Dizzy Dilemmas (14 page)

“I must decline also as I ought to locate my sister
given she isn’t where I thought she was,” Gideon said.

“In
that case I shall help you look,” Robert said and pulled the door to again.

Dizzy let out a sigh of relief and clambered out from her hiding place; anything but gracefully. With a quick glance at the door, she strode purposefully to the decanters and poured a measure of amber liquid into a glass, swirling it around as she had seen her brothers do on numerous occasions. Raising it to her lips she was about to take an experimental sip when she caught a whiff of its aroma and hastily lowered it.

“Another time perhaps!” she repeated Ross’ statement of moments before and put the glass down with a decided click.

             
Marcus did not accompany his friends when they left the sitting room saying he needed a few moments to make himself presentable after his nap but he assured them he would follow them directly. It took all of his will power to remain sitting calmly whilst listening to them moving along the corridor. Even when their voices had faded, he forced himself to wait a few moments more before dating over to the window and leaning out.

“Bloody hell!” h
e swore when he saw the empty ledge. His first thought was one of angst; that she had slipped and fallen but as he scanned the ground below he could see no sign of her.

“Are you looking for
something?” said a familiar voice and when he turned, Dizzy was by his side, also scanning beneath the window.

“How in blazes did you get there? I specifically told you to stand still.” Going by the tone of his voice and the ferocious scowl he was very angry with her.

“I walked along the edge and climbed in the next window along,” she told him.

“Just like that? You j
ust walked along and climbed in,” he was keeping a tight leash on his temper.

“Yes. It seemed better than waiting around for you
to finish chatting,” she stated.

“Are you stupid?” h
e raged. “You cannot stay on your own two feet when on terra firma so what possessed you to walk along a narrow ledge and climb through a window thirty feet about the ground? You could have been killed!”

“But I wasn’t so there is no need to make a fuss. In fact
, I am rather pleased with my achievement and I think you should be too,” she declared.

Grabbing hold of her by the shoulders, Marcus said; “I don’t know whether to spank you for being so cork-brained or to kiss you because I am so relieved you’re safe!”

“Of the two, I would much rather it be the kiss!” Dizzy replied absently, chewing on her lower lip.  Then, realising that she had spoken aloud said; “I did not say that!”

“Oh but you did. I heard you!” h
e informed her and although he was still angry, Dizzy noted there was also a look of determination about him too. He began to pull her slowly but resolutely towards him.

“Then you heard wrong! I did not mean I
want you to kiss me!” she tried to explain.

“So you want me to put you over my knee and spank you?”

“No! I meant I do not want you to do either but if I had to choose between the two, which I don’t, I would liefer the kiss than a spanking!”

“Perhaps I should spank you first for not doing as I told you and risking
your pretty neck and then kiss you because I am so relieved you are safe?” he announced.

“Or I could punch you hard on the nose for even thinking you have th
e right to direct my actions!” she proclaimed.

“If Gherkin, you think you can, be my guest!”

Dizzy looked him in the eye and raised her right fist but then punched him in the mid-rift with her left hand. Taken completely by surprise he released
her and clutched his stomach and so, placing both hands either side of his face, she leaned in and kissed him. “I am left-handed. My father forbade anyone to force me to change to my right, deeming I had enough problems to contend with as it was!”

Before he had time to react, Dizzy released him and darted away
. Snatching up her shoes from the sofa where he had left them, she raced from the room, bumping into the doorframe as she went.

The dowager Countess and her youngest granddaughter arrived at the Farleigh’s ball a full thirty minutes earlier than had been planned owing mainly to the machinations of the younger woman. It had been relatively easy to bribe Coulton to arrange for the Dowager’s maid to have her mistress ready beforetime and for the coach to be at the door half an hour prior to the allotted time. Coulton had beamed his farewells knowing he had an extra large selection of finest chocolates to enjoy that evening whilst the ladies were out. And Grandmamma, although initially perplexed by their early arrival, reasoned that at least they did not have to remain so long in the queue of carriages waiting to deposit their occupants and she also got to choose a seat in a prime position to see and be seen. Dizzy, on the other hand, had plans to see and not be seen.

Unable to cry off from the ball, Dizzy thought it prudent to remain as far from Glenmore as possible for two reasons; firstly she did not want him pretending to pay court to her in front of the ton and secondly she feared he might still be angry from the whole climbing on the ledge and her punching him incident of that afternoon.
She had hatched and dismissed many schemes, some of which were totally unfeasible such as donning a disguise, before deciding simple was best and opted to just avoid him. Her plan was straightforward; she would get to the ball early, watch for his arrival and then by keeping her eye on him, she could make sure that there was always at least half a room and a crowd of people between them. Lady Farleigh was also very fond of potted palms and large flower displays which would give a certain amount of cover should Dizzy find herself without any tall people to hide behind.

It was with a measure of confidence that she positioned herself a good distance from the ballroom entrance but not so far that she could not see everyone who entered. The annual Farleigh ball was always a squeeze so before long there were plenty of
clusters of people for her to tag onto without drawing any attention and she was congratulating herself on her abilities to blend into the surroundings when his name was announced and he was there greeting his host and hostess.

“Let the games commence
,” Dizzy muttered and watched as he scanned the ballroom. Of-course, being so tall gave him a distinct advantage in that he could see over the heads of most of the people before him but she had the benefit of being able to see him and thus when he turned to survey the area in which she stood it was easy to step behind the gentleman to her right.

