Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was unlike Mark to be that excited for a party at Lady Elizabeth's house. Normally, he might have come up with any excuse not to have to suffer through it. That night, though, he was eager. Diana would be there, and every second away from her, he felt as though he was clinging to his last breath.

"Good evening," Hugh greeted him outside the Barker manor with a wide smirk on his face. "You look way more dressed up than usual. Special night?"

Hugh knew him well enough. Mark wanted to spill all and tell him everything that had happened, but Diana wanted to keep it a secret for a while. Besides, Hugh would likely spend the rest of the night teasing him about it.

"It's a good night for a ball," Mark replied. "The rain has stopped, and I'm in the mood for good music."

They entered the ball together. Lady Elizabeth hardly ever spared any detail when she planned parties like that one. There were servants everywhere with trays of wine and brandy. The room smelled of lavender, and all around them, people greeted each other merrily.

Mark cared only about one person there that night. He searched the crowd for her, a nervous knot forming in his stomach. It was an excited kind of nervous. As if he was preparing to do something important, as if the ground beneath his feet might fall away at any moment and send him tumbling.

It took him only a few moments to spot her. She was a vision in crimson. The red fabric complemented the red colour on her lips and the rubies that decorated her hair. The knot in his stomach tightened and made it difficult to breathe as he took in the sight of her.

Thoughtlessly, his feet carried him in her direction. He fought against it, eager for just another moment to see her there and enjoy the sight of her in her own world.

Every part of him wanted the world to know that they were courting. Mark wanted to walk with her on his arm and flaunt her to everyone he knew. Then, he wanted to spend every minute of that night with her until he was certain that she was perfect for the rest of his life.

He thought of Eva and how much she would have liked Diana's dress that night. Red was her favourite colour.

He wondered if she would spot him as he approached. She did not seem to be looking around and rather kept her eyes fixated on the ground in front of her while her cousin talked continuously.

It was clear that her mind was far away.

She stared as if the world around her was barely there as her glass rested in her hand, making a few trips up to her lips. It wasn't until he saw her force a smile at a greeting friend that he understood something was bothering her.

It was as if her eyes had lost some of their vibrancy. Her posture seemed practised, and she took a deep breath and sighed when she thought nobody was looking. But it was something beyond merely being tired.

There was a solemnness to her. She was sad about something.

Mark's mind flooded with thoughts then. What had been the cause of her sadness?

Immediately, he worried that it was something he'd done. A sharp pain seared through his chest as he recounted every conversation they'd had, wondering if it had been something he said.

Whatever it was, he needed to make it up to her.

He was only a few more steps away. Within seconds, he would be there with her, and he could find out what bothered her. He could help her; he could fix it.

"There you are!" a voice spoke from the sidelines.

"Evening, Mother," Mark said, stopping a moment to smile at her.

"Isn't this just lovely?" she asked with a smile. "Lady Elizabeth certainly knows how to host a party, doesn't she? She is popular among the crowd."

"I'm rather interested in someone else here tonight," he said plainly. "And I'm eager to get to her. If you'll excuse me a moment."

His mother pursed her lips but stepped aside. When Mark looked towards Diana again, he saw that another man graced her presence. Viscount Starling shadowed over her with a smile that masked his unpleasant but true nature.

Mark watched as he held out his hand and knew that he was inviting her to dance with him. The viscount stood between him and Diana so that she would not see Mark making his way over to her. When she agreed and took his hand, Mark felt something break inside of him.

Viscount Starling had regularly proven himself to be a horrible man. A cruel man with only his own best intentions in his mind. Someone who cared not who he hurt and who he used for his own personal gain.

They had never got along particularly well. Not even as children when their families had been in the same circles. It was the way the viscount spoke that bothered him most. He had a way of saying the wrong things in the right way.

He could convince a man that dying was a pleasurable experience just by choosing the right string of words and pairing it with a well-practised and devilish smile. His family had power and were known to just about everyone.

On the few occasions when the viscount had been caught doing something untoward or starting trouble, his parents had simply made sure that it was swept under the rug, and before one knew it, a new scandal occurred, and everyone promptly forgot.

Mark usually made an effort to avoid him at all costs.

He watched as the viscount led Diana to the dance floor and placed his hands on her. It made him hot with anger and jealousy. He knew there was no reason to feel such envy. Diana had agreed to court him, and he was happy at that.

