The Earl’s Last Dance Read online

  The Earl’s Last Dance

  Rebecca Dash

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Exclusive Free Gift

  More Regency Romance By Rebecca Dash

  Let’s Stay In Touch

  Chapter 1

  Spring 1811

  Lord Brisby looked deeply into her eyes as if to beguile her. Miss Jane refused to turn away. She rather enjoyed gazing at him.

  “We should not be doing this,” she said.

  “It feels like the right thing to be here with you.”

  “It is never the right thing to be alone with a gentleman. I know that much.”

  “But it is not as if I were a stranger. We have been properly introduced.”

  “Only moments ago. And that detail does not matter.”

  “Yet here we are.”

  They listened as the musicians began to play again in the ballroom. It was a Scotch reel. Neither of them would rather have been anywhere else but hiding in that cloakroom together.

  “My chaperone will look for me soon,” said Jane.

  “Perhaps there was a crowd in the ladies’ retiring room. There often is at events of this size. Personal matters can take time to attend to.”

  “Just the same, what if someone finds us here?”

  “That would be horrific.”

  “I do not know why I agreed to step out with you at all.”

  “To begin the dance, of course.”

  Jane didn’t move away as he touched her face, brushing her cheek with his hand. When he leaned in, she tilted her head upwards, offering her lips. A spark went through her body as they kissed, igniting a longing within her that was new and exciting. She urgently needed more of it.

  There were footsteps in the hall. Jane ripped herself from his embrace as her eyes grew wide with fear. Brisby pulled her into a shadowy corner of the room as the measured sound got closer. A maid stepped inside but stopped in her tracks, staring into the darkness.

  Jane’s heart was a battering ram in her chest. Her breath was so heavy that Brisby put a hand over her mouth so they wouldn’t be heard. The maid turned and rushed out of the room.

  “I am ruined,” Jane whispered.

  “She did not see us. It is too dim in here for that.”

  “Then why would she run off?”

  “Maybe the sense that something wasn’t right. An uneasy feeling in her stomach. But she could not have seen our faces.”

  “That is the sense I should have had before coming in here with you.”

  “Let us not make things worse by dallying,” said Brisby. “I will leave first and attempt to distract anyone I see in the hall. You wait a few moments then go to the ballroom.”

  “Do you think it will work?”

  “It does not matter. We have no choice but to try.”

  Once the decision was made, he moved swiftly to the entrance, looked out in either direction, then headed back to the ball. Jane tried to calm her nerves enough to appear as if nothing had happened, but was doing an abysmal job. Her palms were sweaty, and her breath was still fast. How long was a few moments? When was it safe to exit the cloakroom without being seen? Was there such a thing as safety at a time like this?

  She wrung her hands together while stepping closer to the entrance. The image of a crowd of people right outside the doorway, waiting to laugh at her shame flashed through her mind. Jane fully expected it to happen so much that she thought she may just faint from the strain. The only cure for it was to force herself to move.

  When she emerged into the light of the hallway and no one was around, it became more comfortable to walk faster, to get away from the situation as quickly as possible. Jane did everything she could to stop herself from bursting into a sprint as she hurried through the large townhouse. It would be all right. That was just a simple indiscretion. Her first and her last. She ought to have known better than to do it, but there was something about Lord Brisby that was difficult to resist.

  The bright lights of the chandeliers in the main ballroom were ahead of her. Music still played. She nearly ran over her aunt upon entering.

  “Jane! Where have you been? I searched the entire room for you, and was about to run around the house, looking like a madwoman.”

  “I went to…” Her mind spun frantically, reaching for a passable reason. Jane hated to lie and feared she wasn’t very good at it. “To find out where you were.”

  “But I told you I would return shortly. You know you should not leave the ballroom by yourself.”

  “I am sorry.”

  They were so engrossed in their own conversation that neither one noticed him approach.

  “Am I interrupting something?” said Lord Brisby.

  It only took Jane’s aunt a second to remember herself and force a smile back to her face. “We were just discussing all the wonderful fashions on display tonight. It seems as if modistes have only improved on their craft since my first season.”

  “Design may have progressed, but a lady of timeless style need not be concerned with idle change.”

  The older woman blushed for the first time in years. “You are far too kind, my lord.”

  “I am only honest. You can not go wrong with that.” He looked at Jane with a smile. “I believe I was promised the next dance.”

  ***

  Her gloved hand was interlaced with his as the couples stepped out onto the ballroom floor. She squeezed him as the musicians played the cheery start of a cotillion. It was the only way there was to really show interest and affection. That tantalizing, secret pressure applied toward someone she found so very attractive.

