First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh Read Free Book Online Page A

such an apologetic way.

    She did not hear clearly what he said in response as he stepped into the line opposite her own, but she thought it was “Thank God!”

    Had he really said it?

    She looked keenly at him, but he did not repeat the words, whatever they had been.

    She had never liked the shortened form of her name. Nessie Dew sounded like such a... plain woman. But even so, it was none of his business what her family and friends chose to call her.

    The men on either side of Viscount Lyngate looked awed and slightly uncomfortable. So would the ladies on either side of her if she turned her head to look, Vanessa guessed.

    He was going to ruin the assembly for them all. They had been looking forward to it so very much. Yet it meant less than nothing to him. He was looking up and down the lines, not even trying to hide his boredom.

    Oh, dear. She was not usually so harsh in her judgments, especially of strangers—not that she saw many of those. Why were her thoughts about Viscount Lyngate so... well, spiteful? Was it because she felt too embarrassed to admit to herself that she had very nearly tumbled into love with him?

    How very ridiculous that would have been—the classic case of Beauty and the Beast, with no one in any doubt at all about which was which.

    She reminded herself suddenly that she had been all too eager to give in to the urging of her in-laws and Meg and Kate that she come to the assembly tonight. And after she had given in, she had hoped with bated breath and crossed fingers that someone would ask her to dance.

    Well, someone had asked her even if he had been more or less coerced. And he could not possibly be more handsome or more distinguished in every way. One could say that her wildest dream for the evening had come true.

    She would enjoy herself then, regardless.

    Suddenly she was aware of her family and friends and neighbors about her, all dressed in their best finery, all in a festive mood. She was aware of the fires crackling in the two hearths and the candles guttering in the draft from the door. She was aware of the smells of perfumes and food.

    And she was aware of the gentleman standing opposite her waiting for the music to begin. And looking at her from beneath those drooped eyelids.

    She was not going to allow him to believe that she was in awe of him. She was not going to allow him to render her speechless and incoherent.

    The music began, and Vanessa smiled with deliberate brilliance and prepared for as much conversation as the measures of the dance would allow.

    But most of all she gave herself up to the sheer joy of dancing again.

    Of all the partners with whom he might have chosen to dance, Elliott reflected as the music struck up and the line of gentlemen bowed while the line of ladies curtsied, Mrs. Vanessa Dew— Nessie, for the love of God!—would surely not have been one of them.

    She was Sir Humphrey’s daughter-in-law. That was bad enough. She was also an insignificant dab of a woman of medium height, who was altogether too slender and too small-breasted for his taste, her hair too mousy, her features too plain. Her eyes were a nondescript gray. And lavender as a color definitely did not suit her. Even if it had, the dress itself was hideous. She was not in the first blush of youth either.

    She was the very antithesis of Anna and indeed of any lady with whom he usually chose to dance at ton balls.

    But here he was dancing with her anyway. George would have spoken up if he had not, he supposed, but it had been obvious whom Dew had expected to speak up. And so he had been the performing monkey after all.

    That fact did not make him feel any more cheerful about the evening’s revelries.

    And then, just as they began to dance, Mrs. Dew smiled dazzlingly at him, and he was forced to admit that perhaps she was not quite the antidote he had taken her for. It was not a flirtatious smile, he was relieved to notice when after the first moment she looked away from him