Page 5 of A Mismatch Made in London

“There is Lord Ogden’s son, Cornelius Fortescue. He is the heir and quite charming. He only has one sister, who is married, and his mother has already passed away, and so you’d have no competition for his attention, affection, and pin money, if I may say. I like him very much for you, and I’ve heard he will be at the ball tonight.”

Cornelius Fortescue. I’d try to remember him as a favorable possibility.

“There are a few others—Walter Barnstable, Lord Sandringham, and Morgan Elkins—but the one that everyone will be after is Jeremy Beaumont. Remember that name, Beaumont.”

“What is so special about him?”

“You will see.” Aunt Kendall had a knowing smirk as she closed my box of gloves, ribbons, and jewelry, having chosen what she wanted out of it.

“Is he handsome?”

“Young and very handsome, good manners, and a charming smile. He is as wealthy as the Duke of Pennington, and best of all, he is not fond of clubs or gaming tables or drinking and carousing. He is known for his high morals and his fondness for his sisters. He has no parents—they have both passed on—so he has no one to interfere and may marry as he pleases. He seems to have become the favorite not only of all the marriageable young ladies, but also of their mamas. He will be difficult to catch, but...”

Aunt Kendall lifted my chin with her finger and stared at my face, as if taking in each of my features one at a time.

“You could catch Jeremy Beaumont, I think, with your sweet, innocent looks and pretty features.” She pinched my chin, saying cheerfully, “It doesn’t hurt to try. Someone will get him, and it may as well be you.”

The ball was swarming with people by the time we arrived. Aunt Kendall seemed on a mission to introduce me to as many people as possible, although she introduced me to many gentlemen and few ladies.

The music and dancing had not yet begun when my aunt fluttered her fan and whispered loudly, “There he is. There is Mr. Fortescue.”

I went back in my mind to our earlier conversation and remembered that she said he was charming and a good catch.

“Stay close to me,” she whispered, just before she started moving through the crowd toward him. It seemed she purposely avoided making eye contact with anyone on the way to him. Then she pretended to be about to pass him by, only to stop and pull me forward so that he couldn’t avoid seeing me.

Our eyes locked and I felt myself blushing.

“Mr. Fortescue,” my aunt said. “How lovely to see you. You remember me? Mrs. Kendall?”

“Of course, Mrs. Kendall. Pleased, as usual.” But he barely glanced at my aunt and instead stared at me.

“May I introduce you to my niece?” She made the introductions, and with his smile, I could well understand why my aunt had called him charming.

“Have you been in London before?” he asked.

“Only twice, but not for a few years. It is noisier than I remembered. I hardly slept at all the first night, but I was also missing my family.”

He raised an eyebrow, and his lips twitched.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have said so much. The upper classes were generally more reserved, especially in London, and this was the social season. Everyone used their most formal manners. But Aunt Kendall would have warned me about my manners if they were not pleasing, would she not? Oh dear. I should have asked her to tutor me on what not to say.

“Will you honor me with the first dance?” he asked.

My heart beat faster, even as I was relieved that I’d apparently not done anything to keep him from dancing with me. “Yes, of course.”

I took his arm, and he led me to the dance floor just as I saw the pleased smirk on my aunt’s face.

“And you are here fresh from the country?”

“Yes.”

“From what county?”

“Buckinghamshire.”

He continued to smile, but I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The music started, and I was grateful to have something to do. We moved to the music and the dictates of the dance, and when we were waiting to take our turn in the line, he said, “And you have a dozen brothers and sisters, I imagine?”