Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

H ad Seth known this? That Lord Kentrow was going to ask Lady Edwina to marry him? Had he known and simply chosen not to tell Allan? If that was the case, what could the reason be?

But then, Allan thought, why did he care as much as he did? Why did the thought of the proposal make him want to chase after Lady Edwina and drag her into the library to speak to him in private—the very thing he had just finished assuring her he would never do? And he wouldn’t, of course. He had no desire to disgrace her, and he couldn’t possibly bring himself to be rough with her. She deserved much better treatment than that, and that wasn’t the kind of man he was.

But would she really consider a proposal from Lord Kentrow?

Perhaps it was only troubling to him because he had been telling himself all this time that he would be the one to break through her defenses. It had been a point of pride for him. He would be the one to win over the unattainable spinster. He would be the one, after all the time she had spent keeping to herself and keeping men at arm’s length, who would finally charm her.

He hadn’t done it.

He knew there was something between the two of them. It was unmistakable. It was like magnetism. Every time he was near her, he felt compelled to get even closer. And she felt it, too. It was the only way to account for the fact that every time she ordered him away, she found herself pulled back into his company. She wanted him gone, and yet she had agreed to dance with him. And the kiss they had nearly shared…he was no fool. She’d been every bit as tempted as he had, and he knew that by the way she had closed her eyes and leaned in.

So why on Earth was she even talking about a marriage to Lord Kentrow? Could she truly be thinking about it?

Something else had to be behind it all.

Needing a distraction—or perhaps just needing to show that he wasn’t standing here watching Lady Edwina with no ability to look away—he went over to Miss Georgina. She was standing with Miss Olivia and Miss Catherine, naturally, and Allan noticed that Miss Catherine perked up hopefully at his approach, but he was sure to keep his eyes firmly on Miss Georgina. He didn’t want to have to cope with the results of giving Miss Catherine the wrong idea about his intentions.

“Miss Georgina,” he said, “will you do me the honor of a dance?”

Miss Georgina glanced at Miss Catherine, as if perhaps she was unsure whether she had permission to accept his request.

Allan waited. If Miss Catherine tried to decline on Miss Georgina’s behalf, he thought that perhaps he might insist. He felt tense with frustration, and he needed something to go his way tonight.

But Miss Catherine looked haughtily away from Miss Georgina. It was clear that she didn’t like the idea of Allan dancing with her friend instead of with her, but it was just as clear that she recognized her own inability to do anything about it. Allan was grateful for small mercies.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Miss Georgina said. She took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her onto the floor.

As they began to dance, Allan was immediately aware that he was being impolite. He had no real interest in Miss Georgina or in dancing with her, and as a result, he paid her hardly any attention at all. He didn’t attempt to strike up a conversation as he might ordinarily have done. Of course, there was no question of any serious involvement with Miss Georgina. She was far too shallow to be the perfect duchess he sought. But ordinarily, he would have wanted to enjoy the dance anyway. He would have tried to enjoy his time with her.

Today he was hardly aware that there was a lovely young lady in his arms at all. He went through the motions of the dance without thinking. It was a good thing that he had done these steps so many times, for if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the others. He couldn’t spare a thought for what he was doing. All his attention was on scanning the room, looking for Lady Edwina.

And then he saw her.

She had returned to Lord Kentrow.

It made him feel ill to see it. Perhaps the truth was as simple as what was right before his eyes—could it be that there really was something between the two of them?

She couldn’t possibly have feelings for Lord Kentrow, of course. He knew that. There was no chance that the feelings between the two of them could be as strong as they so clearly were if she also harbored affections for someone else.

And even as he watched, she glanced in his direction.

What made that so incredible was not that she had attention to spare for him, but that she had known so instantly where he was. She hadn’t been searching the room for him. She had known where to look. The realization ignited a flame within Allan. She was every bit as aware of him as he was of her.

And yet he was dancing with Miss Georgina, and she was standing there with Lord Kentrow…why?

Well, being with Miss Georgina was simply easier. For one thing, she never ordered him away, Allan thought ruefully. It was easier to be in her presence because she didn’t keep pretending to despise him in spite of the fact that anyone could see Lady Edwina’s true feelings were much more complicated than that.

“Your Grace,” Miss Georgina said, sounding rather irritated, “you haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?”

