Nick quickly excused himself before Lady Purbeck’s daughter finished her dance and returned to her mother’s side. He didn’t want to dance with the young lady again, not only because he didn’t like to be seen dancing with the same lady more than once, but because her notion of wit involved making cutting remarks about everyone around them.
He decided to make his way to where Charlotte was sitting so he could find out when she wanted to leave for the next ball. As he moved through the crowd, he heard someone say “Nicholas,” and immediately stopped, looking around. There was no one in London other than his sisters who called him by his given name.
After a moment, Nick recognized the long, but pleasant face. It was the Earl of Stiles, who had still been a Viscount when they were at Cambridge
