Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

N oelle successfully prevented Cooper and Lord Northbridge from spending time in one another’s presence that evening. Fortunately, Lady Burton invited them all into the ballroom for a dance instead of retiring following dinner.

She had hired musicians from Guilford, a nearby village, so that none of the guests would miss out on the dancing.

“Here we are again,” Cooper said as he led Noelle through the first set. She had grown somewhat used to his touch and was chagrined by how much she looked forward to the feel of his arms around her. She tried to tell herself that this was natural and that she was becoming comfortable with him from the time she spent with him, even though deep within, she was worried that there might be more to it.

His skill on the dance floor surprised her.

“Where did you learn to dance?” she asked as he moved her adeptly around the Christmas trees.

“When I determined the circles I needed to move in, I hired a tutor — for dance, among other skills.”

That explained a lot.

“Well, it seems to have paid off.”

“So it has.”

The dance ended sooner than she liked, and Noelle found another gentleman standing before her.

“Lady Noelle, may I have this dance?”

Lord Northbridge.

She raised a brow, silently questioning his motive, but it wasn’t something she could voice aloud.

“A dance with you?” Cooper said beside her, but Noelle placed a hand on his arm.

“All will be well,” she said softly in his ear before turning to Lord Northbridge with a smile. “I would be happy to.”

As Lord Northbridge led her onto the dance floor, she instantly noted the differences between him and Cooper – or perhaps it was just how she reacted to the two of them.

She welcomed Cooper’s touch. She was comfortable with him. He was… well, he was like home.

Meanwhile, she was much more inclined to retreat from Lord Northbridge. He was cold and unrelenting. It was one of the reasons she had previously denied his suit.

“Tell me, Lady Noelle, what are you doing with a man like Hartwell?” he said, dispensing with any pleasantries.

“He is my betrothed, Lord Northbridge,” she said politely. “I would ask — again — that you do not question me nor him or his character.”

“I just asked why him,” Lord Northbridge said with a shrug. “He is not a conventional choice.”

“Many would say that I am an unconventional woman.”

“Perhaps. But this is more than just an unconventional match. You are your father’s only daughter.”

If only he knew that the entire reason she was doing this was because of her father.

This was a country dance, which meant they switched partners for a time, giving Noelle a reprieve. When they returned, she tried not to say anything, hoping that they could conclude this dance and be done with it.

“Have you not considered any of the rest of us?”

He wasn’t done.

“I did consider you once, Lord Northbridge,” she said as firmly as she could. “I am happy with Mr. Hartwell. Please do not question it any longer. As we are on the topic, I would also appreciate you being more welcoming.”

Lord Northbridge looked down his nose at her with a sneer. “Hartwell needs his woman to speak for him, does he?’

At that, Noelle had had enough. She had been raised to avoid scandal, as had most young women of her ilk, but she had also been raised by a mother who was as stubborn and outspoken as she was and had taught her not to allow anyone to speak down to her.

The dance broke, and she spun with her assigned partner since she wouldn’t leave anyone alone. Anyone, that was, but Lord Northbridge. When it was time to return to him, she turned around and walked right out of the ballroom.

She heard his shout of annoyance from behind her, but she held her head high and continued walking. She didn’t go to Cooper and didn’t seek out her father. She didn’t need anyone to stand up for her when she could do it perfectly fine herself. She wouldn’t have Cooper looking out for her for much longer, so she might as well get used to defending herself.

When she entered the parlor beyond the ballroom, she hurried through, intending to make her way up the stairs and to her bedroom, pretending that she had a female emergency she had to see to.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned, ready for Cooper to have followed her out, her ire growing when she saw that it was Lord Northbridge.

“What do you think you are doing?” he hissed, his anger high but his reserve preventing him from unleashing on her. “Leaving me in the middle of a set?”

“I had grown tired of your conversation,” she said, not allowing him to evoke her ire. “I asked you politely not to speak of my engagement any longer, and you persisted.”

“Because it makes no sense!” he exploded now, his restraint evaporated as he stormed into her space. She took a step back, holding up her hand. “You denied me !”

“Lord Northbridge, that was years ago. Please leave me be,” she said sternly, which only angered him all the more.

“Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?” he said, his face so close to hers that she could smell the alcohol on his breath, and she recoiled. She had backed up so far that she met the wall behind her. He lifted an arm to trap her between him and the painting on the wall at her back. She tried to duck around him, but he held her fast.

“Lord Northbridge, you will remove your arm this moment!” she commanded, but he only narrowed his eyes at her.

“Or what?” he leered.

She was about to lift her knee and show him rather than tell him what she wanted him to do, but he suddenly disappeared from before her.

Instead, there was Cooper, standing over him, blood covering his fist from where it had met Lord Northbridge’s nose.

Well, so much for his invitation here.

Cooper knew the moment he withdrew his fist from Lord Northbridge’s face that he had likely ruined all the opportunities he had created for himself at this house party and beyond.

But somehow, it was worth the resulting satisfaction. He had been watching Noelle dance with Northbridge, sensing her discomfort, but Lord John, of all people, had engaged him in conversation. Cooper hadn’t been able to pass up the opportunity to speak with him further as this was one of the men he had come here specifically to connect with.

When he had returned his attention to the ballroom, he realized Noelle was no longer present but he had caught sight of Lord Northbridge storming past the Christmas trees and out the door, likely chasing after her.

When he saw Northbridge had trapped Noelle against the wall, Cooper lost all sense of reason.

“Cooper.”

He heard Noelle, but her voice was distant, as though it was coming from another room and not right beside him.

“You hit me!” Northbridge moaned from the floor, and Cooper stooped down next to him so the man wouldn’t forget his face.

