaking ill of him since he has an income of five thousand pounds.”
Immediately, the other women erupted with testimonials of similar experiences.
Good, caring Anne tried to speak reason. “It’s true some of us have been ill-used. I certainly want nothing to do with Mr. Hardiston after his perfidy—but it doesn’t mean we should make a mockery of the sacrament of marriage. It’s immoral to place a wager on something like an offer of marriage.”
“Pooh!” Tess answered. “Men bet on this sort of thing all the time. Why, there isn’t a men’s club around St. James that doesn’t have a betting book filled with the possible matches for the Season and wagers on each. I’ve been in that book dozens of times.”
“I have too,” Leah said. “Of course, the last time was when everyone thought Redgrave would come up to scratch. My father and brothers had placed bets—which they lost,” she added with a bitter look at Tess.
Tess grinned, unrepentant. “Not bad for an aging debutante, hmmm?”
Leah’s eyes darkened with anger, but then a smile came to her lips. “No, it isn’t,” she admitted.
“Whatever happened to Redgrave?” Tess asked with idle curiosity. “Truly, all I did was smile at him. I was surprised when he abandoned his pursuit of you.”
“Oh, he came back to me, but Mother has her eye on Tiebauld and told Father to refuse Redgrave’s offer. I heard he’s returned to his country estate whining that young women are fickle. I believe he should woo women closer to his age.”
“Are there any that old?” Daphne asked with wide-eyed innocence and everyone laughed.
Except Tess. “What is this about Tiebauld?”
Leah shrugged, her lips closed. Everyone in the room quieted immediately. They knew about Tiebauld.
Few people had seen him. He lived at the northernmost point of Scotland amidst thunder, lightning, and rain. The sun did not shine on Tiebauld. It was rumored he was mad. His sister who resided in London had been desperately searching for a wife for him. The family wanted an heir to continue the line, but few young women wished to trade their souls to the devil. Dark stories surrounded Lord Tiebauld.
Tess reached out and gave Leah a hug. It was an impulsive, yet heartfelt gesture. “Life is changing too rapidly for all of us,” she whispered. She turned to the others in the room. “Someday, we will be forced to marry, but until that happens, let’s have some fun. Everyone take part in the wager—”
“Tess!” Anne warned.
“You too, Anne, especially you. For this night and this night alone, let’s kick up our heels a bit. We can be as brash and judgmental as they are. Who knows, it may become the rage!”
Her suggestion was met with acclaim. Suddenly, the girls, who had seemed so dull and uninteresting when she’d first entered the room, sparkled with vitality. They compared quick notes on gentlemen of their acquaintance, and laughed with anticipation.
Leah held up her hand for their attention. Everyone quieted. “We must make one rule though. The marriage offer cannot come from a male who has previously made an offer.”
“That’s fair,” Tess agreed, although she had been counting on winning the wager by flirting with Lord Hampson who declared marriage every time he saw her.
“Yes,” Anne said. “And the wager is for tonight only. If no one receives an offer, the contest is a draw.”
“But what if we receive an offer we don’t want?” one of the younger debutantes asked. She was fresh from the schoolroom and disarmingly naive.
“Then you simply refuse it,” Tess said patiently.
“Oh, dear,” the girl whispered.
Tess rolled her eyes impatiently. “There are a hundred different ways to regretfully refuse. Tell the gentleman he must petition your guardian and then have your guardian cry off for you.”
“Is that what you do?” the girl asked breathlessly.
Leah covered her mouth over a startled laugh. She and Anne exchanged knowing glances.
Tess leveled the chit with a look. “With some I have. With others, I have done whatever is expedient.
You must learn to handle men if you are going to be around them.”
The door behind her opened. Their hostess, Lady Garland, stuck her head into the room, the peacock feathers in her headdress quivering with indignation. “Here you all are! Come, come, girls. The dancing is about to begin again and you are wasting time primping. The young men are anxious for new partners!”
“We’ll be right there, Lady Garland,” Tess replied, so dutifully that a few of the girls giggled.
“I’ll expect you in seconds,” Lady Garland declared. “And I will count.” She closed the door.
Tess whirled on her fellow conspirators. “Be careful; if she, your mothers, or any of the matrons catch wind of this, we shall be in trouble.”
Heads nodded in agreement.
“Very well. Then let us go out and have a good time…and may the best lady win!”
Her words were met with giddy laughter. They pressed forward, anxious to charge out of the retiring room.
Even Anne acted as if she was enjoying this moment. She held her head high and she was actually smiling. How different she seemed now compared to when she had first arrived at the party. Then, she had been completely depressed by Mr. Hardiston’s defection.
If nothing else, the confrontation with Leah had achieved this, although Tess still worried for her friend.
Anne’s aunt wasn’t one to make idle threats.
