"Of course, Jonathan."
"Elizabeth, Charlotte?"
"Only too pleased," they both assented.
Vanessa cried off. "I'm going to stay home with Baby Arthur today, if you don't mind. But I shall be more than ready for the ball this evening."
Her aunt agreed to stay home in order to rest as well. The card party at the Elliotts' had gone on until the wee hours of the morning. She did not want to be too fagged that night.
"Very well, Aunt Susan, I shall see you later."
The three women arranged themselves in the carriage in such a way that Jonathan ended up next to Pamela again. She congratulated herself on her luck in sitting next to the man she so admired.
However, she had ample cause to regret ever having brought him when her former school friend Belinda Bassett began to flirt with him most outrageously.
Pamela's cheeks flushed with mortification at the silly behavior of the woman, but there was little she could do other than try to turn the topic of conversation to something suitable.
"I dare say my friend would benefit from one of your impromptu performances of The School for Scandal," Pamela said pointedly.
"Oh, yes, I would. Lady Sneerwell is quite my favorite. Such a clever woman," Belinda tittered.
Pamela's complexion remained red throughout the entire visit, for embarrassment soon gave way to ire. Jonathan did not reproach Belinda in any way for her unseemly conduct, whereas she had got a good dressing down for gossiping. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying being fawned all over and listening to her flirtatious prattle.
Pamela could not leave fast enough, though to her horror Jonathan seemed inclined to stay. She looked to Sarah and Elizabeth for help, but they were doing their best to listen attentively to Belinda's talk of the ball that evening, and her gown.
"I shall look forward to seeing you tonight, "Jonathan said with a gallant bow as he took his leave.
"I have been holding the first dance in reserve, but I feel sure a man of your good breeding will oblige me," Belinda said boldly.
"I will indeed."
"But-" Pamela started to protest.
Jonathan did not say a word, merely fixed her with a look that chilled her. It was one of utter indifference to her feelings. She could not believe he had insisted the first dance was his last evening, and was now going back on his word.
It was too late to get the Earl to repeat his offer. Even if she did run into him prior to the second dance, it would look odd, as if she had been thrown over. To dance two dances in a row with him was out of the question. Not if she intended to keep her name unlinked with his as a match made.
Perhaps she could persuade Ferncliffe to dance the first and sit out the second. Nothing was worse than being left at the wall for the opening set.
Still, it was awfully bad of Jonathan to have landed her in such a pickle, and she looked at her pert and pretty little friend resentfully.
"Lawks, yes," Belinda was saying. "One has to take one's enjoyment where one can if one is engaged or married to a disagreeable man."
How Jonathan could be so taken with someone so brazen was beyond Pamela. If he were stimulated by her obvious manner, well, he would get flirtation all right.
Pamela would play the game too, and win the prize.
Chapter Twenty
Eventually Pamela managed to drag her party away from Belinda Bassett's home by reminding them that they should not be late for dinner again.
Once in the carriage, she tried to steer the conversation away from her friend, but they all seemed to think Miss Bassett charming.
How could they all be so blind? Or was she just seeing green?
Jonathan and the others certainly hoped so. Jonathan had not instigated what had happened at that house, but he had made the most of the opportunity to see if Pamela would be jealous. It was unworthy of him, he knew, yet it had also taught Pamela a valuable lesson in choosing her friends more wisely. The others had played along better than he could have hoped.
Pamela sat back in the seat next to Elizabeth, and tried to reflect more rationally on her feelings. She was jealous. She certainly resented being supplanted by Belinda in the first dance of the evening. She knew there could not be anything between Belinda and Jonathan. They had just met, she was engaged...
"I know you were surprised about the order of the dance, Miss Ashton. But I felt sure that since your friend seems to have such a limited circle of acquaintance, you would not mind," Jonathan said.
"Of course not," she forced herself to say, wishing he could have at least sounded a bit more apologetic.
"I'm sure that the Duke or Clifford will be willing to stand up with you. I shall dance the third with you."