Moonlight Wishes In Time (19 page)

William tightened his jaw for a moment as he tried to think of something clever and profound
. He cleared his throat as he played for time.

“Now, there’s a young woman who looks like she has her eye on you
.” Mattie nodded toward a pale young woman with demure brown hair who stood with several other ladies. “Oh, no, wait. It looks like she’s going to dance with Reggie.”

“Had her eye on me?” William repeated in a baffled tone.

“You know, William. She was watching you?” Mattie’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at him. “But I’m sorry. I must have been mistaken. I think maybe she was just looking at Reggie after all.”

William barely noticed
Reggie taking the young woman’s hand in preparation for the next dance.

“I think you must be mocking me, Miss Crockwell
.” He looked into her upturned face.

“Mocking you
? Why, I do declare, sir! Why would I do a thing like that, especially to my host?” Mattie’s speech had taken on a distinct accent, somewhat like a drawl.

“Perhaps because I sounded so arrogant and conceited just a moment ago
?” William felt the heat on his face, but he gritted his teeth and willed it away.

Mattie laughed, a warm, full-bodied sound that caused several befeathered heads to turn in her direction.

“You did, William. You definitely did,” she said with a grin.

“I apologize
. I think I meant only to impress you, and I did it badly.” He looked down at her, wishing he could touch a lock of her hair to see if it was indeed as silky as it appeared as it gleamed under the bright candlelight of the ballroom. She favored him with a delightful smile, and he felt his lips curl in response.

The dance ended all too soon to suit William, and he escorted Mattie back to the end of the room
, where Sylvie waited with Thomas. Sylvie’s face was severe, and Thomas waited only until William returned before he bowed and walked away.

“That man!” Sylvie seethed
. William was not surprised. His sister and his friend rarely spent much time in each other’s company of late without arguing over Thomas’s wanderlust and Sylvie’s desire to see him settle down…and preferably ask for her hand in marriage, though she would never admit to the latter.

“What’s wrong, Sylvie?” Mattie asked with genuine concern
.

“It is of no significance,” Sylvie muttered as she stared at Thomas’s retreating back
. Mattie threw William a confused look, and he could only give his head an imperceptible shake to try and reassure her.

“Let me hazard a guess
. Thomas is planning another adventure,” William murmured, probably more for Mattie’s edification than from any surprise on his part.

Sylvie threw him a sharp look but softened her expression when she saw Mattie’s worried face.

“Yes,” she sighed. “He wants to embark on another journey…again! He just returned from the continent only days ago.” She watched him as he stopped to visit with a group including their mother, Lord Hamilton and his parents. “I do not think Thomas will ever learn to stay in one place,” she murmured.

“Is that a problem?” Mattie asked innocently.

Sylvie returned her attention to her companions.

“No, certainly not,” Sylvie responded with forced gaiety
. “It matters not in the least. Not to me.” She gave Mattie an overly bright smile and tapped her closed fan rapidly in her other hand before turning to look in Thomas’s direction again.

William felt it was time to intercede on Mattie’s confused behalf.

“Sylvie and Thomas have had…an understanding since they were young, Miss Crockwell.”

“And I am not getting any younger,” Sylvie muttered
. “Come, Mattie. Let us go find something to drink. I do not know where Reggie and Samuel could have disappeared to with our ratafias.”

“Well, I think we passed them on our way to the dance floor,” Mattie said just before Sylvie took her by the arm and whirled her off in the direction of the dining room
. William saw Mattie throw him a look over her shoulder, but he could not decipher her expression. He was aware of a growing desire to keep her in his sight at all times. Had he seen regret in her downturned face? That they were walking away from him? He fervently hoped so.

He took a step forward.

****

Mattie tried to drag her feet when Sylvie towed her away, thinking that for a slender girl
, Sylvie certainly was strong. Mattie threw a look over her shoulder toward William, hoping that he would rescue her, that he would demand Sylvie leave her in his care, where she wanted to be. William looked at Mattie with a question in his eyes, and short of screaming for help—which seemed a tad extreme in her formal surroundings—there was nothing she could do. She turned to face forward, propelled by the strength of Sylvie’s will.

“Allow me to accompany you, ladies,” William said almost immediately behind Mattie
. She swung her head to look up at him with gratitude…and some surprise. He had certainly crossed the room quickly. Almost as if he’d sprinted.

“I am in need of some refreshment myself
.” William extended his arms for both women.

“William
! Surely you do not intend to monopolize Mattie all evening?” Sylvie hissed as she placed her hand on his left arm. Mattie leaned in to listen while touching William’s other arm lightly with her fingers. Even the feel of his coat seemed magical at that moment, she thought.

“I most certainly do, Sylvie,” he said with a glint in his eye and a smile in Mattie’s
direction. “That is, if Miss Crockwell does not mind.” He raised a questioning brow, and she shook her head.

“No, I don’t mind,” she murmured, unable to control the flush that sprang to her face
.

They proceeded into the dining room, now transformed into something resembling a buffet line
. Those guests who weren’t dancing milled about talking and visiting, now undeterred by the muted sounds of the otherwise loud orchestra in the ballroom.

“What will you have to drink, ladies?” William asked
. “And do not think to fob me off as you did Reggie and Samuel. I will find you.” His grin took the censure from his words.

Sylvie laughed, and Mattie chuckled
. She had certainly read about young women sending unwanted admirers off in search of refreshment while they themselves found other more attractive company, but she didn’t know she would actually see the maneuver in action.

“William!” Sylvie chided, a sparkling smile returning to her face
. “I cannot imagine what you are on about. I had no intention of ‘fobbing’ Reggie and Samuel off. I do not understand how you can say such a thing of your beloved sister.”

