Bridget and he looked around at all the finely dressed guests around them. He probably wouldn’t find anyone to do the deed. Though the duchess had been introducing them all evening, there was no one she recognized. There had been too many names and faces to keep track of.
Not wanting to find herself left alone with his dark and brooding companion while he sought a mutual acquaintance, Bridget decided to just introduce herself. She stuck out her hand and said, “Bridget Cavendish, of the American Cavendishes.”
“I know.”
“I suppose everybody knows.”
“Mr. Rupert Wright, at your service,” he said with a bow. She grinned because his name was actually Mr. Wright. It had to be some sort of sign. “And this is my brother, Darcy. He is a stickler for propriety and probably having an apoplexy that we have violated the most basic etiquette by conversing before being introduced by a mutual acquaintance.”
“Well aren’t we living dangerously,” she murmured. Rupert’s eyes flashed and a smile teased at his lips.
“Indeed, it’s so very thrilling,” he murmured. Lord above, he was handsome. She would probably go home and write Rupert and Bridget in her diary. Repeatedly.
“I was just saying that an American family infiltrating the English aristocracy will surely lead to the downfall of English society,” Darcy said smugly. “As usual, I am correct.”
“Is that so?” Bridget inquired. “How exactly does that happen?”
“First, it’s an occasional informality; perhaps a conversation without a proper introduction. Then the rules are regularly relaxed, which, over time, leads to a general mayhem. Then we are all no different from the beasts. Or savages. Or Americans.”
“You sound like the Duchess of Durham,” she replied. “Or one of the conduct books on my bedside table. They are a remarkable remedy for insomnia.”
Aha! A flicker of feeling in his features! He seemed shocked and maybe, perhaps, a bit wounded to have been compared to one of the dragons of the ton. She felt thrilled to have gotten a reaction out of him.
Rupert burst out laughing. “Finally, Darcy, someone to stand up to you!”
“So happy to oblige,” she replied, smiling, because she made Rupert laugh with her instead of at her.
But her smile faded when she caught Darcy staring. Under his gaze, she became intensely aware of her dress, her hair, whether she was standing straight enough, and she involuntarily wondered if he liked what he saw or why she cared if he did. He made her skin feel hot.
Why this man should have such an effect on her was not something she was inclined to dwell on. Not when she could banter with his handsome and friendly brother. Rupert and Bridget did have such a ring to it.
“Oh, is that a waltz starting?” Rupert asked, groaning slightly. “I promised our hostess that I would dance with her daughter, and I live in fear of Lady Tunbridge’s wrath if I don’t comply. Lady Bridget, it has been lovely not officially making your acquaintance and discussing art. I hope to see you soon. Do take care for the rest of the evening.”
And with that, Rupert flashed her a grin and ventured off in search of Lady Tunbridge and her daughter.
She was left alone with his brother.
His eyes were dark and intensely focused on her. His jaw was set. If his brother was sunshine and cupid, this man was dark clouds, thunderstorms, that feeling of electricity in the air before lightning strikes.
They stood there, staring at each other, in an agonizing silence. In her opinion, extended silences were the worst. The longer they lasted, the harder it was to find something to say. And she often blurted out the first thing on her mind to avoid it. This moment was no exception.
“Do you dance, Mr. Darcy?”
“Lord Darcy,” he corrected. Of course. Everyone here was Lord or Lady or Your Grace or Your Lordship. Not only were there rankings, but also different forms of address, many of which changed depending on whether one was writing or speaking. Bridget remembered Josephine lecturing on this—and she remembered not paying attention.
She longed, intensely, for America, where everyone was either Mr., Mrs., or Miss, and that was that.
“I’m ever so sorry, Loooord Darcy,” she said, drawing out the sound and imitating his accent. Her attempt at humor was met with more silence. Dreaded silence. “Do you?”
“I do not.” Of course he didn’t. Because dancing was fun and she could already see that this man was where anything amusing and pleasant went to die.
Most ladies would take the opportunity to flee from a man who obviously had no interest in them. But she was not most ladies.
She accepted this Dreadful Darcy as a personal challenge. She would make him laugh, or at least crack a smile, if it was the last thing she did. Bridget leaned in closer, as if to whisper something scandalous. He stood still, like a statue. Barely breathing.