“Yes. I did. The lady politely asked you multiple times to remove your arms – and your face – from her presence. You had ample opportunity to do so. When you didn’t, I helped you.”

“You… you…” Lord Northbridge sputtered. “I will speak to Burton about this, and you will be forced to leave the party. Not only that, but I will ensure you will never be welcomed at another event. I?—”

“I would suggest that you rethink that, Northbridge.”

They all turned in surprise at the new voice, finding Lord Andrew stepping out from an alcove across the room.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Northbridge had found his feet, catching the blood dripping out of his nose with a handkerchief from his pocket.

“I saw what was happening with Lady Noelle. She did ask you to leave her alone. I was about to step in myself when Hartwell arrived. If you continue to make threats against them, I will have to share with the rest of the party why this all occurred.”

“Why would you possibly side with this… with this…”

“I believe man is the term you are looking for,” Cooper interjected helpfully, holding up a finger.

“Because Hartwell seems a good sort and you are in the wrong,” Lord Andrew said with a shrug. “It’s simple, really. Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you would all see fit to leave.”

A giggle sounded from behind him, and a broad smile spread out on Lord Andrew’s freckled face as he winked at them.

“Thank you, Lord Andrew,” Cooper said, extending his hand to Noelle. “Shall we?”

She wore a muted smile as they left the room, Lord Northbridge moaning behind them, but they quickly distanced themselves from him. “I hope Lady Lucy has a good time with Lord Andrew,” she said quietly.

“She seemed to be enjoying herself, although I’m not sure what her brother will think of it,” Cooper said, a strange jealousy beginning to creep its way up his chest. Not that he was jealous of Lord Andrew, but he realized he was jealous that the couple was finding joy in one another, joy that he would love to find with Noelle.

But that wasn’t an option. When they had made this arrangement, he hadn’t realized just how much time they would be spending together, how close they would become as they were in this together, the only two who knew the secret.

“I’ve had enough dancing for one evening,” she said suddenly, and he paused before they entered the ballroom again.

“What would you like to do?”

“Could we walk?”

“Outside?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said, pleasantly surprised. “We’ll need our cloaks.”

He had to make sure she didn’t catch a chill.

“I’ll ask one of the servants,” she said, reminding him of what different worlds they came from, that her first thought was to ask someone else to do it for her, while he would have gone to collect them himself.

Soon enough, they were dressed for the weather, which was milder this evening than it had been for the past couple of weeks.

“It has been cold lately,” Noelle said as they stepped out the front door, him holding her arm steady to make sure she didn’t slip on the frosty ground. “It is nice to take the chance to get some fresh air.”

“Tell me if you get too cold.”

“I will,” she promised as they walked together around the gardens, which were, of course, decorated as the rest of the house was with ribbons, berries, and extra sprigs of evergreens among the hedgerows. A slight dusting of snow from the prior day had left a faint sprinkling of white over the leaves.

“It is beautiful,” Noelle said wistfully as the half-moon rose in the sky, providing enough light to illuminate the path before them.

The path and Noelle’s profile. When she spoke, Cooper turned to look at her and was taken aback by how beautiful she appeared that evening. He was always aware of her beauty, but she had an almost ethereal quality tonight. Rosiness had risen in her cheeks, her upturned nose pert, her lips as red as her cheeks. A sheen covered her eyes as she stared around them, and Cooper realized that this woman indeed took time to appreciate her surroundings.

She seemed comfortable in her soft, fine cloak, although it was worn in places that reminded him of the circumstances that had brought them together.

“How is your hand?” she asked.

It hurt like the devil, but he wouldn’t tell her that. He guessed that Northbridge’s nose hurt worse, and that was what truly mattered.

“Fine,” he said with a shrug. “I apologize for that. I know that would have brought you embarrassment. I acted before I thought, which is uncommon for me. It will not happen again.”

She looked up at him, their height difference quite evident.

“There is no need to apologize. If I am being honest, as much as I need to look after myself, I enjoyed having someone else look out for me for once.”

“Does your father not do so?”

She lifted her shoulders up and down. “I love my father, and he is a kind man, but he is so absentminded that I am not sure he would even notice if anything untoward were to occur. He needs to be looked after, and I look after him, I suppose, more than the other way around.” She shook her head as though to bring herself out of her musings. “What I am trying to say is thank you.”

“You are most welcome,” he said, unable to look away from her stare. She kept turning her glance from the path to him and back again as though looking at him was causing her to become disconcerted, which he understood. Every time her eyes met his, he was so mesmerized by her gaze that he wondered how he would ever allow her to walk away.

“We should be getting back,” he said. “It’s cooler out here than I thought.”

“We should,” she said, even though she remained exactly where she stood.

The space between them had lessened, though Cooper couldn’t have said how they had moved together. She licked her top lip, and his gaze dropped, unable to move away from where that beautiful tongue had been. If only he could taste her lip for himself again. Even better still, her tongue.

He leaned in, ready to kiss her, but before he could press his lips to hers, she was gone, stumbling backward away from him.

“Cooper… I… we can’t. Our contract. It’s?—”

“I know,” he said gruffly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He had acted without thought. Again. A woman like Noelle wanted nothing to do with him. He might have money, but he didn’t have a title, which carried much weight. Besides, even if she did, he could not promise her marriage and she was not the type of woman to give away affection without it. “I became carried away with the night air, the walk, the dance, and… everything.”

“And everything,” she repeated, before turning around and beginning to walk back to the house.

He couldn’t stop himself from hurrying to catch her.

He couldn’t keep himself away from her.

Which was going to become far too great a problem. For she was a young noblewoman, and he was nothing more than a businessman.

It didn’t matter how much money he had.

She wasn’t for him.

She never would be.