The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (19 page)

When she reached the top of the stairs, she saw all four of
her brothers waiting for her in the foyer below, each of them impeccably
dressed in their black super-fine coats, matching trousers, crisp white shirts
and perfectly tied cravats.  She loved each of them so much that her heart
was near to overflowing as she looked at them.  Her parents would have
been so proud of them, for they had all grown to be such fine, wonderful
men.  She felt so incredibly lucky to have them in her life.

As she descended the stairs, Gavin was the first to notice
her.  He had been speaking to Rory but stopped in mid-sentence when he saw
her, his eyes widening in wonder and admiration.

Noting the direction of Gavin’s stare, Colin, Conner and Rory
immediately turned toward the stairs and watched as Scarlett made her way down.

Scarlett stopped a few steps from the landing, somewhat taken
aback by the incredulous expressions she saw on her brothers’ faces. 
“What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously, afraid suddenly that she had committed
some terrible mistake with the design of her gown or the style of her hair. 

Colin was the first to recover from his temporary
stupor.  Moving toward the stairs, he smiled up at her, his eyes filled
with love and an immense amount of pride.  “If you had wings I would swear
you were an angel,” he told her honestly. 

Holding out his hand, Colin assisted her down the final
steps, his tender expression nearly bringing tears to her eyes.  As she
glanced between her four brothers, it was as if they all sensed that this night
was a turning point in their lives.  She could see it in their
faces.  Their little sister, the incorrigible hoyden they had all helped
raise was no more, and in her place was a mature young woman.  Words
weren’t necessary, their faces said it all and she was touched beyond
measure.  Fortunately the sudden sound of Georgie’s voice kept her from
breaking into tears.

“Scarlett, you forgot your gloves,” Georgie called.  She
descended the stairs with Scarlett’s gloves in hand, looking lovely in a gown
of ice-blue silk.

 “You look lovely Georgie,” she said, reaching for the
forgotten gloves.

 Her brothers politely confirmed Scarlett’s observation,
causing Georgie to blush prettily. 

It wasn’t long before their coach was brought round to the
front of the house, and within minutes they were off.

When they arrived at the Earl and Countess of Standshire’s
residence, there were still several coaches queued up along the street, their
occupants patiently waiting to disembark in front of the Minton’s grand
home.  They were running late and Scarlett was thankful to see that they
weren’t the last to arrive.  She couldn’t help wondering if Alec was
already inside.

Entering the grand foyer several minutes later, Scarlett and
Georgie were directed to a room set aside for the women to divest themselves of
their cloaks and tidy their appearances, while the men were directed to a
different part of the house.  Georgie informed her that Colin would return
shortly to escort her into the ballroom.  Georgie would be making her
entrance with Conner, a few minutes prior.

While they waited for Colin and Conner, Georgie whispered
frantically into Scarlett’s ear, hastily going over the rules of etiquette that
she and everyone else must adhere to at a formal ball, for only the third time
that evening.  Such a lot of ridiculous nonsense, she thought to herself,
but she was more than aptly prepared and had absolutely no intention of letting
Georgie down.

Nevertheless, when Colin arrived to fetch her, Scarlett felt
a flutter of nervous anticipation.  Taking his arm, she took a deep
fortifying breath, then remembering what Georgie had told her she forced her
features to reflect the confidence and self-assurance of someone who wasn’t the
least bit intimidated by anything or anyone, even if she was secretly trembling
inside. 

“The Earl of Kenston and Lady Scarlett McPhearson,” the
Standshire’s butler intoned.

Heads
swung instantly toward the archway where they stood and Scarlett’s hand
tightened imperceptibly on Colin’s arm as they made their way down the steps
and into the midst of the elegantly adorned assembly.  Within an instant,
the air around them was literally humming with the sound of murmured
voices. 
Be brave, Scarlett
, she told herself, and was glad to feel
Colin’s hand move reassuringly over her own.  She could do this. 

To her
surprise and relief, the Duke of Worthe was announced not more than a few
seconds later.  Scarlett turned, having had no idea that Alec had come up
behind them just as they were being announced.  Their eyes met for the
merest second, and in that instant she felt her confidence soar.  Just the
brief glimpse of him boosted her spirits and her courage.  With Alec
nearby, she felt as though she could take on the world and most certainly a
room full of pompous aristocrats.

As people
eager for introductions quickly surrounded her and Colin, Scarlett forced
herself to relax and did her best to behave naturally.  It wasn’t nearly
as difficult as she had feared.  The names and faces quickly began to
blur, but she didn’t let it bother her.  She knew Georgie would help her
get all of the names and titles straight.  Besides, after spending the
night with Alec, and knowing he was nearby even now, she didn’t think anything
could dampen her good mood.

While she
and Colin became immersed in the ever-shifting throng of people, Scarlett found
that her dance card was quickly being filled.  She was thankful that she
had taken Georgie’s advice and purposely marked out a quadrille, a minuet and a
waltz, otherwise she most likely would have been on her feet the entire evening. 
She had already penciled in a dance with each of her brothers, though she
assumed they would most likely be spending more time in one of the card rooms
than in the ballroom.

She had
just added a handsome young viscount’s name to her dance card when Alec appeared
at her side.  He was dressed much like everyone else, but he stood out
nevertheless.  He was so tall and so strikingly handsome, it would have
been impossible for him to blend in with the crowd.

“I hope
you saved one for me,” he said, glancing at her dance card.

“Good
evening, Your Grace,” Scarlet replied with a polite smile.

“Alec,
good to see you,” Colin said.  “Are you planning on treating the ladies to
your rare presence this evening or are you going to hide out in the card rooms
for the majority of the night?”

