Edmond had disappeared completely into the crowd; here and there one could see flashes of the LaVelle red, but people moved too thickly to determine if it was he, or if he had found his cousin yet. Truly, the ball was massive, and they'd trusted Miranda to let her loose in the crowd - in part protected by the fact that she did NOT wear the family colors, and therefore would probably be free of the slings and arrows of cruel Murneau tongues, tonight at least.<br/><br/>"It was nothing of overt import," Lord LaVelle assured him smoothly; it may or may not have been the truth, but as he declared it so, it seemed to be a quiet signal for the family to sunder from their large clutch, breaking down into smaller groups. Some lingered nearby, and others drifted off into the party in twos and threes, leaving the Lord and Lady mostly alone with the would-be suitor and one other woman, who moved to a seat closer to Lady LaVelle and immediately engaged her in quiet, intense-sounding conversation about the outfits of everyone in eyesight, one by one.<br/><br/>"So," Lord LaVelle came to stand beside Lawrence, gauging him thoughtfully. "Tell me more about your family while we wait..."