Tess had no fears of her own. Her brother Neil was her guardian and so far she’d been able to cajole her way with him, that is, if his wife Stella wasn’t present. Stella never approved of Tess.
The ballroom had been decorated to resemble a rose bower. It was too early in the season for roses, but Lady Garland had purchased hundreds and thousands of hothouse roses to achieve her theme. The air was thick with their scent.
As the women entered the ballroom, the men hurried forward. Just as Lady Garland had said, the gentlemen were anxiously waiting to claim dances.
In a pleasant surprise, Anne was the first woman asked to dance. Granted, the gentleman who partnered her was half a head shorter and a good deal overweight, but he was just as capable of making an offer as any other man in the room. Wouldn’t it be a coup if Anne won the wager?
Tess decided he must have noticed the extra color in Anne’s cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. She couldn’t help laughing with joy when Anne dared to cast her a swift, triumphant glance. Her reaction made Tess feel good.
Then Tess noticed a dashing young officer staring in her direction. The candlelight reflected on the gold braid of his dress uniform and his thick blond hair. He was a handsome one all right. He was also the licentious rake Captain Draycutt.
No one of good breeding recognized him.
He set his punch cup on the tray of a passing servant and started purposely walking toward her. Tess sighed. It was too bad he was such a bounder. Everyone knew that military men were very susceptible to feminine charms. They often blurted out declarations within half an hour of being introduced to a young woman. Neil said war did that sort of thing to a man.
For a second, Tess considered encouraging him a bit. She wanted to win this wager. But she didn’t want to damage her reputation.
Captain Draycutt stepped in front of Tess and Leah. He clicked his heels together and bowed. Tess was framing a suitable rejection in her mind when she heard him say, “Miss Carrollton, I believe this is my dance.”
Through her shock and surprise, Tess heard Leah say, “Yes, Captain Draycutt, it is. Have you met Miss Hamlin?”
“Yes, Miss Hamlin and I have met.” Captain Draycutt looked right through her. “I beg you to excuse us, Miss Hamlin.” He threw the words over his shoulder as he led Tess’s rival to the dance floor.
Tess watched with a touch of envy. The way he was looking at Leah, he’d probably make an offer before the end of the first set. Leah looked smitten, too. Had no one warned her about Draycutt’s reputation—?
Suddenly, Tess realized she stood alone. All the other girls had been claimed for a dance, even Daphne.
But no one had asked her.
How unusual.
Her gaze skimmed the room. Card tables had been set up in a separate room and apparently many of the men were involved in there. The majority of the other men in the ballroom were those whose offers she had already rejected. They would refuse to dance with her out of spite, if nothing else.
Their sheer number made Tess pause. Had she truly rejected so many offers?
The thought made her uncomfortable. She took a step back, feeling too exposed. In the corner, away from the musicians, the matrons sat chatting. Most were older than herself, since the ones her age were usually breeding and not allowed out in Polite Society in such a delicate condition.
Tess looked away. Only that afternoon, Stella had announced she was with child. She couldn’t picture Stella as a mother. Nor had she been prepared for the wash of jealousy she’d felt. Something strong and maternal had risen inside her, something she hadn’t known existed within her until she’d heard Stella’s announcement.
She’d also realized that a baby would make Neil and Stella a family. A family that would push Tess even further to the outside.
The pregnancy was to be kept a secret for as long as possible. Stella loved gaming parties and was not ready to “retire” from Society, something Tess hadn’t understood. If she was pregnant, she’d gladly give up the dancing till dawn and the endless socializing—
Her thoughts broke off. The hair on her neck tingled and she sensed that she was being watched.
Tess turned and found herself staring directly into the dark eyes of a gentleman standing by the terrace door.
She didn’t recognize him. She would remember him if they had met before. He was dressed all in black except for the snowy white of his shirt and neckcloth. The austerity of his dress made him seem more masculine, more powerful than the other men in the room. It made them look almost like frivolous peacocks.
He was tall, very tall, with the broad shoulders and lean hips that spoke of a man of action. Nor was he classically handsome. He wore his hair too long and his nose appeared to have been broken—at least once, perhaps twice. It marred the symmetry of his face but enhanced his individuality. As did the strong jaw, the wide mouth…and the glittering eyes.
Tess smiled.
His generous mouth curved into an answering smile.
For a second, Tess felt dizzy. Every fiber of her being tightened and responded to his smile.
She’d never had that happen before.
The stranger was with Sir Charles Merriam who had been an old friend of her father’s. He was talking to the stranger with animation, but the gentleman ignored him. Instead, his razor-sharp gaze rested on her.
Tess should have demurely blushed and looked away. It was the way the flirting game was played. But she couldn’t avert her gaze. Not this time. He held her spellbound.
“Ah, I see you have noticed our new arrival to Town,” a self-serving male voice said close to her ear.