She swallowed. “You are a bit arrogant, aren’t you?”
“No,” his lips twitched. “I amveryarrogant, selfish, and entitled, but I am also wise enough to know my vices.”
She made to reply but was forced to turn and meet her other partner, and when they finally reunited, her eyes were calm. “What virtues do you have?”
“Longer than my vices,” he whispered. “And I would like to show you some before you leave this night.”
Her head turned and he caught a glimpse of gold around her neck, and it felt like torture to spin away and dance with another. He did the last turn, eager to meet the angel once more and then get away from the dance floor until the next waltz.
“The north garden, there is a white-painted gazebo,” he dropped his voice. “Meet me there after this.”
They parted and he briefly slipped his fingers through hers, then pulled away and headed to the overhead balcony. Betraying his decision earlier, he took a drink of strong scotch from the billiards room.
“You have decided to join us then, eh?” Colin grinned.
“No,” William snorted, threw back the rest of the drink, and reveled in the burn before setting the heavy glass down. “I have apriorengagement.”
“Oh god,” Colin muttered, his Scot accent slightly coming in, as it did when he let go of his stateliness. “You are set on ruining the little lass, aren’t you?”
Annoyed, he replied, “I am not, and devil take it, why must you keep assuming I am as despicable as I once was?”
Reticent, Colin’s shoulders fell. “My apologies. I suppose… I suppose we were so used to the man you were that it has become a sticking point with us. But still, Arlington, I do not think you should be doing this to the girl. You are not in the marriage way and teasing her with something she will never have is simply cruel.”
“And I’m simply having a bit of fun.”
“You have fun with bed partners who know what they are doing,” Colin added knowingly. “Virginity has no special appeal for you and we both know it.”
He was right, William did prefer women who knew the way around the bedroom, and while virginity was his antithesis… he felt a pull to this lady that he had never felt with anyone else.
Fixing his jaw, William headed down to the lower story, and as a new dance was in swing, he slipped out of a pair of glass French doors and headed to the garden. Would his angel meet him there or would she run from the mutual attraction he knew she felt?
“And when did she becomemine?” he grumbled.
He had chosen this garden because he was certain that the gazebo there had a blind spot. When he reached the smallgazebo, hemmed in by trees, he leaned on the wooden balustrade and let the night air rake through his hair.
What did he really want with this woman?
Was it the intrigue she possessed? Was it her fresh beauty, or did he really want to claim her innocence? Or was it a revisit to the days when he could so easily charm a lady into his bed with a smile and a whisper?
Not much light came in from above as the moon was still enshrouded in clouds and the stars were dimmed.
He could not be certain of the time, but the moments ticked by like eons, and just as he decided that she was not coming—a soft crunch of pebbles under heeled silk slippers from behind him drew his attention, but he didn’t turn.
She stopped. “…I’m here.”
“I know,” he replied, still not moving. “Tell me, angel, is a man like Hansen the one you want to be with?”
“Why not?” she asked. “He is a decent, upstanding fellow with not a black mark to his reputation.”
“I will give you that the proper match in thele beau tonhas everything to do with breeding, status, and money. Attraction can fit somewhere in the twisted tangle and if one is lucky, gain a love match, but in the end, the spouse that is chosenis undoubtedly the one whose status and pocketbook enhances one’s own.”
She came closer. “…What are you trying to say?”
This time, he did turn and stopped himself from clenching his jaw. “I suppose it should not be a shock that you fancy the man, even though he is as interesting as plaster. Half the chits in Town would give their eyeteeth to wed the bloody earl, but since I am not a woman, please enlighten me, what do you see in that bloodless fop?”
Even by the faint moonlight, he could see the telltale signs of her blush. “I just told you why.”
“No, you told me why every lady wants to marry the man. You did not tell me whyyouwant to pursue him, or why he should pursue you,” William said evenly. “Are you attracted to him?”
