“Oh, think nothing of it! I am only delighted that His Grace thought to bring you along with him this evening. It would have been an utterly tedious affair without your presence!”
Gideon’s annoyance shot to the ceiling. The Duchess was making it no secret that she planned to gossip about him and Amelia now that they were here.
To her credit, Amelia maintained her polite smile. “I look forward to our future meetings, Your Grace.”
“How wonderful! In fact, why don’t you meet a few of my friends?” the Duchess offered, gesturing to a group of older ladies standing a short distance away. “I’m sure they would be thrilled to make your acquaintance!”
“Actually, we have prior engagements at the moment, Lady Gendway,” Gideon cut in. He had no intention of allowing this conversation to drag on any further. “We should seek out the Duke of Gendway and extend our congratulations to him for seeing another year.”
“Yes, well, my husband is quite preoccupied at the moment—”
“Ah, then we shall catch up with him later,” he interrupted smoothly, offering her a polite bow. “Now, if you would excuse us.”
Without waiting for a response, Gideon walked off, dragging Amelia with him. Now that he wasn’t in the presence of this evening’s host, a few people attempted to engage with him but Gideon was in no mood for any of them.
Leaning in, he murmured to Amelia, “Are you doing all right?”
“No,” she replied quietly, and the candor in her voice took him by surprise. “I do not enjoy these kinds of events. I have nevertruly grown accustomed to them. And now, as the new Duchess of Stanhope, I suspect I’ll be even more the focal point.”
“How unusual. When we first met, you did not strike me as so reserved.”
“Conversation is not a feat I have mastered, sadly.”
“You seem to be quite adept at it when we are alone,” he noted.
Amelia studied him for a moment, as though trying to figure out the hidden intent in his words. She fidgeted with the tips of her gloves before responding, “Growing up, my sister was my only true companion. We could sit in silence with each other as easily as we could talk for hours. I have never been able to find that kind of connection with anyone else.”
“Not even your cousin?”
“Nadine was not very keen on being in my company,” was all she said in response.
“That sounds rather…”
“Pitiful?”
“Lonely,” he ended. “I can understand.”
“Is that so? How would the great Duke of Stanhope understand loneliness?”
“More than you could imagine,” he answered without thinking. He kept his eyes on the milling guests, avoiding Amelia’s sympathetic glance.
I must remain focused on my task—pushing her away so that she will annul the marriage.
“Well, if you don’t wish to be lonely tonight, I know what might help,” he suggested with a suave smile. The tenderness in Amelia’s eyes disappeared, shadowing with mistrust. But Gideon was certain that anyone watching them would think them to be an ordinary, albeit handsome couple. “You’re welcome to stay by my side the entire evening if you so desire. I shall protect you, fair lady, from the burdens of being engaged in tedious discussion.”
“And what will be expected of me in return?” she quietly challenged. “My body?”
Gideon slowly ran his gaze down the length of her. She truly did look beautiful this evening, and from the way she flushed under his scrutiny, he didn’t think she understood the half of it. He forgot for a moment that he intended to make her uncomfortable and was hit once again with the desire to pull her close and pick up where they had left off from earlier. The carriage ride of silence had all but driven him insane, the phantom feel of her soft bosom tingling his fingertips.
“That’s quite a forward proposition, Amelia,” he murmured in return, his voice thick with need, “considering what landed us in the marriage in the first place. But perhaps it would be best if we waited until we were alone?”
Amelia’s blush began at the root of her hair and disappeared into her dress. She took a stiff step away from him. “Excuse me,” she pushed through clenched teeth.
“Where are you so suddenly off to, my dear?” Gideon called after her, but Amelia didn’t answer him as she turned and walked away, her hands tightly scrunched at her side.
Gideon stared after her, grinning to himself. He toyed with the idea of trailing her, to torture her some more, but ultimately decided there was plenty of time for that later in the evening. Besides, there was no telling how Amelia would react if pushed too far and he didn’t want to risk an outburst in a place like this.
The downside was, now that Amelia had gone off on her own, Gideon could already see lords and ladies heading towards him. His patience for social niceties was thin, and so, spotting his friend, Lewis, near a secluded corner of the ballroom provided a welcome escape. Gideon made a beeline for him, only realizing at the last moment that Lewis was not alone.
