Rose took another breath, praying that Daniel would, in fact, be able to help, and that her request would not turn out to be in vain.
“Do you know any man by the name of Lord Norton?” Rose asked, not giving herself the chance to change her mind.
Daniel, to her surprise, nodded his head firmly immediately.
“Yes,” he said. “He is the patron of the Thurston Theater. He has had some business deals with a friend of mine.”
Rose could not suppress a sigh of relief.
“Do you have any direct connections to him?” she asked.
Daniel looked at her, puzzled.
“Should I?” he asked, bemused.
Rose blushed and gave her head a shake.
“I was wondering if you know or have met him personally,” she clarified.
“I have spoken to him on a few occasions,” Daniel said with a nod. “Merely in social settings, though, never anything related to business. But what does he have to do with helping your father?”
Rose bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. What if Daniel refused her request?
“I need you to introduce me to him,” she said quickly.
Daniel frowned.
“Does he not already know you?” he asked.
Rose shook her head.
“He knows who I am,” she said. “But he and I have never been formally introduced, not since I was a child.”
Daniel looked at her thoughtfully. For a moment, Rose feared that he would ask her why she wished for the introduction. However, he simply smiled again.
“Well, it would appear that you are in luck,” he said, glancing over her shoulder to a group of people on the other side of the ballroom. “It would seem that Lord Norton and his wife are here tonight.” He offered Rose his arm. “Would you like to speak with him now?”
Rose smiled gratefully, if nervously, at him. She took Daniel’s arm and allowed him to lead her over to where the man stood.
As they approached, Rose appraised him. He was older than Rose remembered, of course, and appeared even more unpleasant with age.
She also noticed that he seemed to keep his lips turned up slightly in a perpetual snide smirk, which renewed her resolve to question him.
She straightened her shoulders and began to walk faster, only slowing her pace once more when she felt Daniel tug lightly on her arm and saw that he was a step behind her. She smiled sheepishly, and Daniel gave her his kind, warm grin in return. Before they made it to the group, Rose tapped Daniel on his arm.
“Please,” she said. “Do not speak of anything you hear. No matter what is said.”
Daniel looked confused, but he merely shook his head.
“I will not speak of a single thing,” he said. “I give you my solemn word.”
Rose looked at him for a moment, hoping that she was not making a mistake trusting him. Then she nodded, and they continued walking toward where Lord Norton stood.
When they reached the small group with which the man and his wife were conversing, Daniel cleared his throat. All five people turned toward the sound, all looking mildly annoyed at first. The other man, whom Rose did not recognize, and all three women, broke into smiles at the sight of Daniel.
Only Lord Norton maintained his sour expression, and Rose suppressed a sudden urge to shake the man by his shoulders. She knew that she should not feel such hostility toward the man until she knew for sure that he was behind the theater incident but, in that instant, she felt sure that he was.
“Hello, Lord Elbrook,” the second man said, bowing politely. The women followed suit with simultaneous curtsies.
Daniel bowed in response, while Rose stood stiff and motionless.
“Good evening,” Daniel said. Rose marveled at his charm, and she could not help noticing how her heart skipped. “Please, forgive the intrusion.”
“Not at all, Lord Elbrook,” Lady Norton said sweetly. Before she could say any more, however, her husband stepped forward.
“What can we do for you?” Lord Norton said curtly.
Daniel kept his smile, seemingly utterly unaffected by the man’s harsh demeanor.
“I merely wish to introduce you all to this fine woman,” Daniel said, giving another, this time exaggerated, bow. Rose bit her lip to stifle a giggle.
Daniel straightened himself and then gently pulled Rose, still holding tightly to his arm, forward.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to meet Rose Danvers,” he said.
Rose dutifully curtsied, plastering a smile onto her face.
“It is a pleasure,” Rose said, her anger toward Lord Norton threatening to explode to the surface of her emotions.
“Likewise,” the women said, almost simultaneously.
Little to Rose’s surprise, Lord Norton did not bow. In fact, he barely seemed to acknowledge the introduction. He glanced at her with what seemed to be his permanent sour expression and then looked at Daniel again.
“Is there something we can do for you?” the bitter man repeated.
Daniel’s smile did not falter, but his eyes flickered with irritation.
“Lady Rose would like a word with you, if you have a moment,” Daniel said. “I believe that you know her father…”
“I know who she is,” the man snapped. “And I am afraid that I am rather busy at the moment.”
Rose felt her cheeks burning again. She kept her smile firmly, intending to seem unphased by the man’s callus demeanor.
Lady Norton gave her husband a pointed look.
“I am sure that we can give you a moment to speak to Lady Rose and Lord Elbrook,” she said, breaking the cool gaze she was giving her husband to look at the other people in their little group. All three of them nodded, smiling pleasantly and excusing themselves.
“We shall be on the balcony whenever you have finished,” Lady Norton said to her husband. “It was a pleasure, Lady Rose.” With a final curtsey, Lady Norton led the group toward the balcony.
Once the four were out of sight, Daniel stepped back and nodded to Rose. She moved closer to the man and cleared her throat. She noticed, with a great deal of irritation, that the man would hardly even look at her.
“Excuse me,” she said firmly, determined to make the brutish man look at her. After a moment, he did, with an audible groan.
“I trust that you will make this quick,” he said, his voice both sharp and bored.
“I shall do my best to not waste your time,” Rose said, more than a little sarcastically.