“Forgive me, Miss Georgina,” Allan said. “I’m afraid I find myself a bit distracted this evening.”

“Well, I can see that. What do you keep looking at? Is it Catherine?”

“What? No, I haven’t been looking at Miss Catherine.”

“Because she wants to marry you. You do know that, I hope?”

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“She’s hoping you’ll decide to court her. I’m sure she’s very angry that you’re dancing with me instead of her. She’ll probably spend the rest of the evening ignoring me. But I would stay away from her if I were you, Your Grace. She’s very bossy. Very controlling. She’ll do whatever she can to get everything she wants. And right now, what she wants is to become a duchess, so I think you should be careful.”

“Thank you for warning me,” Allan said. “You may as well let your friend know that I haven’t even thought of marriage yet.” It was close enough to being true. Though he was seeking his perfect duchess, he hadn’t found anyone who fit the requirements he had in his mind. Certainly, Miss Catherine didn’t come close. The thought of her in the role of duchess was almost enough to make him laugh in spite of his troubles. A duchess had to be aware of the way she was perceived, to be sure, and Miss Catherine rarely seemed to think about anything else—but that wasn’t enough. She had to be clever. She had to be wise and in possession of social graces that Miss Catherine simply didn’t have. She had to be able to make people like her.

And Allan realized he had another requirement of the lady he married—one that hadn’t occurred to him until now. He wanted to feel something for her. It wasn’t enough for her to be perfect in the role of duchess when they were out in public. He wanted someone who would be ideal when they were alone together, too.

And when he thought of being alone with someone, it was Lady Edwina who came to his mind. She, of course, was the person he wanted most to get on her own. She was the one for whom he had the most powerful feelings.

He looked over in her direction again.

She was no longer standing where she had been. She had left. And as he scanned the room, he saw her walking toward the door…with Lord Kentrow at her side.

The feeling that flared up in him was so sudden and powerful that he couldn’t put a name to it. All he knew was that he couldn’t stand here knowing that the two of them had gone outdoors together.

He dropped Miss Georgina’s hand.

She stared at him. “Your Grace?”

“You’ll have to pardon me,” he said. “I have to go.”

“But the dance isn’t over!”

He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t stand there and explain himself to her. He had to go. He turned and hurried toward the door.

As he went, scenarios began to play themselves out in his head. What could have happened? He knew that Lady Edwina thought that Lord Kentrow was on the verge of proposing, though she hadn’t clarified why she believed such a thing. Could it really be true? Lord Kentrow was not a bold man, and Lady Edwina was well known for rejecting suitors. What would make him decide to take a chance with her?

Was it possible—could it be that he had taken her outside in order to take advantage of her?

He hated to think it, and he wouldn’t have thought Lord Kentrow was the type to do such a thing, but it couldn’t be ignored that they had gone out alone together…

Allan moved faster.

He made it through the foyer and out onto the grounds.

They were empty.

He looked around in surprise, not sure what had happened. He knew he had seen them come this way. And now, he was more concerned than ever. For what reason could they possibly have had to go somewhere they wouldn’t be seen, unless…

And then he saw her.

Lady Edwina was sitting on the low wall that ran around the front of the house to the side where the garden was located. She was looking out at the night, the wind blowing a few loose strands of hair back from her face.

He hurried over to her, alarmed at finding her like this. “Lady Edwina.”

She looked up at him.

Her face gave nothing away—neither disappointment nor pleasure at his presence. “I might have known you would find me,” she said. “I suppose there’s no point in trying to get away from you, is there?”

“I’m surprised to find you on your own,” he observed. “I would have left you alone, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave a lady alone in the night.” He hesitated before adding, “I didn’t come over here because it was you. I would have approached any lady who was out on her own like this.”

“You really shouldn’t. If we’re seen, there will be talk.”

“We won’t be seen,” he said softly. “Not unless Lord Kentrow comes back. What happened to him?”

“He went indoors.” She closed her eyes briefly. “You may as well sit down,” she added, “since there seems to be no getting rid of you.”

Allan felt nothing at what he thought she had probably intended to be offensive. In this instance, she was right. There would be no getting rid of him. Not while she was out alone in the night. It wouldn’t be safe. He couldn’t leave her like this.

He took a seat beside her on the wall, careful to leave a respectful distance between them, and the wind gusted once more.