10 Regency - Chapter 4

Alec leaned against the wall next to the cracked door. He was incredibly curious about this young woman and the person who was coming to meet her.

When he heard the door open and heard her greet the man as Alex, he realized the truth. She had mistaken him for the man she was coming to meet. But why was such a lovely, proper young lady meeting a man in secret in a library?

Thinking back over their encounter and listening to the excitement in her voice when her friend told her he was in love made everything click into place. She was in love with her friend. She had invited him to meet her so she could tell him of her feelings. And now. . . now she must be crushed, he thought, as her friend prosed on and on about her beautiful sister.

Alec felt a sharp pang of sympathy for the young lady. Beth, her friend had called her. A fitting name, very lovely and classical.

As he listened to their plans to help bring her sister and her friend together, Alec was impressed by Beth's fortitude. Her voice was surprisingly calm for a woman who had likely just had her heart broken.

The more he heard her planning with her friend in her clear, sweet voice, the more he wanted to get to know her. First he would have to wangle a proper introduction. Surely Devon and Thomas could help him with that. They would know who she was and would know how best to approach her.

He did not want to take advantage of her broken heart, he assured himself. He just wanted to offer her friendship. He would forget about the kisses they had shared. . . even if they were some of the best moments of his life. She didn't need a man pressing his attention on her right now. She may not even need his friendship, but he would offer it, for it was all he had that might help her.

Having chosen his course, Alec waited until he heard the friends leave, then resumed his seat. Devon was to meet him here shortly. He would get information from him.

Devon arrived a few minutes after Alec sat. Alec was surprised to see Thomas with him. He stood and greeted his friends, then resumed his seat on the settee while they sank into nearby armchairs.

"Oh laws, what a crush this is," Thomas said with a happy smile.

"Indeed," Devon said in a milder voice. "As the first major ball of the season always is."

"Certainly. Now what are you doing locked away in here, lad?" Thomas turned his attention to Alec.

"Well, I've just had quite an interesting experience." He paused. While he trusted his friends not to spread any rumors, he did not want to tell them about his time with Beth. Perhaps because it felt too personal and he was not ready to share. Instead, he mentioned meeting her and then mentioned seeing her in conversation with another man. He left out the details of their conversation. He would not share her secret heartbreak.

"I would like to be introduced formally, but I only know her first name and her appearance."

"What did she look like?" Devon asked with a frown. His displeasure seemed to increase as Alec described a tall, slim beauty with dark hair.

"I believe she was wearing a pale blue gown," he added.

Devon and Thomas exchanged a look that Alec couldn't interpret.

"Well, looks like our friend has developed an interest in the ice queen herself," Thomas finally broke the silence.

"I knew he'd get himself into trouble when he went off alone to clear his head." Devon shook his head.

"The ice queen?" Alec interrupted.

They turned to him. "You, my dear boy, have met the lovely eldest daughter of the Marquess of Hartford. Her name is Elizabeth, Beth to her friends, and she is known far and wide as the ice queen." Alec made to interrupt, but Thomas held up a hand and continued.

"She came out three years ago now. Very lovely, good dowry, excellent family. Of course she had loads of young bucks dangling after her."

"What happened?" Alec asked, expecting to hear some horrible event that had turned off all her suitors.

"She was cold. Not unfriendly, exactly, but very quiet, closed off. Did her best to cut down everyone's hopes as quickly as she could," Devon answered.

Alec pondered this information. If she were in love with her friend, if she had not seen him for years, then perhaps she had been saving herself for him. This realization only increased his sympathy for the poor girl. To have planned her life around her love and then to see it fall apart. . . she must be devastated. And yet, she had still acted with the bearing of a queen: calm, collected, kind. No recriminations or hysterics.

He was pulled from his ruminations by his friends. "Who could she have been talking with?" Devon asked.

"A man named Alex," Alec offered.

Thomas looked thoughtful, but Devon was the one who spoke. "Of course! The Earl of Kingsford's heir, Alexander Tufton. He just returned from a short grand tour. He's new to London and I believe tonight was his first appearance."

"But how would they know each other?" Thomas asked. "Kingsford's seat is quite a ways from Hartford's."

Devon stroked his clean-shaven, strong chin thoughtfully. "Oh! I believe I heard Kingsford mention once that he spends his summers at his hunting lodge. And if memory serves, it is in the same neighborhood as Widwood."

Thomas nodded. "That would certainly make sense. Who could have guessed the ice queen was friends with Tufton. He's quite a charmer, from what I've heard. Very personable and well-liked, though maybe a bit on the wild side."

"He's sure to have some wild oats to sow before he'll settle down, but I'm sure he'll turn out to be quite a pillar of society. His father is a good man."

"Indeed."

When they were finished discussing Tufton, Devon offered to introduce Alec to Beth. "We are not close, but we've talked a few times and danced together once or twice."

Alec was surprised. Devon rarely offered to perform introductions. He explained his reasons once they were back in the ballroom and Thomas had peeled off to hover around one of his newest flirts.

"She has always been kind to me. In spite of her perceived coldness, I have at times wondered if she is just covering up a shy personality like mine," Devon explained. "She really dislikes Thomas, though. I overheard her once in the park complaining to her maid that he was always pestering her and trying to get her to talk and laugh when she was not inclined to do so."

Alec laughed and clapped Devon on the shoulder. "Thank you, then, for providing me with what I'm sure will be a more acceptable introduction."

They found Beth standing along the wall, her face wearing a cool smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked at Alec first in surprise, then in horror as Devon performed the introduction. Alec put on his best reassuring smile. Hopefully he would get a chance to talk with her before she dismissed him.