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‘But of course,’ said Alex, smiling down at her. ‘I would be of little use as a replacement if I could not.’
‘I will take you in hand,’ said the bold-eyed lady.
Rosamund, sitting on a chair in front of the fire, watched this light flirtation with startled eyes and more than a little annoyance.
‘That will be unnecessary,’ said Lady Elizabeth firmly. ‘I will allow no dalliance during the dance. I have said that I will partner the Baron.’
‘What about this young lady?’ asked one of the men, noticing Rosamund.
‘Oh, I cannot dance,’ she said hastily.
He laughed. ‘I do not believe that is true. Everyone can dance.’
‘Not me,’ said Rosamund firmly.
All attention was now on Rosamund. ‘I could teach you,’ said the fair-haired man who had spoken. ‘The steps are not so difficult and you could fill Lady Joan’s place. We do not have to perform for another three days, so you could perfect the steps in no time. May I introduce myself? I am Lord Bude.’
Rosamund could not resist looking at Alex to see what he thought of the young man’s suggestion. He was frowning. Obviously, he believed she was not good enough to dance with an English lord before royalty.
‘I deem it a wonderful notion,’ said Lady Elizabeth, much to Rosamund’s surprise. ‘May I introduce my goddaughter, Mistress Rosamund Appleby, lords and ladies. Her parents are dead and she has recently come to live with me.’
The party eyed Rosamund with as much interest as they had the Baron. The lady who had broken the news about Lady Joan, said, ‘It is fate! You are of the same height and have the same colouring as Lady Joan, Mistress Appleby, and, as Lord Bude has said, the steps are not difficult.’
Alex wanted to disagree. Bude was the name Lady Elizabeth had mentioned earlier as a man who might possibly turn traitor. He was obviously of a flirtatious manner; if he was as poor as her ladyship had said, then he would be on the lookout for a wealthy heiress. Perhaps he thought Rosamund might inherit her godmother’s fortune. How was Alex to know that her head would not be turned by this handsome young lord? He could not allow that to happen.
But before Alex could make a move on the young lord, one of the ladies approached him.
‘I know something of your homeland, Baron,’ she said. ‘I admired Lady Elizabeth’s amber jewellery and she told me it was made in Sweden. I asked my father if he would buy me such a set, but he refused. He said I needed a rich husband if I wanted such trinkets.’
‘Hardly a trinket, Margaret, if your father cannot afford such jewellery,’ said one of the other ladies. ‘It must be worth a fortune.’
‘Enough!’ said Lady Elizabeth, clapping her hands. ‘We are here to dance. My goddaughter will attempt to fill Lady Joan’s position.’
Rosamund opened her mouth to say that she had not agreed, but it was too late. Already Lord Bude was reaching for her hand and her godmother was nodding in her direction. ‘You had best try on Lady Joan’s costume this evening in case it needs altering, Rosamund, my dear. We will walk through the dance several times to give you and the Baron a chance to familiarise yourselves with the steps without the music.’
Rosamund took a deep breath as Lord Bude’s soft, white hand clasped hers. ‘Now pay attention, Mistress Rosamund,’ he said in her ear. ‘No one expects you to be as good as the rest of us, but no doubt your pretty face will make up for any faults.’
Immediately Rosamund wanted to tug her hand out of his grasp and resume her seat by the fire, but the other dancers were already calling out instructions. She did her best to comply with what they said, but there were too many voices telling her what to do and she stepped on Bude’s toes more than once.
She glanced up at him, apologizing, and instantly was aware that his eyes were gazing down her cleavage. She lost all desire to do well and made a complete mess of the steps when the music began and she was supposed to dance in earnest. It was a relief when the wheezing Lady Elizabeth eventually signalled a halt.
Concerned about her, Alex led her over to the settle and made her sit down. She whispered to him to tell the others that there would be another rehearsal tomorrow evening at Richmond. He did so.
The musicians and dancers departed, chorusing their farewells. Only Lord Bude lingered. ‘Perhaps I could give you a private lesson this evening,’ he suggested, taking one of Rosamund’s hands and kissing it.
‘I think not, Lord Bude,’ said Alex, removing Rosamund’s hand from the other man’s grasp. ‘Mistress Appleby has had a long journey and needs her rest.’
Bude scowled. ‘Surely Mistress Appleby can make her own decisions? I really don’t see what it has to do with you, Baron?’
‘But that is because you are unaware that the lady and I are betrothed,’ said Alex politely.
Only by a blinking of the eyes did Rosamund betray that she was more surprised than Bude to hear those words. His lordship muttered an apology and with a terse good night left the hall.
‘Why did you tell him that we were betrothed?’ demanded Rosamund, as soon as Bude was out of earshot.
Alex was asking himself the same question. It would have been wiser if he had allowed Rosamund to encourage Bude to discover if he had any dealings with those with treacherous intent. ‘He is a fortune-hunter,’ snapped Alex. ‘Do not take what I said to heart. I still have no intention of getting married until I am thirty.’
A sharp laugh escaped Rosamund. ‘Then you should have remained silent. You are forgetting that not only do you wish to be avenged on my brother, but also that I have no fortune.’
‘He knows that Lady Elizabeth is extremely wealthy and that you, her goddaughter, have recently come to live with her. It is obvious Bude smells money when he looks at you.’
Two spots of colour appeared high on Rosamund’s cheeks and she tugged her hand free. ‘You are insulting. Did you not consider he might find me comely?’
‘Bude cannot afford to be swayed solely by a lovely face,’ he said harshly.
‘Why should I believe you? He is a lord of the realm, whilst you are a foreigner, unable to trust me with your real identity.’
Alex realised that he had hurt her and his voice was gentler when he said, ‘I did not trust those lords and ladies with it either.’
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