  Three other couples spun and danced around them, changing partners, twirling, then finding each other again. Jane hated every second away from Lord Brisby. She was only interested in dancing with him. The place was quite large for a townhouse in London but had still gotten packed with a crush of people. Even with so many witnesses present, Jane was satisfied that no one could tell that she secretly wanted his attention the most. It was only their first dance.

  The kiss he gave her earlier had promises behind it. She was sure, but tried not to stare at him too intently so as to keep their secrets safe.

  “You dance divinely,” said Brisby. “I have enjoyed your graceful movement ever since that first step by dim light.”

  Jane blushed. “And why should I not? Dancing in that manner is a common skill. Moving comes naturally enough.”

  “Not to everyone. Some ladies have no talent for the rhythm of it. For all things, art is created in the details.”

  “You sound like a man who knows by vast experience.”

  He had a devilish grin. “Vast would be an overstatement, Miss Jane.”

  “Considerable then?”

  “I have not enjoyed many partners at all. But it doesn’t take long to discover that not everyone can perform in a satisfying manner.”

  “That is a horrible thing to say about anyone who tries.”

  “Why? A person may try a lot of things. It does them no good to continue with something they have no aptitude for.”

  “But for what we are really talking about, there is no way to live a full life without engaging in it. Everyone must continue.”

  Brisby
tilted his head. “Whatever do you mean, Miss Jane? I thought we were having a lovely conversation about dance.”

  She laughed. “Oh, stop it.”

  They spun around with other couples on the floor before finding each other again.

  “Do you really value honesty, Lord Brisby? Just as you told my aunt?”

  “Why would anyone waste their time with lies?”

  “No decent person would.”

  “I agree entirely.”

  “Then you will not mind me asking what your intentions are?”

  “My intention is as simple as any could be. I wish to finish the dance.”

  “It is good news that your motives are pure. I would not want you to get the wrong idea about me. It is the only time I have ever…” Jane glanced around the floor, nervously. “Begun a dance in that way.”

  “I would not presume to think otherwise. Is this your first season?”

  “Yes, but my aunt has taken great care to prepare me for the rigors of this undertaking.”

  “That sounds far too serious. What could there be to prepare for?” said Brisby. “It is only the fun of social interaction that there is to experience here.”

  “A ball is filled with much more than that. There are all sorts of people present, the same as in the world outside. Rakes who want nothing more than to take advantage of any girl naive enough to fall victim to their charms.”

  “Did your aunt tell you that?”

  “She did.”

  “Is she a bitter woman?”

  “Just practical.”

  They circled around, going from one partner to the next until they made it back to each other again.

  “Are you suggesting that I am such a man?” said Brisby.

  “Only that such men exist. I do not know you well enough to have an opinion about your personal affairs.”

  “You must have some initial impression.”

  “Not at all.”

  “You can not do that. You have brought it up. It would be unfair of you to dodge the question now.”

  “I am doing no such thing,” said Jane.

  “Everyone gets a flash of intuition when they meet someone. It is impossible not to. If there is something you feel you have to make clear, then do so.”

  “I am rethinking what we did at the beginning of this dance. It was foolish on my part.”

  “There is nothing foolish in life. Just the things you do or don’t do. When your time in this world is nearly over all that will matter is the experience.”

  “Maybe it is that way for men. Women must be more careful. What if you are the sort of man who takes sport in the conquest and ruination of young ladies? You would have no intention of ever doing the honorable thing by anyone you seduce.”

  “What would make you think that?” said Brisby.

  “Does it matter? All that could make a difference between us is whether it is true.”

  “It is unspeakably bad form for you to accuse me of something as we are enjoying the song.”

  “It was only a question.”

  “Then I have one in return. How much more do you want from me after our dance?”

  Jane opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. How would anyone answer such a thing? She was slow to change partners and spin around, only going through the motions as if in a trance. Could other people tell that they were having more than a normal conversation? She noticed a lady whispering in her aunt’s ear at the side of the room.

  “You can tell me what you hope will happen,” Brisby continued. “I will not hold it against you.”

  “Perhaps we should just concentrate on the cotillion.”

  “I was trying to until you brought up more serious matters. And now I have noticed that your chaperone is watching us too closely. It makes me very uncomfortable.”

  “I fear that my aunt may have been told something and has moved toward the dance floor for my protection.”

  “You make me sound like a fiend.” He looked legitimately wounded.

  “I had no intention of hurting you.”

  “But you have hurt me, Miss Jane. I do not see how you could expect it to be otherwise.”

  “It is just that what happened in that dark room is so unlike me. I only wanted to be honest with you. I thought you were a man who valued that.”

