In Pursuit of Miriam Read Online Free Page A

the chit ever smile? “Not at all, my lady. It would be my pleasure.”
    â€œI would not dream of depriving you of pleasures then, my lord. A glass of lemonade would be nice, thank you.”
    What the devil did she mean by that? Vincent wondered. Her voice was firm, and although she looked directly at him, he still did not see any of the usual flirtatious reactions that many ladies had. Young ladies usually blushed, simpered or simply hid behind their fans if he singled them out. He chided himself for becoming vain and reminded himself that he did not find that kind of behaviour attractive. With wry insight he realized that although he had always thought he did not like such attention he had come to expect it. Was he that arrogant?
    When Vincent returned with their drinks, he asked if he might join them. Mrs. Knightly agreed without hesitation. Miss Knightly’s plump and—he was startled to find himself thinking—rather kissable red lips curved upward at the corners ever so slightly, and he felt sure he saw her raising an eyebrow at the same time as if to question his motives. Indeed he was not wrong. After he had spent time exchanging some inconsequential pleasantries with her aunt, it became clear that Miss Knightly had tired of inane chitchat and she addressed him directly.
    â€œTo what purpose do we find ourselves honoured by your company, my lord? You have already ascertained that I do not wish to dance and you have seen us refreshed with drinks.”
    Aunt Beatrice, mortified by Miriam’s question, turned a rather purplish shade of red.
    Startled by such a straightforward question, Vincent paused, gathered himself and responded gallantly, “I have come to apologize for my earlier behaviour, Miss Knightly.”
    â€œTo what do you refer?” Miriam’s lovely blue eyes maintained contact with his as she spoke.
    Again Vincent was caught off guard; he had not expected to be further questioned. Mrs. Knightly was beginning to make a garbled acceptance of the apology, but Miss Miriam Knightly continued to look at him expectantly. He felt uncomfortable and obliged to explain.
    â€œMiss Knightly, when Robert and I approached you regarding your availability for a dance, we did this without knowledge that you were a cripple. Mrs. Bright only informed us of this following our meeting.”
    As soon as the apology left his mouth, Vincent cringed at his using the word cripple. He had seen her wince as he said it, but he could not, for the life of him, even now, think of a more appropriate description for her condition. He belatedly realized that he should have given more thought to what he was going to say before he spoke. Miriam thankfully was very gracious in her reply. “You cannot have known this and I did not take offence.”
    Vincent, still embarrassed, now felt that he had been dismissed, and so he stood, gave a short bow and returned to the ballroom to seek out his partner for the next dance. As he walked away he knew that he had handled things badly. The thought that he might have insulted or upset Miss Knightly did not sit comfortably with him.
    The rest of the evening was uneventful. Vincent was in demand and danced every set, making sure he had a different partner for each and not singling out any one of them for particular attention. He saw that Mrs. Knightly and Miss Knightly had returned to the ballroom and wondered how it must feel to be unable to take part in the dancing.
    He found that his eyes were often drawn to look at Miss Knightly. Sometimes she was in conversation with other young ladies, presumably of her acquaintance. Once when he looked over at her, a portly middle-aged man had joined her and her aunt. On only one occasion when he glanced over did he think she may have been looking in his direction, but he could not be sure of this.
    By the end of the evening he was disappointed to find that he had not met anyone who provoked any particular interest as a