Something lit within her, and her rigid shoulders relaxed. His gaze traveled slowly over her, and Natalie felt as though he was disrobing her. Her lips parted as she grew breathless. She absently registered the Marquess leaving them, but her attention was on Jasper and how handsome he looked in his black evening attire.
“I thought you were not coming,” she said, and his eyes flared with desire before he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
“I could never pass the chance to see you, Natalie.” As his lips touched her gloved hand, warmth seeped into her that made her eyelids heavy, and her heart beat faster. “Something required my attention and caused me to be late. I hope I did not keep you waiting for too long.”
“I suffered a dance with the Marquess of Hillward.”
Jasper winced. “Forgive me, darling.” The word rolled from his lips like silk and wrapped around her possessively. She loved it.
“Very well.” She accepted the champagne he offered her and took a sip, something giddy forming inside her.
"Is there a wish you want to strike off tonight?" Jasper asked her almost conspiratorially.
Natalie thought before saying, “I want to ask a gentleman to dance.”
Jasper straightened and grinned. “Go on, then.”
Her eyes narrowed briefly before she turned and began to search the room. "Are you looking for something?" he asked when she did not answer.
"Someone," she corrected.
"I think the person you seek is standing right before you, Natalie." Jasper took her arm and turned her to face him. Her brows creased momentarily before she realized what he was referring to.
"You want me to askyouto dance?" She smiled up at him.
"Who else would you ask? " he returned.
“I cannot ask you because it would be too easy to complete the task. I want to ask a gentleman who could think me mad.” The entire challenge was to ask a stranger, someone who could deny her. Jasper would do no such thing.
"Very well, then," he said, and she was rather surprised that he acquiesced so easily. Natalie thought he would argue with her.
His keen blue gaze swept the ballroom before he suddenly pointed to a gentleman who had his back to them and said, "You may ask that gentleman." There was a dare in his tone, and Natalie all but confidently accepted the challenge.
That confidence was only pronounced in his presence, however, for when she started walking toward the gentleman, she felt her legs weaken and her heart race. The man was conversing with an elderly lord and still had his back to her. The older lord’s gaze landed on her when she approached.
"My lord," Natalie said as she curtsied gracefully before shifting her attention onto the younger gentlemen, who she was about to ask to dance.
When he turned to look down at her, the blood swiftly drained from her face, as the breath left her.Oliver Bargrave?she almost blurted out, but shock seemed to have robbed her of speech.
Oliver looked just as surprised as she felt, and upon noticing the shift in his demeanor, Natalie quickly gathered her wits. The elderly lord's attention was fortunately sought by someone else right then, and she saw an opportunity. She could not balk after finding that it was her nemesis, and she could feel Jasper’s eyes on her.
“My Lord,” she said stiffly, curtsying.
He bowed. “How good to see you, Lady Natalie. I truly did not expect to find you at this ball.”
Liar!“Of course,” she murmured. “May I ask you to dance with me?”
Oliver’s gray eyes widened, and his blonde eyebrows that matched his hair ascended. “I…why, yes. Yes, you may dance with me.” His fluster gave her some satisfaction, and as she accepted his proffered arm and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor, she glanced behind to see Jasper smiling proudly at her. Did he truly have no inkling of what was happening, or had he purposefully chosen Oliver to test her?
He had no recollection of the events of that night a decade ago. Or did he?
"I must declare that you gave me quite the shock tonight, Lady Natalie," Oliver’s smug voice tore into her thoughts, and something bitter rose in her throat. He was a handsome man, but his cruelty had divested him of any good qualities in her eyes. Oliver was the most contemptible person she had ever had the misfortune of knowing.
He appeared utterly unbothered by her glare. Surely, he was still very much aware of his crimes, was he not? His life was probably better for those.He was a man with no conscience at all. "An old friend asking another to dance after a while?” she asked. “Where is the shock in that, Lord Bargrave?" Natalie gave a confident tilt of her head as the dance began.
The gesture drew Oliver's attention to her person now, and he allowed his gaze the liberty of assessing her before a lascivious gleam took over his eyes. Natalie felt a shudder of disgust run through her.
"You are looking fine, Lady Natalie," he observed. "I must say that the years seem to have favored more than just your appearance, for I would never have thought to see the day Lady Natalie Reeves would walk up to me and ask me to dance. I declare myself honored," he finished.