  “A modicum of tact is also required. Without it, honesty can easily cross the line into cruelty.”

  “But I do not want to be cruel.”

  “Neither does a soldier who runs another man through during battle. The result is the same.”

  “Is this war?”

  “You and your aunt seem to think so,” said Brisby.

  “But I would not make the comparison.”

  “You must give me the chance to prove to you that my character is not at all what you imagine it to be.”

  “You are doing so right now. I admit I may have been mistaken. A cad would not recoil at the idea in such an extreme manner. We can only hide who we are to a certain extent.”

  “Then what are you hiding?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Not even that you secretly wish to end this dance the same way it began in the shadows?”

  She stopped moving, and another woman tripped while hopping sideways to avoid a collision. Jane reached out to help her but recoiled at the disgusted look she received in return.

  “Are you all right?” said Brisby.

  Jane stepped to the music again. “I already told you not to get the wrong idea. I am not that sort of girl.”

  “The question made you angry. It was not my intention, but you are agreeable when you are angry.”

  “I can assure you I am not agreeable in the least.”

  “Your eyes glint like starlight.”

  “And my blood boils like lava,” said Jane. “You may not enjoy anything I have to say when that happens.”

  “On the contrary. A woman with no temper has no soul either.”

  “I will not sneak away with you again.” She whispered it as they stepped around each other. “No matter what you say.”

  “But why not? It is harmless.”

  “Do other women give in to this?”

  “I would not know. I only want to dance this way with you.”

  “How about on occasions prior to tonight?”

  “They no longer exist. I have already forgotten every other woman in the world.”

  “You have not, Lord Brisby. And it is not fair of you to say you have.”

  “How could you know what beats in my heart?”

  “I know because we have just met.”

  “And a man can fall in love that quickly. He may see the woman he wants to spend his life with and feel it like a lightning bolt.”

  “This is not that way.”

  “Do you not believe in love at first sight or do you not believe in yourself?”

  “What does a belief in myself have to do with anything?” said Jane.

  “You are young. Sometimes people do not gain confidence in themselves for several more years.”

  “I have accomplished enough to be proud of.”

  “Like what?”

  “Is this a test?”

  “Isn’t everything?” said Brisby.

  “I have no desire to play your games.”

  “There are always games to be played. You might as well play mine.”

  “This is my life. I do not live it for sport.”

  “Then what fun do you have?”

  “None,” said Jane, sarcastically. “I stay at home and count rocks all day long.”

  “Now you are afraid of the questions I ask.”

  “I am not afraid of anything.”

  “Well, you will not answer them openly.”

  “They are not worth answering.”

  “The refuge of anyone running from the truth,” said Brisby.

  “I do not think you have been completely forthcoming with me this entire time.”

  “That is
where you are wrong, Miss Jane. I was sincere when I told you I was suddenly in love. Disturbingly so, in fact. It put me in a terrible position. One I now regret since you have met my sincere admission with nothing but disbelief.”

  “How could anyone feel love so quickly?”

  “So that is the part you dismiss. The very idea of it.”

  “I am not sure such a thing exists. I have never felt it.”

  “You have felt it tonight.”

  “What makes you think that, my lord?”

  “The way you took my hand for the dance.”

  Jane smiled. She thought Brisby would mention the kiss. It was surprising that he would put such value on how she squeezed his hand. Jane felt more vulnerable because he did, as if the man saw something deeply personal about her.

  “I was steadying myself,” she said.

  “Now who is lying? The pressure was unmistakable.”

  “You have read too much into it.”

  “I can only see what I see.”

  “You need to look again.”

  “Why?”

  “Because things change in moments.”

  Jane’s aunt was suddenly standing directly in their path, blocking the flow of the dance. It would cause a terrible scene, but it wasn’t safe to allow this to proceed for one moment longer.

  “The music still plays,” said Brisby.

  “Not for you, sir. I tried to wait for the final note so as not to disrupt the cotillion for everyone, but there is far too much conversation taking place.”

  “It is only natural to speak.”

  The woman seethed with controlled anger. “I have heard the most unfortunate gossip tonight.”

  Jane’s eyes got wide. “It is not as bad as it sounds.”

  “Be silent. We are leaving at once. And you will never speak to this man again.”

  She didn’t argue with her chaperone. They walked off the dance floor together. Brisby watched her leave. Other couples danced around him. Jane turned back, staring longingly at the man one final time.

  Chapter 2

  Summer 1815

  Six o’clock was quite the fashionable hour to stroll through Hyde Park. Jane walked along the broad footpath with one of her dearest friends. The place had been invaded by the beau monde, there to see and be seen.

  “I have the most exciting news.” Jane looked as if she might burst with it.