"Thank you." Eleanor shed her a friendly smile, instantly warming to her.
Before the assistant could show Eleanor to her seat, her phone rang and she hurried off to take the call. Left to find her own way, Eleanor scanned the room— and suddenly, she spotted Vanessa.
Vanessa was deep in conversation with two impably dressed women. The lighting caught on the pale pink snowke-shaped diamond ne at her throat, making it the centerpiece of her outfit and perfectlyplementing her champagne-colored evening gown.
At that moment, Vanessa looked up and met Eleanor''s gaze. She''d half expected Eleanor to attend tonight; after all, Eleanor had a close rtionship with Mrs. Ellington, and the fundraiser was for leukemia research.
Still, Vanessa was confident in her own uniqueness. Eleanor might be special, but so was she irreceable in her own right.
She let a faint smile curl her lips, and as if worried Eleanor might have missed the ne, Vanessa casually ran her fingers along her corbone, drawing attention to the sparkling pendant.
Just then, the assistant who''d been called away returned. Spotting Eleanor, she gestured politely. "Miss Sutton, please your seat is this way."
Vanessa''s gaze followed them, and her smile faltered for a split second. Second row? Eleanor was actually seated in the second row?
In these circles, nothing mattered more than status-and the seating arrangement tonight had been personally approved by Mrs. Ellington.
For Eleanor to be ced in the second row spoke volumes about her standing in Mrs. Ellington''s eyes.
Vanessa''s thoughts flickered back to Mrs. Ellington''sst dinner party, when Eleanor''s unexpected appearance had stolen the spotlight. Even now, the memory rankled.
No sooner had Eleanor taken her seat than she drew the attention of neighboring guests. Someone extended a hand. "Hello, Miss Sutton. It''s a pleasure to meet you."
"Hello." Eleanor smiled warmly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another guest approaching. She looked up, and for a moment, she was utterly stunned.
-Mansfield?
It was rare to see Mansfield in formalwear, but tonight he wore a perfectly tailored ck suit that entuated his broad shoulders and slim waist. Every gesture radiated effortless grace andposure.
"What''s the matter, don''t recognize me?" Mansfield slid into the seat beside her, a teasing smile ying at his lips.
He''d deliberately kept his attendance a secret. With his aunt as a source, he could easily keep tabs on Eleanor''s ns-he''d wanted to surprise her.
For once, Eleanor found herself in a yful mood. She cleared her throat. "There are so many lovely debutantes here tonight. For Mr. Ellington''s sake, maybe we should pretend we don''t know each other, give him a fair shot at meeting someone new."
Mansfield chuckled, his dark eyes lingering on her. "With the beauty at my side, I don''t see the need to look elsewhere."
Eleanor''s expression grew more serious. "Are you sure your wound has healed?"
Mansfield leaned in, lowering his voice. "Would you care to check it yourself, Miss Sutton?"
"Don''t be ridiculous, this is a formal event." She shot him a look, half reprimand, half amusement.
A few nearby guests nced in their direction. Mansfield coughed lightly, trying to mask his embarrassment andposed himself.
Not that anyone had overheard his flirting—every pair of eyes was simply drawn to his striking good looks.
A little further back, Vanessa had been shown to a third-row seat, just a few ces away from Eleanor. She immediately recognized the man sitting beside Eleanor-the same young man she''d seen in uniform at thest event.
Just how close were Eleanor and this man? Their easy rapport suggested a familiarity that piqued Vanessa''s curiosity.
Who was he, this man whose looks and presence rivaled evenn''s? What was his rtionship with Eleanor?
For now, all Vanessa could do was specte. Curious, she snapped a discreet photo with her phone and sent it to Henry. If anyone could identify him, it would be Henry.
"Henry, do you know this man?"