Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) by Catherine Gayle Read Free Book Online

she’d been, to allow herself to think
for even a moment that any man would admire her. “I am not feeling
well. Excuse me.” She removed herself from his grasp, turned on her
heel, and fled from the ballroom, not stopping until she reached
the ladies’ retiring room.
    She silently cursed Toby for being
Toby, cursed Owen for not stopping Toby from being Toby, cursed Jo
for deserting her when she needed her most, cursed Lord Oglethorpe
for having her in a state to begin with, cursed Lord Devonport for
the prickles still running over her entire body, and cursed herself
for being an absolute ninny.
    And blast it all, she hadn’t found an
unsuspecting debutante to toss into Toby’s path yet.
     
    ~ * ~
     
    Noah watched the backside of Lady
Tabitha—a bit more thoroughly than he ought to have done—as she
scurried out of his presence. What on earth had just happened? It
was crazy enough that he’d gone along with Shelton’s suggestion to
pursue her. After all, something had to be afoot, something he was
unaware of, if both brothers were encouraging him in this manner,
particularly when they knew she would despise it. But for her to
respond favorably to his attentions at first, and then become as
warm as a colossal block of ice? What had he missed in that
conversation? What oughtn’t he to have done?
    The sudden change in her deportment
hadn’t been some figment of his imagination, either. It had
happened as surely as she had feigned illness in order to escape.
Noah had been surrounded by women his entire life. He would never
be so brash or foolish as to claim to completely understand them,
but he came a lot closer to doing so than the vast majority of his
contemporaries.
    Noah wasn’t certain how long he stood
alone in the middle of the ballroom floor, but he suddenly realized
the other dancers were clearing off and turning to face the dais,
with a few of them left staring at him. What a dolt he must look,
having been abandoned by his partner in the midst of the
waltz.
    Claremont and Leith stood off to the
side of the ballroom, gesturing frantically to him. As he made his
way across the floor to stand beside them, Noah became vaguely
aware that his mother and Glastonbury were standing with Lord
Scantlebury on the platform, looking fit to burst with their news.
In all that had happened since his arrival this evening, he’d
nearly forgotten their intention to announce their betrothal
tonight.
    Scantlebury held up his hands and
started to speak, and the hubbub dulled to the level of a kitten’s
mewl. Noah couldn’t hear what their host was saying, however, due
to Claremont’s insistent chatter in his ear.
    “ What in God’s name just
happened out there? Did you insult my cousin?”
    “ Of course I didn’t.” At
least he didn’t think he had. Dash it all, what if he had somehow
inadvertently affronted her? Raynesford would never let him hear
the end of it. Shelton would likely do something far more
impetuous, not to mention far more injurious to Noah’s
person.
    “ Then why did Lady Tabitha
leave you out there?” Leith pressed him.
    “ You’ve done something to
upset her as sure as I’m standing here,” Claremont said. “She
looked close to tears.”
    Close to tears? He’d made her cry. He
was a cad, through and through. He should be horsewhipped.
Gentlemen who left ladies in tears were no gentlemen at all. Still,
now was not the time for this discussion. “Do keep your voices
down. I’m trying to hear what they’re saying. We’ll discuss this
later.”
    Leith gave a halfhearted chuckle. “You
know good and well what they’re saying. They’re just announcing the
betrothal. You’re her son, for Christ’s sake. Surely you already
knew that.”
    Of course he already knew, but
listening to their declaration would at least buy Noah some time to
figure out what had gone wrong when he danced with Lady Tabitha.
“How did you two know? They’re only revealing it now.”
    Claremont’s ambiguous