“My, my,” Janine muttered toward the men’s departing backs, “did Father raise your dowry?”
Valera ignored her. Acknowledging the caustic remark would only increase her sister’s pleasure. Janine delighted in stirring up Valera’s emotions to the point of eliciting an outburst. She had been that way ever since they were children. Let her sister ponder the cause of her increased popularity. Valera knew who was responsible.
She scanned the crowd in search of that someone.
Ever since Alex had escorted her to Drury Lane four days earlier, she had shed her wallflower status. Her card didn’t fill up like the most sought-after debutantes, but Valera danced more often than not. Gentlemen watched her as she strolled in Hyde Park with her mother. Some flattered her with compliments when granted a moment to speak with her. It was all very overwhelming at times, but far from exciting as she had imagined.
At the various parties she had attended, she and Alex hadn’t been given more than a few minutes at a time to speak with one another, and never where they were free of eavesdroppers. He didn’t know she had changed her mind about the duke.
And yet, she still wore the necklace.
She suppressed a sigh as her fingers skimmed the filigreed heart pendant. Every time she had reached to take it off, she’d hesitated. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to the weight of the piece, or maybe deep down she wanted to believe in the power of the gypsy necklace. Not to win the heart of a duke, but to win the heart of the man who had stolen hers.
She trapped the charm in her palm and smiled ruefully. It was silly to hope for magic from a tarnished piece of metal, but she couldn’t quite part with it yet. She had been wearing it the night she and Alex had renewed their friendship. The necklace held sentimental value for her.
Her heart stuttered when she finally spotted Alex across the ballroom. His back was to her as he engaged in conversation with someone, but she knew him as well as any of her dear friends. It was the way he held his body—shoulders back, feet planted wide. He knew his place in the world and claimed it without apology.
His companion shifted, her hip thrust out, as she laughed at something he said. With her head tipped at a flirtatious angle, Lady Pitsford licked her lips. Her movement was suggestive and designed to entice.
A cold knot dropped like a lead ball in Valera’s belly. The striking widow had been the fortunate recipient of Alex’s attentions more than once since the start of the Season. Valera had noticed they often disappeared from gatherings around the same time, but no longer did she find the coincidence amusing.
She looked away, blinking rapidly to discourage tears from coming. What a ninny she was for hoping Alex might be developing the same feelings for her as she was for him. He had only been doing as she had requested, feigning interest so she might catch Langley’s attention. Only she didn’t have the duke’s attention, nor did she want it now.
“It appears Ravenswood is back to his old tricks,” Janine whispered in her ear. “Lady Pitsford will be insufferably annoying at tomorrow’s luncheon, touting the earl’s impressive reservoir of tricks in the bedchamber.”
A sour taste coated Valera’s tongue, and her stomach roiled when she witnessed the malice glittering in the frosty blue depths of her sister’s eyes. How was it Valera was closer with her intimate circle of friends than she would ever be with her sister? Her friends would never purposely try to hurt her like Janine was.
Valera shook her head sadly, recalling how much she had loved and admired her beautiful older sister when she was a child. “When did you become so bitter and cruel, Nanine?”
Her sister’s face contorted. “I told you never to call me that.” She pinched the tender part of Valera’s upper arm. Valera swallowed a yelp and tried to pull away, but Janine dug her fingers deeper into her skin.
“Now, now, Lady Fairlight,” a flat baritone voice chided. “Is that any way to treat your charge?”
Janine released her with a soft gasp. Red flooded her sister’s cheeks, but she attempted to cover her discomfort with a smile aimed at Valera’s rescuer. “You know how troublesome younger sisters can be, Your Grace.”
The Duke of Langley towered over both of them. He flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his jacket with a bored air. “I do not, but I have fair experience with older sisters.” He met Valera’s stunned gaze with a small spark of warmth lighting his brown eyes. His lips curled into a half smile. “Beastly creatures, older sisters. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Bell?”
