"What are you looking for?"

I jumped when Madison appeared at my side but then took her hand and led her off through the crowd toward the back of the Harrington Estate ballroom.

"You," I hissed to my friend when we had emerged on the other side. "Where have you been? We separated to get ready hours ago."

"Ah yes, well, Benthem and I sort of... lost track of time," Madison answered, clearing her throat as a blush bloomed upon her round cheeks. I merely shook my head and ducked down out of the eye line of the man I had been avoiding all evening; Sir Thomas Abney.

The man seemed to have made it his personal mission to locate me at every event and I could see him now, neck craned above the crowd like a periscope as he searched the room for me.

"Ella, what are you doing?" Madison asked again.

"It's Sir Thomas," I answered. "He's been trying to get my attention all night. I've been doing my best to avoid him but he has a frightening amount of determination."

"Ah," Madison nodded in understanding, her keen green eyes searching the room for an escape. "Oh, I know! Your family is by the door. Well your mother and your brother, that is. They are greeting everyone with the Duke, making the necessary introductions."

"Yes, so?"

"So that's the highest concentration of people. The foot traffic over there is a nightmare. But you're part of the host family. If you were greeting everyone as well, then even if Sir Thomas saw you, he could not reasonably approach. It would be inappropriate."

I paused, eying the front of the room where my mother and brother stood arrayed in front of the Duke to make the necessary introductions, like a receiving line at a wedding.

"Genius!" I exclaimed, grabbing my friend's face and planting a kiss upon her forehead in my excitement for the plan. "I've missed you, Madison."

With that, I pushed through the crowd, giving Sir Thomas a wide berth on the other side of the room, and came upon the last in the line. The Duke himself. I settled myself in next to him and called out to the woman whose hand the Duke was releasing from his greeting.

"Lady Gwendolyn, your earrings are absolutely lovely. You must tell me where you found them," I burst eagerly. The Lady beamed at me and offered a greeting of her own and a promise to find me later to discuss my taste in jewels before she walked off into the ballroom and I was left with the feeling of eyes upon me to my left. I turned to see the Duke looking over at me, eyebrow raised and lips poised in a delicate smirk. I sighed. "What?"

"Are you to be part of my welcoming committee now?" He asked in a drawl.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" I snapped, regretting the state of my frayed nerves the moment I said it. But his smile merely broadened as he turned back to greet the next guest.

"Not at all," he answered under his breath and I exhaled in relief. Perhaps I would get away with this after all. One glance in Thomas' direction told me that the boy did not intend to follow me any further. Before I could turn back to the line, I heard the smooth, deep voice in my ear. "Who are you avoiding?"

I jumped and turned back to him, hand on my chest to still my beating heart.

"If you do that again, it'll be you I'm avoiding," I answered with a curse.

"Such language for a lady," he replied, that ever present smirk still plain upon his face. What was it about that which vexed me so? He fell serious as he glanced to the conversation with the next guest that my mother and brother seemed to be locked in, holding up the line for entrance. "Who is it?"

"It's unimportant," I whispered.

"It's important enough that you'd rather feign polite welcoming to the members of a town you already know well."

I fell silent, biting my lip, hating that he was right and I was caught.

"I'll rephrase," the Duke spoke lowly after a moment. "Who is he?"

My eyes snapped up to him as the line finally broke through and our conversation was paused long enough for my mother to introduce the Duke to Lady Avon and her busty daughter. I greeted them politely as well but fell back to my surly attitude the moment they walked away.

"And how do you know it's a man?" I snapped and saw the corners of his lips twitch in a smile.

"An educated guess. Are you going to tell me?"

I considered it and finally relented. The Duke wouldn't know him anyway. With a sigh, I said his name, "Sir Thomas Abney."

He said nothing in response, merely raised a brow waiting for an explanation. Well, I wouldn't give it. He held his tongue as well and the two of us fell into the greetings and the polite conversation and did not speak another word to each other for the rest of the welcoming.

When it was done, I turned and strode away before Thomas could approach or my mother could ask what had gotten into me. I found Madison near the refreshments, nursing a glass of punch and scanning the crowd.