Mattie watched the exchange between Mrs. Sinclair’s gorgeous adult children, wondering what Mr. Sinclair had looked like
. Did William resemble his father?

William lifted a dark brow
. “It is because you are my beloved sister that I know you so well. Stay here,” he ordered. “Or if you wish to wander away, deliver Miss Crockwell to my side.” He dropped his eyes to Mattie’s face with a broad grin. Mattie blushed but kept silent. She couldn’t believe he’d actually “lifted a dark brow.” How had she ever thought she could fit into one of her romance novels and belong?

“William, you are being so tiresome
. Mattie will be in good hands with me. Allow her to enjoy herself.”

Mattie, quick to protest that she was enjoying herself, stopped when William spoke again
. He dropped his smile.

“Nevertheless, I think I must keep vigil over her,” he said quietly
.

Mattie thought she might just keel over from his words
. He could certainly “keep vigil” over her anytime he wanted. Forever might be too short, she sighed inwardly.

“And I would hope that she is able to enjoy herself, despite my companionship,” William continued
. His face took on a diffident look.

Mattie’s eyes widened at the expression on his face, and she stepped in
. He was probably worried she’d say something and be found out.

“I’
m fine to stay with William, Sylvie. You don’t have to babysit me,” she said quickly. “And I appreciate that William wants me to stay out of trouble. I really do.”

“Babysit?” they both repeated with puzzled faces
.

“What a strange term,” Sylvie said
. “Do you mean as if one cares for a child?”

Mattie nodded
. “Well, yes,” she said ruefully. “In my time, we might also use the term to mean watching out for an adult—as if that adult was a child.”

William straightened
. “I would not presume to treat you like a child, Miss Crockwell.”

“Yes, you would, William,” Sylvie murmured
. “It would seem Mattie feels so, otherwise, she would not have used the term, would she?”

“Is that true, Miss Crockwell?” William looked down at Mattie, and she could have sworn she saw hurt in his eyes
. She shook her head. That hardly seemed likely. She’d only known him for a little less than twenty-four hours.

She put a bright smile on her face.

“No, William. I didn’t mean to imply that you or Sylvie treated me like a child. It was a poor use of the expression, I think.”

“I think I must say hello to Louisa,” Sylvie said, suddenly distracted as she waved to someone across the room
. Mattie turned to see a dark-haired, fair-skinned beauty in a gown of lilac satin approaching them with a perfect smile. Mattie didn’t miss the way the newcomer looked her up and down, although it was done quickly and discreetly. A flicker of Louisa’s dark eyes in William’s direction summed up the situation.

Mattie caught her breath and looked up at William
, who watched Louisa cross the room with a welcoming smile.

“Louisa
! I was not aware you had arrived,” Sylvie said as she leaned in to kiss Louisa’s cheek. Louisa took Sylvie’s hands.

“We only just arrived,” Louisa said in a warm voice
. “And this is your cousin, I think?” she asked, turning her sweet smile on Mattie.

“Louisa, may I present our cousin from America, Miss Matilda Crockwell,” William said with a small bow
. “Miss Crockwell, Louisa and her family are friends and neighbors. Sylvie, Thomas, Louisa and I spent many an afternoon playing together as children.”

“Indeed we did,” Louisa said as she dropped a curtsey in Mattie’s direction
. “It is so lovely to meet you, Miss Crockwell.”

Mattie returned the curtsey, certain she would never be able to emulate Louisa’s graceful dip
. She wanted to like Louisa, but the look in the beauty’s eyes as she glanced at William made Mattie grit her teeth.

“It is lovely to meet you as well, Miss
…?” Mattie quirked an eyebrow.

“Please call me Louisa
. And may I call you Matilda?”

“Mattie.”

“Mattie. What a wonderful name.”

“Thank you,” Mattie mumbled, wondering how Louisa got her impossibly brilliant hair to shine like it did.

“Isn’t this a crush?” Sylvie leaned in to ask Louisa.

“It is a lovely turnout, Sylvie
. So many people. You must surely have invited the entire county.” Louisa laughed.

“Mother did, Louisa
. You know she is trying to find a wife for William.”

“I am afraid it is true, Louisa
. Mother is matchmaking with unparalleled enthusiasm.” William let loose a pretend sigh.

“Well, you
are
growing long in the teeth, William. It is time you settled down.” Louisa’s eyes sparkled, matched only by the gleam of her beautifully straight white teeth.

William’s face bronzed, and he dropped a sideways glance in Mattie’s direction
. She met his eyes with a neutral expression. Would Louisa be the match, she wondered?

“In good time, ladies
. In good time,” he murmured with the air of a man who had no immediate plans.

Louisa turned her smile on Mattie
. 

“Forgive us, Mattie, if we seem boorish
. Having lived in such close proximity all our lives, we have few secrets from one another and will always tease without mercy.”

“It is true, Mattie
. This is not how we speak to others in polite society,” Sylvie said. Though she laughed, Mattie saw the warning in her eyes.

“But I am sure Mattie understands the manner of civil address, Sylvie
. Surely, it cannot be so different in America?” Louisa cocked her head and regarded Mattie with a soft lift of her lips.

“We are a bit more casual, I would say,” Mattie said with care
.

“Yes, I believe that is the case,” William noted
. “And how are your parents, Louisa?”

Mattie breathed an inward sigh of relief as William steered the conversation away from her
. She threw William another sideways glance. He continued to beam in Louisa’s direction, and she was sorely tempted to either kick him in the shin or stomp off. Since none of those actions seemed quite the thing to do, she opted to paste a serene smile on her face and stare around the room while Sylvie, Louisa and William talked.