Glenmore cursed as he saw the ballroom before him already heaving with people and a long queue still awaiting admittance. Scanning the room he had quickly located the Dowager but of Dizzy there was no sign
. He fervently hoped she had just gone to procure refreshment for her grandmother and would return soon to her side but he had an uneasy feeling that she meant to avoid him tonight at all costs. He on the other hand was determined to find her and remain at her side all evening and as he had experience tracking the enemy on the continent, he felt sure it would be a simple enough matter to track a girl in a ballroom. First he had to gather intelligence and so he made his way to Lady Elveston ostensibly to enquire after her health but ultimately to find out what colour dress Dizzy was wearing and any other bit of information that might prove useful in tracing his quarry.

After imposing on
Trevellyn’s mother, the Duchess of Penkhill for an introduction, Marcus spent twenty minutes sitting with the Dowager.

“I believe I saw you talking to Gideon at the
Waverley’s ball,” she said.

“We were acquainted at
Oxford. I also had the pleasure of meeting your youngest grand-daughter that night though I am not sure I caught her name,” he told her.

“Really
? She didn’t say!” The Dowager was surprised.

“We literally bumped into each other. What is her name? Something beginning with G, I believe.”

“Lady Dizzy Brockton is the only name she is known by,” The Dowager informed him.

“But
that is not her name, surely?” he persisted.

“
It is to all intents and purposes,” she said repressively and then because she saw him as potential husband material. “I cannot think where she has gone. I could introduce you properly. She is such a lovely girl. Can you see her anywhere, Your Grace? She is wearing white today though I cannot think why. She has refused to do so since the first few weeks of her debut and then today she absolutely insisted even though she has always said it made her look sickly.”

‘Clever minx
,’ thought Marcus. He knew precisely why she has chosen white. As most the young girls, especially those in their first season were not permitted to wear colours, it would be easier for her to blend in and more difficult for him to locate her.

             
Whilst Glenmore conversed with the Dowager, Dizzy looked on with a mixture of relief and anxiety; relief because while ever he stayed there she had no difficulty keeping him in sight and anxiety because she feared her Grandmother, keen to find a suitor for her, would be indiscreet.

             
An hour later, and Marcus’ amusement at playing the human equivalent of hunt the thimble was wearing thin and his temper was beginning to fray. On several occasions he had glimpsed her and on a couple of instances he had come tantalizingly close to reaching her but each time she had evaded him. To make matters worse, the matchmaking mammas were impeding him at every step; thrusting their simpering daughters at him whilst extolling their virtues. 

             
Dizzy, on the other hand was feeling quite exhausted and heartily wished he would go back to sit with her grandmother so that she could relax her vigilance for a few moments. It had taken all her ingenuity to keep a safe distance between them. She had been flitting around, from one group of friends or acquaintances to the next; often cutting conversations short or distractedly missing what was being said and asking people to repeat themselves. When the dances were being performed it was even more difficult as she was restricted to fewer people to hide behind and less space to escape. Of-course he then had to contend with girls dangling for an invite to dance which as yet he had managed to avoid. If she were not so tired and on edge she would probably had felt sorry for him. She could not even go to the ladies retiring room for fear he would see her go and intercept her on the way back.

             
Between the tall windows at the far end of the ballroom were intricate flower displays six feet tall, of purple and white, interwoven with ribbons and beads of the same colours. Dizzy darted behind one and slumping to the floor she hugged her knees to her and rested her head on her knees. She prayed fervently that no-one would think to look behind her shield of flowers and discover her sitting there but she needed to catch her breath and rethink her strategy.

“Where the devil has she disappeared to now?” Marcus was irritated to say the least.

“Perhaps she has gone to the ladies room!” Ross said as he approached. “And yes I do know to whom you refer so do not try to deny it. It has been highly diverting watching you pursue her around and around the ballroom. I am surprised you are not dizzy, but no you’re just chasing Dizzy, pun intended! What I wonder, could you have done or said that has made her so determined to avoid you and perhaps more importantly, when did you do or say something?”

Marcus continued to search the room as he stood next to Ross
; both with their backs to the tall windows and facing the swirl of dancers. “Where can she have gone? I definitely saw her head this way. In answer to your question it is really very simple, she likes to annoy me and I enjoy vexing her. Can you see her anywhere?”

“Perhaps she went outside. It would be easy to hid
e from you now it has gone dark,” Ross suggested. “It is rather funny though that the matrimonial prize of the year has to play hide and seek with a girl who would prefer a three thousand year old mummy as a husband over him!”

             
Dizzy sat frozen. She did not even risk breathing properly for fear of discovery. Only a couple of yards from her hiding place stood Glenmore and Trevellyn; so close in fact she could have joined in their conversation if she had wanted to which of-course she didn’t. Escape was impossible as any effort to crawl out would surely attract their attention. That meant she could only sit and wait for them to move away; praying fervently that they would not look over for they would see her as clearly as she could see them!

             
God must have been busy.

             
He must have been momentarily distracted to have missed her pleas for deliverance. She had to believe that for there was only one other explanation which was that He had a wicked sense of humour, and her utter humiliation was the price of a good chuckle!

             
Ross having scanned the ballroom turned his head to look at his friend when something beyond caught his attention. Someone had spent a great deal of time on the flower display and no doubt many complimentary remarks had been uttered in its favour but it was not the artistic design or the colours or indeed the blooms. No there was definitely something not usual; then he locked eyes with a white adorned sprite who sat hugging her knees and hidden from view except to him. She frantically shook her head at him; pleading with him. He grinned.