She risked a glance and saw him leaning against the back wall, a glass of lemonade in one hand. His black tailcoat was too snug across his broad shoulders, as though he couldn’t afford one that fit. His matching waistcoat accentuated his lean form, while the white cravat he wore had a careless tilt to it. His dark hair was too long, and he was clean-shaven, unlike the current fashion.

His mouth gave a slight lift, as though daring her to come and speak to him. She couldn’t possibly do such a thing.

Why was he here tonight? It wasn’t as if Lieutenant Thorpe could seek a wife from among the ladies. He might be an officer, but he did not possess a title. Furthermore, if it weren’t for his unlikely friendship with her brother Stephen, the lieutenant wouldn’t have been allowed inside Rothburne House.

“Hannah!” A hand waved in front of her face, and she forced herself to pay heed to her mother, who had crossed the room to speak with her.

“You’re woolgathering again, my dear. Stand up straight and smile. Baron Belgrave is coming to claim his dance with you.” With a slight smile, Christine Chesterfield added, “Oh, I do hope the two of you get on. He would make such a dashing husband for you. He’s so handsome and well-mannered.”

An unsettled feeling rose up in her stomach. “Mother, I don’t want to wed the baron.”

“Why? Whatever is wrong with Lord Belgrave?” Christine demanded.

“I don’t know. Something. It feels wrong.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Her mother rolled her eyes. “Hannah, you’re imagining things. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the baron, and I have little doubt that he would make an excellent husband.”

A sour feeling caught up in her stomach, but Hannah didn’t protest. She’d learned, long ago, that her mother and father had carved-in-stone ideas about the man she would marry. The gentleman had to be well-bred, wealthy, and titled. A saint who had never transgressed against anyone, who treated women with the utmost respect.

And likely rescued kittens in his spare time, she thought sourly. Men of that nature didn’t exist. She knew it for a fact, being cursed with two older brothers.

Though she wanted to get married more than anything, Hannah was beginning to wonder if she’d ever find the right man. Having her own home and a husband was her dream, for she could finally have the freedom she wanted.

She craved the moment when she could make her own choices without having to ask permission or worry about whether or not she was behaving like a proper lady. Although she was twenty years old, she might as well have been a girl of five, for all that she’d been sheltered from the world.