"Well," I said as I approached. "It worked for a time but I don't know if-"

"Excuse me, Lady Harrington," someone spoke from behind me. I froze. I recognized that voice easily enough. He truly wasted no time in tracking me down. Madison merely turned away and headed into the crowd to locate her husband. Some help she was. With a deep breath, I turned to face Sir Thomas Abney.

"Sir Abney," I said politely, forcing a smile as he bowed far too low and took my hand in his to plant a kiss upon my knuckles. The touch of his lips was overly moist and I fought the urge to wipe my hand upon my gown when he finally released me.

"You are a difficult woman to find, Lady Harrington."

"Am I? How odd. I've simply been enjoying the festivities," I spoke and he nodded. I glanced around for a way out, for anyone who could help. My brother was across the room speaking to Benthem. Madison was now at their side mouthing a useless apology in my direction. Emily was sulking in the corner, deep in her glass of wine. My mother had the arm and the ear of Lady Weatherby. The Duke was closest, only a few feet away with his back to us as at least half a dozen women spoke all at once, vying for his attention. He had problems of his own then.

"Yes, the ballroom is quite lovely, isn't it?" Sir Thomas remarked. "Now that the guests have been welcomed, I imagine the music will be starting up any-"

As he spoke the string quartet my mother had hired took up their tune and he smiled broadly at the fulfillment of his prediction.

"Well, would you look at that?" He beamed at me, cheeks coloring in the glow of the chandeliers. "I don't suppose, Lady Harrington, that you would care to-"

"May I have this dance, Lady Harrington?" Someone else interjected and I turned to see the Duke holding his hand out to me. I heard the soft gasps of the women standing behind him and my own lips parted as well. The first dance of the evening was not something that the most eligible bachelor was supposed to give out to just anyone. Especially not a woman who wasn't properly debuted or even in the market to marry. Still, I wasn't in the market to turn down any available rescue, no matter how uncouth it may be.

"I- yes, of course. Please excuse us, Sir Abney," I said with a bow and then took the Duke's hand and allowed him to lead me onto the dance floor with the other couples now gathering to take part in the number. As we arranged ourselves, I whispered, "What are you doing?"

"That's Sir Thomas, is it not?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Well, then. I'm saving you."

The song began and the couples all went through their paces, separating and coming together again, spinning around each other and exchanging partners. Still, the Duke never took his eyes off of me and I found myself becoming more and more aware of his gaze until the song came to an end and we applauded the musicians. He extended an arm and I looked up at him in surprise.

"Allow me to continue my rescue," he said and I merely blinked before linking my arm with his and letting him lead me away to the corner where Benthem and Madison stood with their drinks, smiling.

"Very impressive, Your Grace," Madison said politely as they approached.

"Ah yes, Victor did well," Benthem added, gesturing with his glass to me. "But I'd forgotten the two left feet of this one."

"Victor?" I queried, ignoring the barb and turning my eyes to the Duke. He smiled down at me.

"Yes, that is my name. You didn't know my name?"

I shook my head, "It never came up."

"Duke Victor Edward Winterbourne the third," Benthem recited with a bit of a slur and Madison's eyes went to the brandy in his hand.

"The third? There are two more of you?" I said. "God help us all."

The other three chuckled at that, Benthem barking out a laugh the loudest.

"I'm Ella," I said awkwardly, unsure if the proper introductions had ever really been made between us. The Duke smirked at my discomfort as I extricated my arm from his and offered my hand to shake. He looked down at it and I realized my error. I started to lower it but then he reached out and took it, bending to brush his lips lightly across my knuckles, gazing up at me through thick lashes. I thought I felt my heart skip a beat and was perhaps beginning to understand what was making those other women swoon. That feeling made me uncomfortable. So I did what I always did when I was uncomfortable. I deflected and pulled my hand from his grip as if his lips had burned my flesh. "I'd just realized I never quite introduced myself."

"You did not," he told me, still smiling and clearly unruffled by my retreat. "But Benthem has told me all about you."

"Has he?"

I turned to Benthem but before the man could respond, another spoke up from behind me.

"Lady Harrington, might I have a word?"

I turned to find Sir Thomas Abney standing behind me looking slightly more annoyed than he had at the beginning of the night. He wasn't going to give up. So I gave in. Easier to get this conversation over with.

