“I am corrected,” he replied meekly. “Then perhaps you, as a young woman, would take pity on an elderly person such as myself and dance just once with him?”
Caroline glared up at him, exasperated. What made a rake of Lord Gresham’s caliber imagine that a respectable widow would expose herself to the gossip that would inevitably arise if they were seen dancing together? She opened her mouth to give him a sharp set-down, but then an impish thought occurred to her. Allegra had made Caroline promise to dance with the next man who asked her. It would teach her sister-in-law not to tease her if she did exactly what she had promised.
She mustered a winning smile. “I would be happy to dance with you, Lord Gresham,” she said.
A hint of surprise crossed his formerly impassive countenance. “How delightful--and unexpected,” he said and held out his hand.
Caroline hesitated a moment, then placed her fingertips on it. His skin was warm and his grasp firm as he raised her to her feet. She felt a tiny shiver run down her spine. Had she just made a great mistake?
Lord Gresham seemed to have some inkling of her emotions, for he squeezed her hand gently as he led her toward the center of the room. “Don’t worry, I won’t ravish you. It’s far too public a spot,” he murmured.
“My lord,” she protested, trying to snatch her hand away.
“Hush,” he said softly. “It was a jest. I know you have a sense of humor somewhere. Perhaps if you search a bit you can retrieve it.”
Caroline glanced around. They were about to join the dancers; it would be noticed and remarked on if she were to flee now. She satisfied herself with shooting Lord Gresham a furious glance.
“Come, try to enjoy yourself,” he whispered. “It’s not so very hard.”
He grasped her hand more firmly as they moved into the dance. It was a formal measure, and Caroline was surprised at how gracefully he moved and how well he knew the ornate steps. Of course, she reflected dryly, he was a renowned seducer of women, and what better way to make a good impression than by excelling on the dance floor?
“What are you thinking about?” asked Lord Gresham. “You look as though you are sucking on a lemon. Surely dancing with me isn’t actually painful.”
Caroline started. She had been so intent on her thoughts that she had not realized the steps had brought them close enough for conversation. Lord Gresham reached out and took her hand, and she resolutely ignored the tingling sensation this caused.
“Of course not, “ she replied. “I was minding my steps. I dance so little these days.”
Lord Gresham laughed at that. “No, do try to think of another lie to tell me. I must suppose you have known these steps since you were a babe. You dance beautifully.”
Caroline flushed at the compliment and mentally berated herself. She was letting Lord Gresham’s practiced blandishments upset her. Perhaps Allegra was right, and she needed to be out in Society more, so that the admiring compliments of gentlemen weren’t so unfamiliar to her.
“Thank you,” she said repressively. “I might say the same of you.”
“An excellent partner always makes me appear at my best,” responded Lord Gresham, and Caroline was grateful that the steps of the dance moved them too far apart to talk. Really, the man was too annoying.
Lord Gresham made unexceptional conversation through the rest of the dance, but Caroline answered monosyllabically, hoping to dampen his interest. To her chagrin, she noted that he seemed to be increasingly amused by her attempts to block his conversational gambits.
“Why ever did you agree to dance with me?” he asked finally. “You look acutely uncomfortable. The ton will think I’ve lost my social graces.”
Caroline decided to make a clean breast of the matter. “I’m sorry if your reputation is suffering, my lord. If you must know, I agreed to dance with you because Allegra made me promise to dance with the next man who asked me.”
“Oh.” Gresham’s eyes twinkled. “So this is to solely to teach your meddlesome sister-in-law a lesson, is it?”
“I thought it might stop her from pestering me in the future,” Caroline admitted.
“I hope you may not come to regret your rashness.” His voice was teasing. “It seems to me you are being very adventurous tonight.”
“Don’t mock me,” said Caroline crossly. “You have no idea how eager the gossips are to find fresh topics of conversation.”
“On the contrary, I have vast experience with them, as you certainly know. I usually ignore them.”
“But you are a man, and gossip only enhances your reputation,” responded Caroline. “As a woman, mine would be ruined.”
“If you do nothing you are ashamed of, then you needn’t fear what the gossips say,” countered Lord Gresham. “They will talk anyway. The only person you need to please is yourself.”
“And so you have done nothing of which you are ashamed?” asked Caroline, thinking of the countless stories she had heard of his exploits.
“Perhaps one or two things,” he responded. “I have not always been kind, and I have frequently been selfish. But I didn’t say I took my own advice.”
The music stopped as Caroline’s blue eyes met his gray ones. The mocking look was gone from his face and for a moment the chatter in the room seemed to fade away.
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A Collector's Item: Rowena's After Dark Regency Romance (The Arlingbys Book 1) Page 40