But he wanted her to himself so desperately. He cared for her so much that he simply didn't care about any other man being near or around her. Especially not a man like Viscount Starling.

"They're lovely together, aren't they?" Lady Elizabeth said, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm glad to see you came."

"He'll dance with every woman here tonight," Mark answered. "And I'm sure all of them will look just as lovely next to him."

Lady Elizabeth shook her head. "They're about to start courting, didn't you know?"

It took Mark a moment to understand that he had, in fact, heard correctly. While Lady Elizabeth had strung together a perfectly worded sentence, it made no sense whatsoever.

"That can't be true," Mark responded. "Whoever told you that told you wrong."

"Impossible," she argued. "I heard it from the viscount himself. The viscount has been over there a few times now with flowers and things. He's really taken his time to win her aunt over."

Mark said nothing. He knew that she was wrong because he knew the truth. But he could not say that because he had promised to keep it quiet, and he respected Diana's wishes.

"Her aunt wasn't too pleased about it, of course," Lady Elizabeth continued. "She wanted the viscount for her own daughter. I forget her name, but she hosted that boring birthday ball not too long ago."

He watched as the viscount led Diana around the dance floor. He had seen his interest in her but had not realized that it was quite that serious. He had assumed that the viscount had merely been interested in her the way he was interested in most other women.

He could not take his eyes off them then, scrutinizing the way his hands were on her body. He wanted to know what the viscount was saying to her and just how close together they were to each other.

"Surely none of this is your business," Mark said sharply.

"No, but Miss Fairchild's aunt came over to our house and complained about it so much that I couldn't help hearing," Lady Elizabeth said with a laugh. "They'll be the talk of the town, you know. A couple like that one."

"It's not as interesting as you think," Mark said, trying not to sound obviously bitter about it all.

The last thing he needed was for Lady Elizabeth to hear the disappointment in his voice. It didn't make sense for him to feel that way, considering he knew the truth. He and Diana were officially courting, and it seemed impossible to him that Diana would keep such a secret.

Besides, a secret like that would be nearly impossible to keep. Particularly while attending a party where both men would be present.

"What will we wear to the wedding?" Lady Elizabeth said teasingly. "Miss Fairchild has no idea how much her life is going to improve with Viscount Starling as her husband. She'll be part of proper society. Real parties and events to attend, not just over-the-top birthday parties."

The more Lady Elizabeth spoke, the more he wished he could drown out her voice. He simply didn't want to hear what she was saying. He didn't like the way it felt.

Jealousy was creeping in, a familiar feeling to him. Then, there was the anger he felt towards Lady Elizabeth for speaking about Diana in that way. Lady Elizabeth was far too much like his own mother.

"I'm sure they'll reveal it tonight," Lady Elizabeth said. "It's as good a place as any to make such an announcement."

He wondered why it was so important to Lady Elizabeth that the viscount and Diana were seemingly courting. She had always been a bit of a gossip, but she seemed to really be pushing the subject of Diana and her courtship plans.

"You know, I was wondering if you'd like to bring the dowager duchess here for a picnic sometime," Lady Elizabeth said, finally changing the subject. "The weather seems to be improving, and I haven't had a good picnic in some time."

"No, thank you," Mark said plainly. "I'm too busy."

"But I haven't even told you when," Lady Elizabeth argued.

Mark didn't have time for it. The dance would soon be ending, and he had something important to discuss with Diana.

"Excuse me," he said, stepping away from Lady Elizabeth and towards a nearby table of refreshments.

He reached for a glass of whisky, eagerly taking a large sip and hoping nobody would notice. Mark didn't want to be at the party anymore. Nobody other than Diana there even interested him.

He wanted to take her away from there and spend the night talking like they had done so many times before. Mark wanted to get to know her better and hear her laugh again. They would speak about things important to them. Things of meaning.

Mark wanted the rest of the world to fall away, and he wanted only Diana to be left there with him then. More than that, he wanted her to feel the same way. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and take her away from the world that spoke so poorly of her.

She was better than all of them, and nobody had ever told her that. Mark decided, with another sip of whisky, that he would be the first. The music had ended a few moments before, so he turned to search for her in the room.

Diana was not among those who were still on the dance floor, and she was not at any of the refreshment tables. He searched for red in the room and found little of it. When he found Anna and saw that Diana was not beside her, he felt a pit in his stomach.

And that pit only felt heavier when he noticed that Viscount Starling also appeared to be missing from the room.