A Royal Secret

CHAPTER TWELVE

A small frown tugged on the edges of her brows at the thought of Jeffery. It had been nearly three weeks since she saw him, and although he had sent her yet another missive informing her of his delay in returning, he also failed to specify a date of his return. She was beginning to believe that he would indeed never return, and it was a painful thought.

Perhaps he had found her too repulsive after taking her to his bed. Not that she could blame him, for she knew there was nothing in her to be desired by a man. It even came as a surprise that Jeffery had been willing to consummate their marriage in the first place, and although she wanted more of Jeffery, she convinced herself that the memory of that evening was more than she could have ever imagined she'd get in life; it was enough. She would simply revel in the memory and bask in Lord Kensington's attention.

"It is only proper that after all these days of spending so much time together, I ask you for a dance." Lord Kensington turned to her, green eyes charming her until a smile was replacing the frown on her face.

"It has been many years since I danced." And it had. She had only learned how to dance when she was twelve and lived as a companion of the child of a nobleman and woman. Even then, she hadn't properly learned, but had only sat by the corner and watched the little girl and her dance tutor dance around the room.

"Which means it has been long enough. I'm a little rusty myself." He grinned.

"I fear I might hurt your foot." She blushed.

"Oh, do not worry your pretty head, Mrs. Hendrix; I'm sure you'll do great." He offered his hand to her.

Chara stared at it for several seconds, skeptical. She didn't want to be rude by rejecting his proposal in the presence of so many people, but she also didn't want to make a fool of herself on the dance-floor. It was bad enough that she was ugly.

"Are you certain, my lord?" She urged him with her eyes to reconsider.

"I am quite certain."

Chara took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance-floor. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held the other hand midair.

"Did Jeffery say when he shall return?" he asked after a few minutes of dancing.

Chara shifted her attention from trying not to step on his foot and lifted her eyes to his face. She shook her head. "I am uncertain, but I believe it must be really important."

The older gentleman shrugged. "Perhaps."

She frowned. "Perhaps?"

"Well, the elections are around the corner, my dear. Leaving town and the social scene is not a smart move, unless, of course, it is for a worthy cause."

She nodded. "In his letter, he speaks of business."

"My son owns a few fleets of vessels, most of which carry mercantile across England. He also owns a few manors not too far away, but I dare say that he hasn't been away from town for one week at a stretch. Climbing the social ladder... This election means everything to him. It has been his goal for quite some time. Business is a flimsy excuse."

Chara averted her gaze to the snack table in the far corner of the room where a gentleman was pouring himself some wine. She knew Lord Kensington implied his son was lying about his decision to journey, and although she knew Jeffery's real reason for journeying was to get away from her, she didn't want Lord Kensington to find out; not only would it be humiliating, she didn't believe it was any of his business.

"You must understand that most gentlemen in our society keep these women as some sort of sport. It's really nothing personal." His words pulled her attention back.