Page 31 of The Language of Love

“His lordship is eager to embrace his new life,” Mr. Parker said.

“And I’d wager there are plenty eager to assist him,” Miles said, cutting the same group of mamas a significant look.

Mr. Parker chuckled.

Miles turned to Annis. “I need to have a word with Fred. Have you seen her?”

Only Miles used that nickname for Freddie.

Before Annis could answer, Mr. Parker said, “Lady Sedgwick was busy making introductions for Lord Rotherhithe when I last saw her.”

Miles gave a grimace of mock horror. “Lord, I don’t envy the poor man. He’ll be feeling like a fox at the five-mile point before the night is through.” He grinned at Annis, his eyes sparkling. “Save the supper dance for me, Annie?”

“Mr. Parker has spoken for that one. Perhaps the first one after supper?”

Miles smiled at Mr. Parker, who’d again become tense and watchful, as if he expected Miles to object to him dancing with her. “Hasn’t taken you long to find one of England’s finest gems, has it, Parker?”

Annis blushed at his teasing and, once again, Mr. Parker thawed under Miles’s infectious good humor.

“We poor mortals can’t allow you to soak up all the female attention, my lord. Someone has to give a bloke like you a decent run.”

Miles laughed. “I consider myself well-warned, sir. Now, if you’ll both excuse me. I need to see if Freddie has a moment to spare.”

They watched him weave his way through the crowd, female heads swiveling almost comically in his wake.

“He seems a nice sort,” Mr. Parker commented, a bit grudgingly, Annis thought.

“Oh, Miles is the best sort.”

“You two know each other well.”

“We taught together for several years.”

“He worked at your young ladies’ school?”

“Yes, he was our dancing master.”

“An earl working as a dancing master?” he repeated.

“Well, he wasn’t an earl then, only the younger brother of an earl. His brother died unexpectedly last year.” She chewed her lip, her eyes on Miles’s golden head as he stopped in front of Freddie. “Besides losing a brother he loved, he’s inherited a mountain of debts and dependents.”

Now Freddie and Miles would never be together since he would have to marry an heiress if he wanted to save his family.

Her eyes teared up at the thought and she blinked rapidly and looked away to find Mr. Parker gazing down at her.

“Ah, I see.” Parker’s eyes had turned shrewd. “He needs to sell himself for money, does he? Well, a man who looks like him will have no problem landing any heiress in London.”

Annis flinched at his cynical tone. It didn’t matter that it was true; it was cruel to state it so bluntly—especially since Annis was also hoping to sell herself for money. The crucial difference was that there was no clamoring horde of rich suitors seeking her hand. Not even the elderly Mr. Norburg seemed especially eager.

“Here you are.” Miriam appeared beside her as if she’d sprung up from the parquet floor, her voice sharp enough to carry even in the noisy ballroom.

Mr. Parker turned, his mouth open, as if in greeting, but Miriam deliberately turned her back on him. “Susanna has been looking for you.”

“Yes, of course.” Annis smiled at Mr. Parker, but he was staring at her cousin, arrested. No doubt he was comparing Miriam’s tall, shapely beauty to Annis’s short, boy-like figure.

Annis knew perfectly well how she’d come out of such a comparison.

“Please excuse me, Mr. Parker.”