Page 66 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

“I know there is something amiss, but I cannot make out what it is. Will you please tell me?”

“Ah. I suppose you would be ignorant about such things. Well ... how shall I say this?”

I was feeling quite annoyed by now, so I said, “Just tell me.”

“When a young lady dances more than once with a certain gentleman, especially one consecutive dance after the other at a public assembly, it generally signifies that they are engaged to be married—or at least, it’s a public declaration that they prefer each other over anyone else.”

I covered my mouth with my hand. “Oh, but I am not engagedto Mr. Welton, nor to anyone. Is that what everyone thinks? It is not true. Oh dear.” I felt my face burning and started fanning myself with the little fan that hung from my wrist.

Mr. Merritt looked as if he was stifling a laugh.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me. It is not amusing. You must help me. You must tell everyone that I am not engaged to Mr. Welton.”

“If I were to spread such information, it might have just the opposite effect. People might believe it all the more for the protestation.”

He was right. Oh, this was very bad. And Mr. Welton knew what people would think, the scoundrel. Lord Brookhaven was right about him. Did he think he could trick me into marrying him?

“Let me think.” Mr. Merritt looked serious, thankfully. A moment later, his eyes widened. “I have it. Dance with me again. Then you should also dance a second time with Lord Brookhaven—I’ll arrange it with him—and since you can’t be engaged to three men . . .” He raised his brows at me.

“Do you think it will work?”

“Yes. Come. The dance is starting.”

We joined the dancers on the floor. People were looking, whispering behind their hands again. But I supposed that was good, since I needed them to notice that I was dancing with Mr. Merritt for the second time.

Were people’s lives so dull that they actually paid attention to how many times each lady danced with each gentleman?

“Thank you for this,” I said to Mr. Merritt. “I hope it doesn’t make trouble for you, dancing with me twice.”

“Heaven forbid.” He winked.

“I do appreciate you coming to my rescue.”

“Well, it will help if Brookhaven joins in our scheme. I shall speak to him as soon as the dance ends.”

“Thank you.” I felt embarrassed at the thought of enlisting Lord Brookhaven’s help. I hadn’t minded letting Mr. Merritt help me, and I didn’t have time to think why it was different.

Perhaps I should have been aware that to dance with a gentlemantwice consecutively was nearly the same as acknowledging that you were engaged, but I honestly hadn’t known. There were so many rules. How could I keep up with them all, especially when I hadn’t lived among fashionable society my entire life?

The dance ended, and I made sure to smile at Mr. Merritt, who smiled back, then led me once again to where my chaperone was seated. “I shall return in a moment, or I’ll send Lord Brookhaven.”

I watched him go. He went straight to Lord Brookhaven and turned him aside, and they spoke for a few moments. Lord Brookhaven scowled.

My heart beat faster. Did Lord Brookhaven think less of me for having got myself in this predicament? Did he even believe what Mr. Merritt was saying?

Finally, Lord Brookhaven began making his way to me.

“Miss Robbins, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?” His manner of speaking was stilted.

“It would be my pleasure,” I said, almost losing my voice entirely.

How mortifying to see how much Lord Brookhaven did not wish to dance with me. Did he think I’d manipulated him into dancing with me again? Did he blame me? Was he thinking “I told you so”? My cheeks were positively burning. Several people were staring, although I tried not to notice.

He led me onto the dance floor. We made it just as the music started.

If only I’d never come to this assembly. If only I’d stayed home and enjoyed a quiet evening with my two friends.

If only I’d never met Mr. Anthony Welton.