Valera sensed the outrage rolling off her sister, but Janine gritted her teeth in the pretense of a smile rather than the snarl she usually reserved for Valera.
“You gave your sister to a gentleman three times her age, practically exiling her to the Highlands,” Janine said blithely. “I think we know who the real beast is, Your Grace.”
He offered an arrogant shrug. “My sister should have been nicer once I was old enough to remember her bad deeds. She had no cause for complaint; the match was advantageous. I assure you, she was happy to marry the earl.”
Valera didn’t know whether to believe him about his sister’s happiness, but since he had stalled Janine’s attack, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.
He must have sensed her gaze still locked on him for he glanced down and flashed a charming smile. “Miss Bell, if no one has claimed the supper dance this evening, would you do me the honor of partnering with me?”
“Ugh,” Janine muttered in disgust and wandered away to gossip with a friend.
Valera’s throat felt too dry to speak. One didn’t decline an invitation from a duke, much less one who’d just come to her rescue. Fighting the urge to run and hide in the retiring room, she passed her dance card to him and watched in a state of detached fascination as he signed his name.
Alex was pleased with Lady Pitsford’s report on her brother. Viscount Lyndhurst, by all accounts, was a decent chap. If anyone would be forthcoming about his nature, it was Madelyn. She was a plain-speaking, hard woman who afforded no one leeway. And she certainly never bothered to wax poetic over anyone, so her endorsement of the viscount—he is honest and responsible—could be taken as truth.
Alex’s association with Madelyn had been brief and uncomplicated. Just as he liked. In fact, he experienced a touch of nostalgia when she invited him back to her town house later that evening.
He had no intentions of abandoning Valera, however, or his mission to present her with an alternate suitor. The sooner she was safe from Langley’s clutches, the easier he would rest. Although not entirely. He didn’t like the thought of her with another man, but if she married someone who would be good to her, it would ease his own unhappiness.
Madelyn’s thin eyebrow inched up. She was waiting for an answer.
“Let’s see how the evening progresses first.”
Her lips pursed in a tight circle before a forced smile spread across her mouth. “Of course, my lord. You know where to find me.”
Yes, he did. For now, however, he was more interested in finding Elle and corralling Lyndhurst for a formal introduction to Valera. Alex had been stalling for days, and Lyndhurst was growing impatient.
Alex’s gaze strayed to the spot where Valera had been standing with her sister earlier, a burst of awareness coursing through him when he saw her heart-shaped face through a gap in the crowd. Just as swiftly, he received the equivalent of a kick to the bollocks. A wheezing breath escaped him as Langley lifted her dainty hand to his lips, and she smiled at the duke.
Hellfire! Alex had only turned his back for a moment. Langley had been happily engaged in a game of loo with Lyndhurst when Alex had left the card room. Well, as happy as the duke ever got. Alex would hardly describe him as jolly, which was reason number four Langley was wrong for Valera.
Yes, Alex had made a list.
He stared holes into Langley’s back until the duke took his leave then sauntered toward Valera, hiding his upset behind a lazy grin.
Valera’s sister suddenly appeared
at her side. “Lord Ravenswood, how lovely to see you again.” Lady Fairlight fluttered her ghostly-blonde lashes and preened as if he’d come seeking her.
He nodded an acknowledgement, but focused his attention on Valera. Pink rose in her cheeks and her whiskey-colored gaze darted around the room looking everywhere except at him.
“Miss Bell,” he said when it was clear she wouldn’t speak first.
She met his eyes, the pink of her cheeks darkening to red. What had gotten her in such a dither? If Langley had spoken out of turn…
Alex made fists at his sides. He needed to speak with her alone and find out what the bounder had said. “Miss Bell, would you grant me the supper dance this evening?”
She pulled her card close to her body. “I can’t.”
Lady Fairlight’s smug laugh raised his hackles, but he cared nothing for her. His only concern was for Valera and learning the reason for her sudden aloofness.
