Chapter Sixteen

“You’re unusually distracted, Michael. I don’t think you have listened to a word I said. What’s weighing on your mind?”

Michael sighed, swirling his port wine. It was the night of his aunt’s ball and Michael found he couldn’t focus at all. He was seated in one of the parlours with Henry, sharing a bottle of wine before the festivities began. As he recalled, Henry had been talking for the past few minutes but Michael hadn’t heard a word of it. Music drifted in from the adjacent rooms, but his mind was far from everything, focusing on one thing for the past two days.

“Do you recall the contact I told you about?” he asked Henry.

His uncle nodded, brows furrowed behind the rim of his glass.

“He contacted me, saying he had something that would be of interest. It turned out to be a letter with a list of names in agreement with tearing down the late duke, implicating Lord Suthenshire. It was exactly what I needed to prove that it was a wrongful accusation and yet it has left me… conflicted.”

“Conflicted? I thought this was exactly what you wanted.”

“It was. It is but…” Troubled, Michael drained his glass. “I have bitten off more than I can chew, coming to care for someone I should not.”

Henry blinked in surprise. “Oh. I see.”

“Exposing him now comes at a cost that I had not previously foreseen. If I do, it will undoubtedly hurt Lady Elaine. I know that. I hadn’t cared before but now…now, I can hardly come to terms with the thought.”

“Ah,” Henry said, nodding slowly. “You are in love.”

“I said nothing about love.”

“You did not have to. It is evident in your conflict and in the way that you speak. You have fallen in love with the daughter of your enemy.”

Michael didn’t like the way that sounded. He didn’t like thinking of Elaine’s name being so close to being labelled the enemy. Yet there was also no denying that he did care for her more than he ought to.

“She’s different,” he admitted. “Kinder and far more genuine than I ever would have expected. I am beginning to regret dragging her into this mess.”

“There is always time to stop it before you make a decision you will regret.”

That didn’t sit well with him either but he didn’t bother to voice it. “The letter was addressed to someone called The O. No matter how many times I think about it, I cannot figure out who that was. But I surmise it is someone close to our station.”

“Or perhaps that person is closer than you think,” Henry mused, his eyes narrowing in thought. “Someone who is not just a noble but runs in the same circle as we do.”

“I shall never find out unless I investigate the letter,” Michael sighed. “Unless I reveal it to the authorities and let them launch a proper investigation.”

Henry sighed as if he shared the weight of Michael's burden. He refilled Michael’s glass. “Whatever you choose to do, Michael, I hope you stay true to your heart. Too often we ignore the truth it is trying to tell us.”

Michael took a sip of his port. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Nothing in life is truly simple,” Henry said with a rueful smile. “You will come to learn that soon enough.”

The music swelled, signalling that the ball was now underway. Henry took that as his cue to stand. “We should head to the ballroom before your aunt comes to drag us both out there. Perhaps when you see Lady Elaine, it will make your decision clear.”

Michael highly doubted it. If anything, seeing her would only make him far more conflicted. But he nodded and stood with his uncle, finishing his glass in one large gulp. By the end of the night, he would decide what to do. Surely, by the night’s end, it would be easier to. He hoped.

As Michael entered the grand ballroom, he only had a single purpose: to find Elaine.

He scanned the crowd and, at last, spotted her engaged in conversation with Lord Penly by the refreshment table.Jealousy seized him at Penly's broad grin as he looked at her. Michael drew closer, his feet propelled by determination as his grasp tightened around his glass.

"Elaine," he interrupted, his tone calm but impatient. "There you are! I think my aunt is trying to find you.”

Elaine turned, her expression brightening upon meeting his gaze. “Michael! Oh, I didn’t know—”

Before she could finish, he gently took her arm and guided her away from Lord Penly. “Come on, let us not keep her waiting. Pardon me, my lord.”

As they moved a few paces away, Elaine laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You were being quite obvious, you know.”

Michael shrugged, a grin breaking through his feigned annoyance. “I don’t care. I like having you to myself.”

Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she gazed up at him, arching an eyebrow. “Is that not selfish of you?”

“Yes,” he admitted, his tone playful yet sincere. “But I can’t help it.”

Elaine rolled her eyes, though her smile remained. “I am unmarried and make it no secret that I am looking for a husband, you know.”

Michael’s heart sank for a moment, the weight of her words pressing down on him. “And here I am, stealing you away from suitors.”

“You do not do it well enough. Lord Weatherby nearly asked for my hand prior to our promenade.”

Michael’s jealousy surged within him; he hoped it wasn’t evident. “Did he now?”

“Actually, he was quite close before you interrupted,” she said, her tone teasing. “You were my saving grace.”

“Thank goodness for small mercies,” he said, relief flooding his voice.

Elaine laughed, the sound light and musical, and he couldn’t help but join in. “What a declaration,” she teased. “I suppose you’ll just have to ensure I’m always in your company, then.”

“Count on it,” he replied, his heart racing with a mix of exhilaration and determination. “You deserve to enjoy your evening without being pursued by every eligible gentleman in the room.”

“Is that your way of saying I should only dance with you?” she challenged, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Absolutely,” he said, his tone earnest. “I’m more than happy to claim all your dances tonight.”

“Let us begin with this one and see where the night takes us then, shall we?”

Her grin was infectious. As Michael took her hand, leading her out into the middle of the ballroom, he realised he would have followed her anywhere tonight. Wherever she wanted to go, whatever she wanted to do.

The ballroom buzzed with the soft rustling of silks and the light laughter of guests, but as the waltz began, Michael and Elaine slipped into their own world.

“Michael, may I ask a question?” Elaine murmured.

“I shan’t deny you your answer,” he responded without thought. Only afterwards did it occur to him that there were far too many truths he couldn’t possibly reveal to her just yet and his heart thudded at the thought of her asking him something he could not answer.

“What do you want your future to look like?” she asked.

Michael slowly released a breath of relief. Then he thought about it and realised that he didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t thought very far ahead of his revenge plan.

“I wish to be at peace,” he responded at last, deeming it a fitting enough response.

Elaine smiled softly. “Peace,” she repeated in a soft whisper. “That is a beautiful dream, Michael.”

“And yet it feels so unattainable at times. What of you, Elaine? What do you wish for your future?”

Her response was quick. “I yearn for security. I want to know that my foundations are solid, that I won’t have to face life alone. A warm, laughter-filled home and a life not worrying about my father and my brother.”

Something twisted in his chest. “I want that life for you as well, Elaine.”

She gazed up at him, the light of the chandeliers sparkling in her eyes. Michael fell into a trance, enraptured by the emotions simmering in her eyes. The music faded into the background and the ballroom disappeared as they focused solely on one another. Time seemed to grind to a halt. And they found themselves ensnared in this tender, beautiful moment.

“Michael,” Elaine murmured. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

The words hung between them. Michael’s eyes widened in shock; he opened his mouth to reply, yet no sound emerged. He could only stare, mind emptying, struck dumb by her admission.

Elaine blinked, pulling back. Embarrassment washed over her expression, her cheeks growing red. She stepped back a moment before the waltz actually came to an end. She opened her mouth to speak and Michael did the same, wanting to fill the silence before the discomfort carried on for much longer. But again, there was nothing and, before he knew it, she was gathering her skirts and hurrying away from him.

Michael froze, heart racing and mind spinning, watching her disappear into the throng. He wanted to chase after her, but he couldn’t think, despite knowing that every second he wasted was ripping into the fragile friendship they had developed. A friendship that had the potential to become more.

And by the time he finally unfroze, Elaine was long gone.