What Happens in the Ballroom


 
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 Praise
 Also by
 Title Page
 
 Copyright Page
 Dedication
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 2
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 6
 Chapter 7
 Chapter 8
 Chapter 9
 Chapter 10
 Chapter 11
 Chapter 12
 Chapter 13
 Chapter 14
 Chapter 15
 Chapter 16
 Chapter 17
 Chapter 18
 Chapter 19
 Chapter 20
 Epilogue
 
 
 
 
 
 Duke Dynasty series 
 
 Project Duchess 
 
 The Bachelor 
 
 Who Wants to Marry a Duke 
 
 Undercover Duke 
 
 
 
 Designing Debutantes series 
 
 A Duke for Diana 
 
 What Happens in the Ballroom 
 
 
 
 
 SABRINA JEFFRIES is the New York Times bestselling author of over 50 romance novels and works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). Whatever time not spent writing in a coffee-fueled haze is spent traveling with her husband and adult autistic son or indulging in one of her passions—jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, and music. With over 9 million books in print in 21 different languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction, and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world. She always dreams big.
 
 Epilogue 
 August 1812 Castle Grenwood, Yorkshire 
 
 Early in the evening, Eliza sat in the nursery at Geoffrey’s Yorkshire estate, cooing at her new niece, Suzette Marie Brookhouse, as Verity sat next to her grinning at the child. Eliza had never seen a nursery so well appointed. In addition to the comfy sofa Eliza sat on, there were two rocking chairs, a couple of cribs, a bed for the nursemaid, and a temporary cot for Molly, who had come with her and Nathaniel to take care of Jimmy. 
 The boy leaned over to gaze in wonder at the two-week-old. “Pretty,” he said. “Jimmy hold baby, Missis Pears.” 
 Eliza had stopped reminding him she was now Lady Foxstead. To him, she would probably always be Missis Pears. “The baby is too small for you to hold yet,” she said gently. “But perhaps in a few weeks, all right?” 
 Jimmy sighed. Eliza suspected he was a bit jealous of all the attention the chubby-cheeked baby was getting on the day of her christening. Then again, Suzette was indeed a very “pretty” child. 
 Molly walked over to take Jimmy by the hand. “Why don’t we go down to the moat to feed the ducks?” 
 “Feed the ducks!” Just like that, Jimmy leapt off the sofa and was pulling on Molly’s hand to make her go faster toward the door. 
 After they were gone, Eliza gazed over at Diana, who sat in the rocking chair opposite her. “I still can’t believe you have a moat.” 
 “I can’t believe we do, either,” Diana said. “Geoffrey is trying to figure out whether to fill it in or what.” 
 “He could always build a skew bridge over it,” Verity said. 
 The three of them laughed. Skew bridges seemed to be one of Geoffrey’s favorite engineering feats. 
 Then Diana asked Eliza, “Have you heard from Jocelin and Charlie yet?” 
 “We just received our first letter from the Peninsula. I can’t believe it’s already been two months since they married.” 
 “I can’t believe you agreed to keep Jimmy for them until your wedding and then indefinitely afterward,” Verity said. “That boy is adorable, but he’s also a handful.” 
 Eliza shrugged. “I know, but I wasn’t going to let them take him on a transport to the Peninsula and raise him in an armed camp! He’s only two and a half, for pity’s sake.” 
 “Still,” Diana said, “you are the only woman I know who would take in the bastard son of your late husband.” 
 Eliza couldn’t say, of course, that Jimmy was also her nephew by marriage. Not even her sisters were privy to that knowledge. “Jocelin is still Nathaniel’s ward, and by extension, so is Jimmy. Besides, it’s not as if Nathaniel is poor. Foxstead Place alone is quite large.” 
 “True.” Diana gazed fondly at Suzette. “Although now that I’m a mother, I can’t believe Jocelin could leave him behind so readily.” 
 Privately, Eliza couldn’t believe that either, despite not being a mother. Still... “She was very young when she had him, and she never had a chance at being in love before. I suspect what she felt for Samuel was a youthful infatuation. I gather that he showered her with compliments, made her feel like a real woman, seduced her into his bed, and then was either afraid to do more for fear her father would find out . . . or lost interest once he’d had her innocence.” 
 Verity arched an eyebrow. “Either one seems equally likely to me. But I suppose you’ll never know for certain.” 
 “Especially since she’s understandably a bit uncomfortable talking about it with his widow,” Eliza said. “Although honestly, I never blamed her as much as I blamed him.” 
 “I can understand that.” Diana rocked a little. “Does Jimmy seem to miss her much?” 
 “Sometimes,” Eliza said. “But honestly, even before she and Charlie left for the Peninsula, Jimmy spent most of his time with Molly.” 
 Diana narrowed her gaze on Eliza. “I give you fair warning. I am seriously considering stealing Molly from you.” 
 “If you do, you have to take Jimmy, too,” she teased. 
 “Take Jimmy where?” Nathaniel asked from the nursery door. 
 “To raise,” Eliza said. When he blinked, she added, “Diana wants to keep Molly.” 
 “Ah.” He went to sit beside Eliza on the other side from Verity. “No chance of that, Diana. Molly and Jimmy are permanently attached, as far as we’re concerned. It’s none or both. And I give you fair warning—that boy can