Three hours later, Clara stood against the wall of the ballroom, shifting her weight from foot to foot, trying to massage her aching toes. She had enjoyed her first dance of the evening with Lord Adam Bradford, Viscount Chatsworth. He was a polite and respectable gentleman.
Unfortunately, the other two dances hadn't gone as smoothly. Clara had danced with Lord Richard Hamilton, the third son of the Duke of Richmond, and Lord Gregory Maddox, the Earl of Chester. Both men had complemented her several times on how lovely she was, but nothing else had been discussed.
Clara shook her head, glancing down at her dance card. Three empty slots were left, which meant three more dances needed to be done before the ball was over. Hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat, she looked up and came face-to-face with a gentleman who made her skin crawl with uneasiness.
He was several inches taller than she was, possessing dark brown hair and gray eyes. Like the other gentleman, he was wearing a three-piece black silk suit with a white button up shirt cravat and black boots. He gave her a smile and a bow. "Good afternoon Miss Harrington."
Clara tried not to wince, the gentleman's nasally voice slicing through her ears like a knife. She plastered a smile onto her face. "Good afternoon sir. Might I ask your name?"
The man extended his hand. "Lord Nigel Broderick, Baron Broderick."
Clara reluctantly placed her hand into his, and immediately wanted to pull it back. His fingertips were covered with calluses. "It is a pleasure to meet you my Lord."
Nigel brought her right hand up to his lips and gave it a very long and unnecessary kiss. "Likewise Miss Harrington. May I ask for the next dance?"
Clara swallowed hard, her feet screaming with protest. She was wanting a break. Unfortunately, before she could say anything, the fourth slot on her card was signed by Lord Nigel Broderick.
Nigel. "Tell me Miss Harrington, how many children do you see yourself having?"
Clara nearly stumbled as they danced. "I beg your pardon?"
Nigel. "Children, you do wish to have them do you not?"
Clara. "I... yes."
Nigel. "And how many do you wish to have?"
Clara was growing very annoyed by Lord Broderick. "This is not an appropriate discussion to be had at this time my Lord."
Nigel moved them away from the floor and toward the drink table. "Very well, we may move to a different topic."
Clara. "Are we not going to finish the dance?"
Nigel rolled his eyes. "I would much rather chat with you than dance. However, if you wish to finish the dance, then we will."
Once the dance came to an end one hour later, Clara was dragged back to the drink table by Nigel. She tried maintaining a polite conversation with him, but couldn't. The bastard was exhausting, and she was wanting to get away from him.
Thankfully, Arthur came to the rescue. He cleared his throat as he approached the two of them. "Broderick, if it is all right, may I have the next dance with my sister?"
Nigel turned and stared at him. "You wish to dance with your sister?"
Arthur took Clara's hand, pulling her away from the gentleman. "I do indeed. Good day Lord Broderick."
Clara exhaled with relief as they walked away from Nigel. "Thank you brother. The man was exhausting."
Arthur squeezed her hand. "I could tell that you weren't enjoying yourself with him. And by bloody hell, the man cannot even dance while holding a proper conversation."
Clara shook her head. "No, he certainly cannot."
Arthur. "Well, at least you will have the last two dances of this ball with your brothers. The gentleman who will not step on your toes."
Clara smiled. "I am grateful for that."
***
Another two hours went by before Clara was finally able to step outside onto the terrace. She took in a great lungful of fresh air, feeling the warmth from the afternoon sunlight caressing her face. At last, she could breathe a little easier.
Glancing down over the railing, Clara smiled as she saw the magnificent flowers decorating the garden of Saint James Palace. There were roses, lilies, wisteria and daffodils. The image was beautiful, peaceful and serene.
Closing her eyes, Clara allowed her body to relax. Her debut had gone off without a hitch, and she was pleased with that. Unfortunately, she was disappointed that no gentleman had captured her interest.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps had Clara's eyes snapping open. Was it Nigel again? She couldn't risk looking, so she kept her eyes down, focusing on the flowers below  her.
A deep and rich voice spoke from behind her. "Hello."