All four women stared down at the man and then Grace lifted her eyes to Christiana and murmured, “Finally killed him, did you? It’s about bloody time.”

Chapter Three

I must say, Lady Radnor, while Suzette has your father’s dark hair, all three of you have your mother’s features. She would be proud at how lovely you all turned out.”

“Thank you, Lady Olivett,” Christiana said, a smile tugging her mouth wide and bringing on a small ache that merely made her beam. The ache was because she’d smiled so much this evening, something she hadn’t done much of this last year. She was enjoying the ache as a sign that things had changed for the better, and oh how they’d changed. She hadn’t enjoyed herself so much since . . . well, since she’d married.

Christiana had spent the last hour since arriving at the Landon ball enjoying her newfound freedom and chattering away with the other married women.

She was doing her duty and gaining gossip about Suzette’s dance partners as expected, but that still left plenty of time to just converse and laugh and enjoy herself. It was lovely, and she vowed never to allow herself to be so controlled and beaten down by anyone ever again. Truly, she could hardly believe she had allowed Dicky to do so in the first place and supposed it was only because no one had ever treated her like that before, and she had never been without the support and love of her family prior to that either. The combination had worked against her, leaving her feeling alone and frightened. But that was before, now she was a widow, had her sisters back, and intended to enjoy every minute of it.

“The music is coming to an end. Who is Suzette’s next dance partner?” Lady Olivett asked curiously.

“Danvers, I think,” Christiana answered, smiling at the woman. Lady Olivett had been a dear friend of her mother’s while she lived and had immediately taken Christiana and her sisters under her wing when they arrived, which was very generous of her considering how shabbily Dicky had treated her, turning her away when she’d tried to visit Christiana and welcome her to London.

“Yes, I think you’re right. There he is approaching her and Willthrop,” Lady Olivett commented.

As Christiana turned to glance toward her sister, the lady continued, “Danvers isn’t a much better prospect than Willthrop, but at least he is young and good-looking. Still, caution her not to get too interested in him. He is in financial difficulties and a bit of a bounder to boot.”

“I will,” Christiana assured her, turning her gaze to search the other side of the dance floor where Lisa was ensconced amongst a giggling gaggle of single young ladies. Danvers was one of the names Lisa had been supposed to find information on. They had split the names on Suzette’s dance card in half, Christiana and Lisa each taking every other one, in the hopes of making it less obvious they were seeking information on the men. Now, she was curious to see which prearranged signals Lisa would give Suzette. However, her gaze never found her youngest sister. Instead, it halted abruptly on a man just entering the ball room. After a year of marriage, she’d recognize the man anywhere. Dicky . . . alive and well, and looking very, very angry.