Emma rolled her eyes and gave a harumph. “Well,” she declared. “You’ve got to let me have a little bit of fun tonight.”

“Of course, darling,” Caroline replied, shaking her head. “But did you have to have your fun with Lady Humphries? Your little tale will be all over the ballroom in less than ten minutes.”

“Oh, pooh. Nobody with any sense will believe it. And frankly, I’m not interested in impressing anybody who hasn’t got sense,” Emma raised her eyebrows and turned to her relatives, silently daring them to reply.

“She’s got a valid point,” Belle conceded.

“I must admit, I have always found Lady Humphries rather ridiculous myself,” Caroline remarked.

“I don’t plan on being impolite,” Emma explained. “It’s just that I think I’ll perish of boredom if I have to engage in conversation with any more of these complete ninnyheads.”

“We’ll do our best to protect you,” Caroline replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

“I knew you would,” Emma replied, smiling gaily

After that moment, one of Ned’s friends appeared at Emma’s side to claim a dance. Alex scowled at the young man from behind the drape as he watched the pair float across the ballroom floor.

“A little jealous, are we?” Dunford inquired.

“‘We’ are not the least bit jealous,” Alex replied imperiously. “‘We’ have no reason to be jealous. For God’s sake, he’s a mere boy,” he said, referring to Emma’s dance partner.

“You’re right, of course. That would make him about three years older than Miss Dunster.”

Alex ignored his comment. “Did you hear the way she got rid of Lady Humphries?” he asked admiringly. “She was absolutely right. Even my mother thinks Lady Humphries is a ridiculous old windbag.”

Dunford nodded slowly, deep in thought. He hadn’t seen his friend act this way about a woman since their university days, before he’d developed a deep suspicion of the fairer sex.

“And her comment about not wanting to meet anyone without any sense,” Alex continued. “You must admit that she has spirit. And sense, too.”

“And she’s coming back this way,” Dunford pointed out.

Alex immediately resumed his watch. Emma had finished her dance and was returning to her aunt’s side.

“Did you have a nice time, dear?” Caroline asked.

“Oh, yes. John is a lovely dancer,” Emma replied. “And he’s quite friendly, too. He said he’d teach me how to fence. I’ve always wanted to learn.”

Alex felt a knot of jealousy churn in his stomach.

“I don’t know if fencing would be quite the thing, but I’m glad you like him,” Caroline remarked. “He’d be quite a catch, you know. His father is an earl of considerable wealth.”

The knot grew to about the size of a cannonball.

“I’m sure he is, but I’m really not interested in marriage right now.”

Alex breathed a heavy sigh of relief. His interests did not lie in that particular direction, either.

Emma patted Caroline on the arm. “Don’t worry, dear aunt, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll find the perfect husband. But he’ll have to be an American because I don’t plan to give up Dunster Shipping.”

“There aren’t too many Americans from which to choose here in London,” Caroline pointed out.

“Then I’ll just have to amuse myself with the company of witty young men like John.”

Alex’s temper began to flare again, and Dunford wondered if he’d have to restrain his friend from jumping out from behind the curtain, claiming his desire, and making a general spectacle of himself.

Just then Belle returned to chat with Emma and Caroline. Her cheeks were flushed pink from her whirl across the dance floor. “Emma,” she said breathily. “You must come with me and meet more of Ned’s friends. I know you’ll love them. And they’re all just dying to meet you,” she added with a wink.

“Do you think they could wait a few minutes? I have a bit of a headache,” Emma said lightly. In actuality, she felt as if someone had taken a club to her temple. Her dizzying dance with John Millwood had only increased her discomfort.

Emma looked meaningfully at Belle, who had promised not to tell her mother of the afternoon’s mishap, and then turned to her aunt. “Aunt Caroline, would it be terribly impolite if I retired to my room for ten or fifteen minutes? My head is pounding from all this excitement, and I know that a few moments of quiet is all I need to ease it.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll just tell anyone who asks that you’ve just gone to the washroom to freshen up.”

“Thank you,” Emma sighed. “I won’t be long. I promise.” She scooted out of the ballroom and up a flight of stairs to the private quarters of the mansion.

Alex’s eyebrows rose when he overheard Emma’s request and a delicious grin spread across his face.

“Oh, no,” Dunford admonished, correctly interpreting his friend’s expression. “Even you can’t get away with that, Ashbourne. It’s simply not done. You cannot follow a gentle lady back to her bedroom. You don’t even know her.”

“Oh, but I do.”

Dunford tried another tactic. “If you get caught, you’ll ruin her reputation on her first night out. You’ll have to marry the chit. There’d be no way around it. It would be the honorable thing.”