"You may, Sir Abney," I answered, standing straighter to lend my nerves some courage. His eyes slid to the Duke behind me.

"Might we speak in private?"

I sighed and turned, "Benthem, will you-"

He handed Madison his drink and took a step forward but the Duke put a hand on his chest to stop him. He nodded toward his friend's half empty glass.

"Are you in any condition to be entrusted to chaperone such a conversation?" The Duke inquired. Benthem frowned, his answer clear enough.

"Very well," I sighed. "If you'll give me a moment to find my brother, Sir Abney-"

"I will chaperone," the Duke offered and all eyes snapped to him.

"You?" I asked, brow raised.

"Why not? You only have need of an extra person to ensure nothing occurs between the two of you, yes? I'm not your brother nor your oldest friend but I am a part of your household, at least for a time."

I blinked at him for a moment before hitching up my skirts and heading for the door, calling over my shoulder as I went, "Very well. Come along then."

The tapping of my heels on the stone floor of the foyer seemed to imitate my beating heart. Both men were following me, I knew it, but the Duke came to a stop at the entrance to the hall while Sir Thomas kept walking until he was standing in front of me. I waited for him to speak but he only stared at me.

"You look quite beautiful tonight," he said finally. I smiled politely back at him.

"Thank you, Sir Abney. What was it you wished to speak with me about?" I asked, trying not to allow my impatience to become apparent in my tone.

"Ah, yes. Well, I feel as though we needed to address that which occurred in your parlor the other day," he began and I felt the same embarrassment that I had felt that day wash over me again. I could not help but glance at the Duke. He was facing away from us but I could tell he was leaning to hear what we were saying. I rolled my eyes and remembered that Sir Abney was still speaking. "I know what your mother said about the appropriateness of my visit. I know that tradition dictates you cannot marry until your sister does. But I wanted to make sure that you knew I was there to see you. That my interest lies in you."

There it was. He had finally been bold enough to say it. And now, I had to muster the courage to respond.

"Sir Abney," I started and his smile faltered at the mere hint in my tone. "I'm truly flattered by your attentions. But I'm afraid my mother is right. It is not acceptable for me to be engaged in any act of courting when my elder sister is yet unwed. You are a handsome gentleman and a kind sir. I am certain there are many ladies here tonight who would like their chance to capture your heart. I would hate for my unavailability to stand in the way of your happiness."

He frowned but nodded in understanding.

"You're most kind, Lady Harrington," he replied politely. "I shall take your rejection with understanding and will pursue other possibilities. But should your situation change and you find yourself in need of a suitor, I would be honored to be placed at the top of your list so long as I am yet unclaimed."

I hesitated, considering the possible implications of giving the man such a false hope, but gave him a wordless nod and a smile anyway. There was no use in wounding his pride any further this evening. Then he turned and walked past the Duke and back to the ballroom. I released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding as my chaperone turned around, a smirk on his handsome face. I sighed and rolled my eyes, shoulders slumping in irritation. I was truly beginning to tire of that horrible grin.

"What?" I snapped.

"Masterfully done," he teased. "Have you considered becoming a poet, Lady Harrington? The world could do with more of your eloquence."

I just shook my head and marched past him back into the ballroom, doing my best to ignore the spark that ignited between us when our shoulders barely brushed in the threshold.

I did my best to locate my friend as I reentered the ball, finding Madison in the same corner that I had left her in, holding her husband's drink and smiling as they spoke to another couple. I pushed past the crowd until I could reach out and grip Madison's arm.

"Neither of us have any business in being here any longer," I muttered with a pointed glance at Madison's wedding band. A married woman and an unavailable one. It was nonsense to attend such a display of companionship. Madison took my hint and tugged on her husband's sleeve, whispering something into Benthem's ear which made him smile and nod in her direction. Then she pumped her eyebrows and reached for my arm, pulling me away from the crowd and toward the door.

I felt myself relaxing already as we left behind the prying eyes of the elite and took off down the hall, giggling like school girls again, for a night like we'd had before. Pilfering the kitchens, gossiping about the neighbors, and laughing until our stomachs hurt. Even enjoying the box of chocolates which someone had oddly left upon my nightstand. It was good to have Madison back.