A romance story for Pen

She stumbled out of the crush of the ballroom, gulping in the cool night air. It was hot, she was cranky, and damn propriety, she just needed to be alone for a few minutes. Too many stares, too many whispered conversations. She wandered into the large hedged garden and found an isolated bench and sat down. Then, even though she could hear her lady’s maid’s voice in her head yammering on about wrinkles and dirt, she laid down on the cool stone and looked up into the night sky. The sounds from the party were muted, and it was dark and peaceful. She wished she could stay out here, unnoticed, for the rest of the evening. But that wouldn’t suit her purpose, she needed to find a man. She’d promised her guardian she wouldn’t be a bother for more than a month out of the season, and that meant she had to work fast. There were a few eligible bachelors among the men she’d met, but none that quite met her-

( She was distracted from her musing by the sound of giggling and rapid footsteps. )