She was far too clever to let her true feelings show, but she had been vexed by his absence. She knew that he had his niece to escort to Lady Richardson's ball, to which Lady Welford had not been invited. She schemed a great deal to maintain her air of respectability, and it was a source of constant irritation to her that some hostesses still refused to include her on their guest lists. Unfortunately, it was just those ladies who held the most influential positions in society. Though she had not been at the ball, Vanessa knew very well that Mainwaring had danced with his niece, Lady Sally Jersey, Lady Elizabeth Streatham, and Lady Frances Creswell. His niece and cousin were an obvious duty. Sally Jersey would equally obviously be unavoidable, and Lady Welford knew Mainwaring to be immune to that flirtatious lady's charms. But Lady Frances Cresswell was not so obvious. This roused her curiosity, and because she was attracted to Lord Mainwaring, her jealousy. It was not actually jealousy, but it was considerably stronger than mere curiosity.
