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Authors: Suzanne Enoch
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in her expression. He extended a hand to help her into the high seat. “And we can make a quick getaway, if need be.”
Eleanor laughed. “I hope we won’t need to flee into the night,” she returned. “Helen, you’re excused for the evening, it seems.”
The maid looked at her, concern plain on her upturned face. “But my lady, you—”
“Good evening,” she said firmly, facing forward again.
“Shall we?”
“As you wish.” With a cluck Stephen Cobb-Harding sent the team into a smart trot. “And may I say you look…beyond stunning this evening?”
She’d noticed that several times his gaze had focused on her breasts. The attention made her feel both desirable and surprisingly uncomfortable, and she pulled the shawl closer around her shoulders. Eleanor shook herself. She simply wasn’t used to that sort of attention. “Thank you, Stephen.”
“And your brothers didn’t give you any trouble when you said you’d be attending with me tonight?”
58 / Suzanne Enoch
“No.” She frowned. Dishonesty hadn’t been part of her plan, but she seemed to be doing more than her share of lying. “I…didn’t actually tell them.”
“You didn’t? Did you say you’d be arriving with someone more acceptable, then? Eleanor, I don’t—”
“I told them I had an aching head and wouldn’t be attending at all,” she cut in. “One complete surprise and ensuing argument seemed better than several smaller ones.”
He sat beside her in silence for a minute. She hadn’t meant to offend him, but he already knew that he wasn’t on her brothers’ list of acceptable suitors, or he wouldn’t have made those comments the other night about having wanted to talk to her for the past year. To her surprise, Stephen Cobb-Harding seemed to understand her need for freedom and excitement and romance better than any other male she knew, including the Marquis of Deverill.
And though he occasionally made her feel a tad uncomfortable, that was only because she wasn’t yet used to spreading her wings. Yes, that was it.
“I have an idea,” Stephen said abruptly.
“What sort of idea?”
A slow, attractive smile touched his mouth. “Do you want to go to the Hampton Ball, or do you wish a real, genuine taste of freedom and adventure?”
The ball , her sensible voice shouted. She’d make quite the stir there. But would that be real, genuine freedom?
Or was she merely making a spectacle of herself for the sake of unsettling her brothers? “What would I be tasting?” she hedged.
“It’s another soiree, at a perfectly respectable house, but the ladies are permitted to wager and to drink and to ask gentlemen to dance.”
This sounded like trouble. “I don’t—”
Sin and Sensibility / 59
“And everyone wears masks, so you won’t have to worry about any kind of scandal. We could leave if you feel the least bit uncomfortable, of course. But I thought freedom was—”
“Yes,” she blurted. “Let’s go.”
With a mask, she could attend. In a crimson gown and a mask, no one but Stephen would know she was Lady Eleanor. She could at least look about and decide if she wanted to stay. Her brothers thought her at home in bed, anyway, so they wouldn’t cause a stir when she didn’t arrive at the Hampton Ball.
“Are you certain?” Stephen asked.
“Yes. I want to go.”
His smile deepened. “Good. We’ll have fun. You’ll see.”
Stephen chuckled, obviously reading her uncertain expression. “And it will be exciting and romantic. Everything you want.”
She dearly hoped so, because the sensible voice in her head was still yelling at her to change her mind.
Chapter 5
V alentine arrived at the Hampton Ball at precisely seven thirty-five in the evening. According to the invitation the soiree began five minutes before that, and indeed, he was the third guest to arrive. Certainly no gray-eyed chit in a daring gown of red, or any other color, had yet made an appearance.
It was ridiculous. He made a point
Eleanor laughed. “I hope we won’t need to flee into the night,” she returned. “Helen, you’re excused for the evening, it seems.”
The maid looked at her, concern plain on her upturned face. “But my lady, you—”
“Good evening,” she said firmly, facing forward again.
“Shall we?”
“As you wish.” With a cluck Stephen Cobb-Harding sent the team into a smart trot. “And may I say you look…beyond stunning this evening?”
She’d noticed that several times his gaze had focused on her breasts. The attention made her feel both desirable and surprisingly uncomfortable, and she pulled the shawl closer around her shoulders. Eleanor shook herself. She simply wasn’t used to that sort of attention. “Thank you, Stephen.”
“And your brothers didn’t give you any trouble when you said you’d be attending with me tonight?”
58 / Suzanne Enoch
“No.” She frowned. Dishonesty hadn’t been part of her plan, but she seemed to be doing more than her share of lying. “I…didn’t actually tell them.”
“You didn’t? Did you say you’d be arriving with someone more acceptable, then? Eleanor, I don’t—”
“I told them I had an aching head and wouldn’t be attending at all,” she cut in. “One complete surprise and ensuing argument seemed better than several smaller ones.”
He sat beside her in silence for a minute. She hadn’t meant to offend him, but he already knew that he wasn’t on her brothers’ list of acceptable suitors, or he wouldn’t have made those comments the other night about having wanted to talk to her for the past year. To her surprise, Stephen Cobb-Harding seemed to understand her need for freedom and excitement and romance better than any other male she knew, including the Marquis of Deverill.
And though he occasionally made her feel a tad uncomfortable, that was only because she wasn’t yet used to spreading her wings. Yes, that was it.
“I have an idea,” Stephen said abruptly.
“What sort of idea?”
A slow, attractive smile touched his mouth. “Do you want to go to the Hampton Ball, or do you wish a real, genuine taste of freedom and adventure?”
The ball , her sensible voice shouted. She’d make quite the stir there. But would that be real, genuine freedom?
Or was she merely making a spectacle of herself for the sake of unsettling her brothers? “What would I be tasting?” she hedged.
“It’s another soiree, at a perfectly respectable house, but the ladies are permitted to wager and to drink and to ask gentlemen to dance.”
This sounded like trouble. “I don’t—”
Sin and Sensibility / 59
“And everyone wears masks, so you won’t have to worry about any kind of scandal. We could leave if you feel the least bit uncomfortable, of course. But I thought freedom was—”
“Yes,” she blurted. “Let’s go.”
With a mask, she could attend. In a crimson gown and a mask, no one but Stephen would know she was Lady Eleanor. She could at least look about and decide if she wanted to stay. Her brothers thought her at home in bed, anyway, so they wouldn’t cause a stir when she didn’t arrive at the Hampton Ball.
“Are you certain?” Stephen asked.
“Yes. I want to go.”
His smile deepened. “Good. We’ll have fun. You’ll see.”
Stephen chuckled, obviously reading her uncertain expression. “And it will be exciting and romantic. Everything you want.”
She dearly hoped so, because the sensible voice in her head was still yelling at her to change her mind.
Chapter 5
V alentine arrived at the Hampton Ball at precisely seven thirty-five in the evening. According to the invitation the soiree began five minutes before that, and indeed, he was the third guest to arrive. Certainly no gray-eyed chit in a daring gown of red, or any other color, had yet made an appearance.
It was ridiculous. He made a point
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