“What do
you think?”  Alec responded to Colin’s teasing with a sardonic grin,
knowing Colin would much rather have accompanied him to play cards, than to
remain in the ballroom all night.  “However, I did promise your lovely
sister a dance, and I am a man of my word.”

“I’m
honored.”  Handing him her dance card, Scarlett smiled charmingly.

When he
handed it back she noted with pleasure that he had selected the final waltz of
the evening.  She could hardly wait.

“Worthe,
this is a surprise.”  An older gentleman with silver hair had walked up
behind Alec, grasping him fondly on the shoulder.

Turning,
Alec smiled with genuine pleasure.  “Mawbrey, it’s been ages, where have
you been keeping yourself?”

“Traveling
the globe dear boy and satisfying my quest for adventure.  I will tell you
all about it later.  But, first things first.  Kenston, I don’t
believe I have had the pleasure,” he said to Colin, with a polite nod toward
Scarlett.

“Scarlett,
allow me to introduce His Grace, Alistair Morton, the Duke of Mawbrey. 
Your Grace, this is my sister, Lady Scarlett McPhearson.”

“It is a
pleasure to meet you, Lady Scarlett,” the duke replied with a look of complete
sincerity, taking Scarlett’s gloved hand and raising it to his lips.

“The
pleasure is mine, Your Grace,” Scarlett responded, dipping into a flawless
curtsey.  The duke’s eyes were kind and full of warmth and Scarlett liked
him instantly.  Though he was probably in his fifties, he was still a
handsome man and exuded the confident air of someone who held a great deal of
power and influence.  Yet remarkably, he appeared completely without
hauteur or conceit.

“You are
an absolute vision, Lady Scarlett.  My wife and I knew your parents well,
and I can see that you are the image of your lovely mother.
 
They would have been very proud, I am sure.”

“Thank
you, Your Grace, that is very kind of you.”

“Kenston,”
he said, turning to Colin, “I do believe your sister is the closest thing to an
angel these eyes have ever seen.  You are going to have your hands full.”

“I fear
you are absolutely right about that,” Colin nodded in genial agreement.

“Walk with
me Alec,” the duke said then, nodding courteously to Colin and Scarlett in
farewell, as he led Alec away.

“What a
charming man,” Scarlett commented to her brother.

Colin
simply nodded his head in agreement.

Two hours
later, Scarlett’s feet were beginning to hurt, as she had danced with each of
her brothers and nearly a dozen others throughout the evening.  She was definitely
glad that she had adhered to Georgie’s suggestion and sat a few out, although,
she was still very much looking forward to her upcoming waltz with Alec. 
She had caught sight of him only twice since his arrival, dancing once with
their hostess, and once with Alicia Windham.

Having
discreetly questioned Georgie about the countess the day before, Scarlett knew
that she was married.  However, with her husband bedridden in the country,
the fact that she was married was relatively meaningless.  She couldn’t
help wondering again if she and Alec had been lovers.  The countess was a
beautiful woman, and with her husband tucked safely away outside of London, it
would have been so easy for her and Alec to have had a liaison.  The
disturbing thought had nagged at the back of her mind as she’d watched them
dance, and still did, though she tried her best to ignore it.

Fortunately,
she hadn’t had much time to dwell on her suspicions, for she had hardly had a
moment to herself all night.  When she wasn’t dancing, she had been
continuously surrounded by people eager for introductions, as she was even
now.  For some odd reason, she seemed to have captured the attention of
nearly everyone in attendance.  It was unexpected and oddly disconcerting.

At
present, she was conversing with the Duke of Mawbrey’s eldest son, William
Morton, the Marquis of Fordham.  They were just coming off the dance floor
and despite her tired feet she had enjoyed their dance immensely.  Like
his father, William was utterly charming and quite handsome as well. 
Thanks to Georgie’s whispered comments, she was aware that the thirty-year-old,
unwed marquis was considered a prime catch.  She could definitely
understand why.  However, unbeknownst to Georgie, she had already surrendered
her heart to someone else.  She had done her best though, to appear
interested as Georgie had spoken of the marquis’ winning attributes, as well as
those of several other eligible gentlemen throughout the evening.

Feigning
an interest in William Morton, however, wasn’t difficult at all.  If she
weren’t madly in love with Alec, she might have been drawn to the marquis’
striking good looks and charismatic personality.  As he escorted her to
Colin’s side, she found herself genuinely interested in their present topic of
conversation.  Unlike many of the young men she had been partnered with
during the evening, some who had merely fawned over her, telling her repeatedly
how beautiful she was, the marquis actually seemed interested in more than her
physical appearance.  Scarlett couldn’t help smiling with genuine
affection as he relinquished her to her brother, telling Colin what a delight
it had been to converse with a young woman whose beauty was only exceeded by
her charm and wit.

As he
bowed and took his leave, Colin gave Scarlett a poignant look.  “It
appears I will have to add Fordham to the list of your prospective
suitors.  You should be pleased.  He is not an easy man to
impress.”  He looked down at her with an exaggerated sigh.  “As I’d
feared,
you
my darling sister are an unparalleled success.”

Scarlett
regarded her brother with a knowing smile.  She could understand his
mood.  He was having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that
the young girl he had once bounced on his knee had suddenly become an object of
male desire.  To imagine and anticipate it was one thing, but to actually
see the reality of it was quite another, she was sure.  Leaning against
him, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.  “Are you going to be
alright?” she asked, with a small teasing smile.

“I’m not
sure.  Can we return to Grey Oaks and put this off for another year?”

“I think
it’s a bit too late for that.”

“Indeed it
is,” Georgie said, overhearing the last of their conversation as she’d come up
next to them.  “I’m afraid they would simply follow you to the country and
camp out on your doorstep.”

“I fear
you are right,” Colin said, with an exaggerated sigh.  “There’s no going
back now, is there?”