CHAPTER 4

GIANNA

The anticipation of what was to come tonight hung heavy in the air as I got ready to leave for the ball. Waiting for Julian to pick me up was a test of my patience. I couldn’t wait to get out this cottage.

Gram was beside herself with excitement. We’d spent most of last night packing all the stuff we’d been allowed to bring with us into suitcases and boxes, ready for Hetty to pick up. I’d had concerns about the two of them managing.

Gram wasn’t as steady on her feet as she used to be and Hetty was no spring chicken, but when I’d mentioned it before Hetty left last night she’d told me not to worry about it. She’d said it in such a way that I’d not dared to argue with her about it.

I’d been ready and waiting when Julian pulled up and had got into his car with no arguments. He’d seemed pleased about the fact that I wasn’t acting out. He didn’t need to know that internally I was panicking and sweating buckets, wondering how I was going to get help. Deciding that there wasn’t much I could do until we got to the hotel where the ball was being held, I’d stayed silent and watched the scenery pass by until we got to London.

The traffic was a nightmare, and I knew we were going to be late arriving at the ball. Once we were parked, Julian hurried me out of the car, taking a firm and painful grip of my arm as he ushered me into a massive ballroom. Holding out the tickets to be scanned at the doorway. He’d straightaway spotted whoever it was we were meeting here and dragged me with him.

A grimace crossed my face when I caught sight of the person we were meeting. He reminded me of Toad, a character in a children’s book Tristan’s nanny used to read to us. I had a horrible feeling in my gut that this was who Julian was selling me off to. My worries were confirmed when we reached him, and Toadie looked me up and down, licking his lips. A shudder of disgust rolled through me as his little piggy eyes leered at me.

“This her,” he grunted at Julian. I knew that Julian responded, but I was ignoring them both as my eyes frantically scanned the room to see if I could spot anyone that I knew or a way of escape.

Very aware that I was clutching at straws as it had been impossible to make any firm plans on how to get someone’s attention. My only other option was to demand to use the ladies’ room. It was the only other way that I could try and make my escape. Either way, I wasn’t giving up, not until I had to. There was no way I could allow myself to be married off to Toad’s twin.

My frantically searching eyes came to a halt as they made contact with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. The blue eyes belonged to a gorgeous-looking man, with dark, nearly black hair, a trimmed beard and moustache, wide shoulders that narrowed down to a trim waist.

‘Oh, wow!’

Sadly, that’s all I could see of him. He was leaning up against the wall with a pretty petite blonde stood next to him chatting to him, making me wonder if she was his wife, girlfriend, partner?

‘Ogling a dishy looking man was not the way to get me saved, especially one that was already taken,’ my inner monologue was not shutting up tonight.

Returning to my searching for just one familiar face, it was like my eyes had a will of their own because not ten seconds later I was back to looking at him again, only this time another man had joined them. Surprised at the relief that filled me when I noticed he had his arm around the petite blonde’s waist. He looked enough like the man leaning against the wall for me to guess they were related. Brothers maybe? But whereas the man that had caught my attention had a beard and air of danger about him, this man was clean shaven with a slightly softer look to him.

They were discussing something, and the look on their faces was serious. They kept glancing at me, making me wonder what they’d seen. I was just about to look over my shoulder to see if there was something happening behind me that had them concerned when the man I’d been watching straightened and, with a look of determination on his face, he made straight for us. My eyes widened when I realised that our group was where he was heading.

I couldn’t have stopped the butterflies that took flight in my stomach if I’d tried. I thought my heart was going to stop when he swept me up in his arms and his lips found mine.

‘Twenty-five nearly twenty-six was too young to die from a heart attack. Wasn’t it?’ I thought as I sank into the first kiss I’d had in a long time. But this kiss, this kiss, was like no other I’d ever had even with no tongue action. I wasn’t sure if I should be disappointed or not that he was holding back.

What I did know was that if I got the chance to kiss this man again, I’d be fully up for any type of tongue action he threw my way.

Unfortunately, Julian’s annoying voice broke through our kiss. ‘Arsehole, did I mention that before? My stepbrother was an arsehole of the biggest variety. Here he was, about to sell me off to the highest bidder just to get money that wasn’t his. It wasn’t even mine, really. Dickhead!’

If only I was as brave in real life as I was calling him names in my head, but I’d learned long ago to keep my mouth shut as it didn’t always work out in my best interest to let it run like I wanted it to. I was suddenly broken out of my inner monologue by the delicious man that had just kissed the socks of me, assuring my brother that we were indeed married.

‘We were? Oh, right,’ I broke out of my daze when the arm around my waist squeezed me, and I nodded my head at Julian when he looked at me. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to stop my body from trembling.

I had no clue who this man was, but it was like as soon as he’d swooped in and wrapped me in his arms, my body had known I was safe.

Now, if only my brain would catch up. All I knew was that I had to go along with this farce so that I could get to Tristan and back to Gram.

Just as quickly as he’d taken me into his arms, I found myself wrapped in the arms of the petite blonde he’d been talking to. I know another man had spoken to me, but for the life of me, I had no clue what he’d said.

My lips were still tingling from that kiss, and it was distracting as hell. Allowing myself to be led away by the petite blonde, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder to see a group of hot men walking Julian and the toad out of the ballroom. I hoped wherever they were taking him, it was far away from me.

The blonde came to a stop beside the man she’d been with earlier. Behind him, sitting at a table, was a group of women who were looking at me with concern. Another blonde got up and came over to me, taking my wrist in her fingers. I think she was taking my pulse, but I wasn’t sure why.

“She’s in shock,” she informed someone. Again, not sure who, but she told them to get me a whisky and some sweet tea. I wanted to tell her I hated whisky, but the sweet tea sounded nice.

That was my last thought as the room wavered, my knees went weak, and I felt myself falling.

I never hit the floor, though. I was scooped up into hard arms. I drifted off, knowing that whatever happened for now, I was safe.