“I don’t understand. Are you injured?”
Her chin jutted forward and something flared in her eyes. Anger? Indignation? “Is it hard to believe I already have a partner for the supper dance, Lord Ravenswood? You are not the only gentleman to pay me notice, although we know your interest is less than sincere.”
The snap to her tone drew attention. Gossips waved one another closer, practically leaning forward to catch their exchange. Alex looked frantically for his sister.
Blasted girl! Where was she when he needed her? She would know how to talk to Valera and diffuse a situation that was becoming dangerously volatile.
He fidgeted with his cuff link, unsure what to say. The beginning measure of a waltz rose on the air. “I’ve never been insincere, Miss Bell. Perhaps we could discuss this further while we waltz?”
The stubborn set to her jaw eased and her rigid posture began to melt. She peeked at her card then glanced at him from beneath her lashes. “This dance is still unclaimed.”
He released his breath when she took his arm and allowed him to lead her to the floor. “I never meant to imply another gentleman wouldn’t desire your company.” He’d simply assumed she would save the most important dance of the evening for him as she had every night since they’d joined forces to catch Langley’s attention.
A chill seeped into his bones even as he gathered her warm body close. “May I ask who the lucky gentleman is?”
Her golden lashes fluttered as she blinked up at him. Her pearly teeth captured her bottom lip, tempting him to kiss her until she forgot every gentleman’s name in the ballroom. “The Duke of Langley requested it a moment ago,” she murmured.
Jealousy ripped through his chest. He didn’t want to think of her with the duke. Langley would never make her happy.
And you can? The answer stole the wind from his sails. The duke would offer her marriage. Granted, it would be a passionless marriage, the kind Alex had to look forward to some day.
When he looked into Valera’s luminous eyes, he couldn’t imagine anything cold or passionless about her. She was fire; he was the moth. And God help him, he wanted to burn.
The realization rattled him and filled his head with improbable wishes. She could be his. He could be hers.
Forever.
He tested the word in his mind, rolling it around on his tongue. Surely his parents could be convinced of their mistake. He must at least try.
Needing her closer, he pressed his hand against her upper back just as the music faded. She pulled away with a serene smile.
“It’s over, my lord.”
He blinked, not taking her meaning until the other couples began filing from the floor. She linked arms with him as they entered the promenade line.
“I’m sorry for my churlish behavior, Alex,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful for all you’ve done for me these past several days.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
She squeezed his arm affectionately. “You did exactly as you promised, and I cannot ask anything more of you.”
When she touched the damned pendant, he wanted to remove it from her neck and fling it into the gardens beyond the terrace. She still believed in that gypsy foolishness.
He nodded toward the necklace. “What if fate doesn’t know what she’s doing?”
“Then she is in the same predicament as most of us.” They reached the end of the promenade, and Valera turned to face him. “Thank you, my lord. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”
As she began to walk away, the ground beneath him felt like it was crumbling. Their parting made his stomach roil.
“Miss Bell—”
“There you are.” Lady Pitsford captured his arm as Valera spun toward him with an expectant smile. Her eyes lost their sparkle. Lifting her hand, she gave a sad little wave then disappeared into the crowd.
Alex gently removed Lady Pitsford’s hand from his arm and aimed a sheepish grin at her. “I’m sorry, Madelyn.”
She returned his smile and shrugged. “I understand. She is a lovely girl. You should go after her.”
If they hadn’t been standing in the ballroom, he might have hugged the widow. “Thank you,” he said with a quick touch to her hand before following the same route Valera had taken.
When he couldn’t locate her or his sister after several rounds of the ballroom, he concluded they had slipped off to the retiring room. Perhaps he had time to speak with Lyndhurst in the card room before they returned. He didn’t expect the viscount would be surprised by his news. Lyndhurst had seen what Alex had been blind to for days.
