“Truly,” the man said flatly.
“It is indeed a shame His Grace is not by your side. How he could abandon such atreasureto a flock of Lords that, I’m sure, must be lining up to introduce themselves to his wife is beyond me,” Harriet continued, shrugging. “Where precisely is His Grace?”
Meredith froze in place, her gloved fingers twitching nervously. She carefully glanced around the ballroom, trying to remain discreet, but there was still no sign of Ethan. He had said he would be right back, but it hardly mattered now. She was beginning to feel faint.
“I appreciate the concern. He…has gone to fetch some punch for the two of us. It is going to be a long night, after all,” Meredith lied.
“How unfortunate. We just arrived from the refreshment table but must have missed him,” Lord Geoffrey added, the tone in his voice betraying his true thoughts. Harriet’s blue eyes twinkled in mischief as she too immediately caught onto the lie. It took great restraint for Meredith to not run away with her face between her hands right then. The night was not going as planned.
A twinge of despondence captured her throat, and Meredith feared uttering her next words lest her voice crack and she make an even bigger fool of herself. “Yes. Unfortunate…”
“Pardon me for being so direct,” Harriet said, feeling more confident now that she was not receiving any pushback. “It is my nature, after all. But how did you manage to ensnare that elusive Duke? He clearly does not wish to be in your company. Was it truly threat of scandal that entwined your fates—"
“Ah, I see you’ve assembled yourself a crowd,” Ethan engaged as he strode toward the three of them smoothly.
“Your Grace,” Harriet exclaimed, bowing. The man beside her did the same.
“Save me the pleasantries. But if you wish to explain to my wife more about my feelings towards her, please do not let me interrupt you,” he began with a wide grin.
Harriet grew scarlet and Lord Geoffrey took a step forward as if to shield her. As silly as it all appeared, Meredith still felt a little envious of this gesture. “Allerton, my good man. We were just speaking of you,” he said.
“Lord Geoffrey. The next time you wish to stand back while your lady hurls allegations at my wife, just remember, it could cost you a fortune.” Ethan went around to Meredith and put an arm around her affectionately as she stiffened against his hard body. “My wife and I love each other. That is more than can be said about many couples of this ton. In fact, need I remind you of your own opinions on marriage?”
Geoffrey’s face blanched at this comment and Meredith suddenly grew wary of the subdued anger now reigning in Ethan’s voice. She nudged him a little to try to quieten him, but to no avail.
“Perhaps we should—” Meredith began but was quickly interrupted by Ethan’s hard voice as he turned to Harriet.
“In fact, Lady Harriet, you should know we engaged in a lively debate on this very subject at Hartley’s but a fortnight ago,” he said.
Meredith grew distressed and tugged at the tails of his tailcoat more urgently this time, a vain effort to quell the verbal assault he seemed so intent on unleashing.
“Oh?” Harriet replied faintly.
“Your Grace…” Geoffrey began.
Ethan tilted his head. “Your Grace?I say, quite a fortunate time to relearn social etiquette, old chap—”
Meredith pushed herself out of his tight grip. Then, she began to walk away in the opposite direction through a throng of guests who had not yet noticed the commotion building up.
It was only after she had accumulated quite the distance between herself and the others that she felt a hand on her wrist that spun her around.
“What happened?” Ethan asked in a hushed tone to avoid eyes falling onto them. A feeling crept in Meredith’s chest, an irritation, less aimed toward Ethan’s words at Harriet and Geoffrey, and more at the fact that he felt he should be the one to uphold that responsibility to defend her after abandoning her to some corner of a ballroom during the second formal ball she had ever attended.
When he was met with silence, he continued, “They deserved nothing less. Do not expect me to show compassion to gossips or those who attack people close to me. I was trying to defend you.”
Meredith grasped his wrist and broke his grip on her arm. “Peopleclose to you? What gives you the right to defend me?” she asked.
“You are my wife now. I have every right.”
Her anger dissipated at his exclamation of her as his wife but was replaced with an overwhelming sense of desolation. Like the feeling of being given something and then waiting for it to be snatched from you. She took a step back. “Well, I don’t need you to defend me. I just needed you to be there instead of tossing me away like some bird feed.” Then, she spun around again and walked away once more.
CHAPTER6
Ethan watched as Meredith retreated, her cream gown billowing behind her with a cloud-like grace. He couldn't deny the sting of her words, and he knew that he had failed her in some way. In that moment, he was struck with the realization that he couldn't simply let her walk away.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ethan quickly followed Meredith, catching up to her just as the orchestra stirred to life with a lively tune for the next dance. And without allowing her to protest, he gently captured her hand in his, leading her towards the dance floor with determined steps. The music swelled around them as they began the Quadrille, and he felt her stiffen in his embrace. He cared not if his actions came off as bold or desperate; he yearned to make things right.
At first, they danced in silence. As if they were the only two people in the room. The only sounds between them were the swishing of their clothes and the rapid beating of their hearts. As they glided through the steps, Ethan found himself entranced, captivated by Meredith's radiant but reserved beauty. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she kept her gaze downcast. The cream gown accentuated her figure and the candlelight danced on her skin, casting a warm glow on her delicate features. A loose curl had escaped her pinned hair and framed her face, and Ethan fought the urge to tuck it behind her ear.
