Chapter 312: Chapter 312
The familiar British trio—the posture even while seated suggested an almost exaggerated uprightness, and those memorable deep gray eyes. An Ning quickly recognized him as the same unnamed gentleman they had encountered earlier in the dress shop.
The brisk, rhythmic dance music around them continued unabated.
There was no doubt that the hostess of this ball, the Ross Countess who enjoyed the queen’s favor, was an exceedingly elegant and tasteful noblewoman. The ballroom’s decorations were vintage yet lavish; under the warm yellow lights, a crowd of men and women in splendid attire were gliding in dance…
Their silent eye contact lasted only a moment. Almost simultaneously, with half the dance floor between them, the two of them each nodded and gave a slight sign toward the corner where the other stood.
This strange, uncanny tacit understanding didn’t faze the two involved, but Georgiana, standing to the side and sensing that something was off, couldn’t help furrowing her brow in confusion.
Just then, a golden-haired man in a dark tailcoat, his frame slightly tall, stepped forward first.
“May I have this dance, beautiful lady? I am James Ross,” he said, extending the hand he had previously held behind his back into an inviting gesture.
James Ross held the rank of colonel and was the second son of the Ross family, hosts of this ball.
Although An Ning did not often attend social events these years, she still had some understanding of London high society.
Her gaze skimmed his reasonably handsome features, and An Ning quickly nodded, going along with it.
Since she was already here, taking a spin on the dance floor sounded fine.
Besides, the most important reason: if she didn’t dance at all tonight, she could already picture how Lady Catherine would nag her incessantly after returning.
With her consent, surprise quickly flared in James’s blue eyes.
To be honest, from the moment she entered he had noticed this girl whose looks and bearing were exceptionally distinctive.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to find her so precisely when she had been trying to avoid attention.
Carefully holding the lady’s hand at his side, James hardly stopped talking the whole way to coax a smile from his charming partner.
It had to be said: Mr. Ross lived up to his reputation—he was exceptionally witty and humorous. Even the most ordinary thing became entertaining under his tongue.
And his dancing was good as well; he was clearly a practiced hand.
By the end of the dance, James looked more and more radiant!
Oh my God, in his eyes, all of London could not produce a young lady as clever, beautiful, and delightfully entertaining as Miss de Bourgh.
However, just as he was eagerly hoping to continue, An Ning shook her head and politely declined his next invitation.
“Oh, forgive me—how thoughtless of me not to consider Miss de Bourgh’s condition!” James let a flash of disappointment cross his face, but he remained a gentleman, escorting An Ning back to her previous spot and instructing a maid to bring delicate refreshments. Only then did he reluctantly leave.
As the host family, it was hardly appropriate to remain idle in one place too long.
Over the next period, An Ning declined several other gentlemen’s invitations for the same reason.
Soon it was the intermission. Even Georgiana had overcome her discomfort and danced once, but An Ning showed no intention of moving her feet.
Nibbling listlessly on the small cake in her hand, An Ning thought maybe this was the lingering side effect of reading too many detective novels in her past life.
In less than an hour, she had already gathered plenty of juicy gossip from the scene.
The supposedly devoted Duke and Duchess of Windsor, for instance, both reportedly had lovers on the side—one of them even being the duke’s own younger brother.
They seemed to have rather entangled expressions.
And the duke himself was even more explosive—his distant nieces were implicated alongside the Duchess!
What a scandal—apparently preying on family members was their specialty.
One had to admit, in this arena the couple displayed impressive coordination.
Then there was the famous social butterfly, the widowed Baroness of York—she was even more formidable. Married or unmarried made no difference; some ten or so gentlemen in attendance had flirtatious looks for her…
Oh, and Mr. Stephen, who had been lavishly courting her and Anna earlier—though he appeared affluent, bets and debts had likely drained his funds dry!
His present air of prosperity was probably supported by more than one lover contributing to his lifestyle.
It was…really chaotic!
Her gaze drifted to where a group of admirers clustered around her cousin, who was presently serving as a convenient target.
At this moment, even An Ning had to admit that compared to most here, her twenty-eight-year-old single cousin Mr. Darcy practically shone with integrity…
Pretending to appreciate the elegant piano music in the room, in truth An Ning had nearly gorged herself on gossip and her thoughts had wandered far away.
To an attentive observer, this behavior carried additional meaning.
From the start, Colonel Ross’s eyes had not left An Ning’s seat. Considering that Miss de Bourgh had only accepted his invitation and had rejected several other gentlemen, James straightened up, smoothing his already tidy lapel. He was about to stride confidently toward the corner where his goddess sat.
But in the next second, a hand suddenly appeared before the lady, and a man’s somewhat low voice reached his ear.
“On the other side of the sea there is an old saying: encounters are fate. I am Mycroft Holmes—may I have the honor…”
Because the room was so noisy, James could not catch the rest.
What truly shattered James’s heart was that Miss de Bourgh, who had earlier refused several gentlemen, actually nodded and casually laid her hand on the man’s arm.
Wait—wasn’t Miss de Bourgh waiting for him just a moment ago?
Or had his previous dance taken too long, long enough to cause the beautiful lady to lose patience…?