He was hopelessly in love with Valera, and he could never watch her marry another man.
Chapter Seven
Alex entered the hazy card room and located Lyndhurst sitting at a back table, a cheroot dangling from the corner of his lips. It appeared the viscount’s claim that he never bet unless he was certain he would win wasn’t a boast. A neat stack of coins and bills were lined up in front of the man and contrasted with his opponents’ meager winnings.
Lyndhurst glanced up as Alex approached. “If you’re here for me, I will save you the trouble. The Duke of Langley has decided the girl will suit his purposes. Therefore, I’m withdrawing.”
Alex skidded to a stop, his body rigid. “Langley barely knew Miss Bell existed days ago. Why would he consider marriage to her?”
“I suppose I’m partly to blame.” Lyndhurst tossed a card on the table without looking up. “But you are mostly at fault, Ravenswood. If you hadn’t regaled me with a list of her pleasing attributes, I wouldn’t have mentioned them to the duke. He admitted he had been considering her, and now that he is certain you have no interest in the lady, he has decided to pursue her.”
“And you just stepped aside?” Alex’s fist shook as he resisted the urge to slam it into Lyndhurt’s face. The viscount didn’t deserve his rage. Alex was angry with himself.
As the last card hit the table, Lyndhurst grinned around his cheroot and raked the pot toward him amidst groans from the other men. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked up at Alex. “I never bet unless I know I will win, and you can be sure a duke has the upper hand.”
Lyndhurst’s words slammed into his gut. Valera was holding out for a duke, thanks to that bloody gypsy and her bloody necklace. What chance did Alex have against Langley?
Forget the duke’s heart. Valera had already possessed Alex’s, and he would be damned if he stepped aside for anyone. He couldn’t believe a title would make any difference to her. But a roof over her head will.
He ignored the pessimistic voice in the back of his mind. Valera was from a good family. She had a kind heart, and she was loyal to those she loved. His parents must see her value. He would make them see it, because with or without their blessing, he would ask her to marry him. His only true fear was that she wouldn’t accept him.
Spinning on his heel, he marched back to the ballroom, determined to win her heart just as she had won his. Golden candlelight bathed the vast room, and the sweet scent of gardenias was a faint no
te on the air. He made a quick turn about the room, but still didn’t see his sister or Valera.
When he finally located his sister, she was standing with her husband just inside an empty alcove. Valera was nowhere in sight.
“I thought Miss Bell would be with you,” he said as he reached the alcove. “Have you seen her?”
“I am afraid you’ve missed her.” Elle twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger, a worry line forming between her brows. “Valera asked her sister to take her home early.”
Damnation. He wished Valera had waited until he’d returned from the card room. “Did she seem ill?”
Elle shrugged. “She claimed she is tired, but she seemed well enough.”
Perhaps Valera had been putting on a brave face for his sister. He couldn’t imagine any other reason she would leave suddenly. Now he would be concerned about her all night.
Across the room, Langley—who towered over most of the other guests—was weaving through the crowd as if searching for someone. Alex smiled. It was almost time for the supper dance, and the duke’s partner had timed her departure well. Hope sparked inside Alex, warming him.
He nodded toward his sister and her husband. “Have a good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Farrish.”
Elle grabbed his forearm to stall his own departure. “Where are you going?”
“I have a matter to discuss with our parents, and it cannot wait.” His smile grew. “I have a young lady to call on tomorrow and an offer to extend.”
“You wish to marry Valera?” Elle whispered and clutched her hands to her chest. “Oh, Alex. I knew you cared for her, but I didn’t dare hope you would do the honorable thing.”
Alex sighed. “Some days it’s hard to control my urge to throttle you, dear sister.”
Elle’s husband placed a protective arm around her shoulders and aimed a dark glower at Alex that dared him to lay a hand on her. Alex chuckled. He was happy to see her husband’s protective instinct make an appearance.
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