He smiled despite himself. It must have been so difficult for her to return, expecting that he would gladly fall back into whatever plan she had for them, only to see him dancing with another woman and looking happier than he had been when he was betrothed to her.
He did not need her to tell him for him to know that she was furious because it seemed like he was moving on from her when she had expected him to mope until she released him from his heartache.
“Lady Juliet, I need you to understand this so we do not have another awkward moment like the one we just did but I will never be with you again. You relieved me of whatever obligation I might have had towards you and now, I do not care for whatever games you think you are playing but our business is finished and has been so from the moment you chose to leave.”
As he spoke, he watched as her face began to crumple. It was the first time since she stepped out of the bush that he saw a bit of her confidence chip away.
CHAPTER14
Augusta stared after Benedict as he disappeared into the crowd and out of the hall until she could no longer see him. She could not shake the feeling that something had gone wrong in the time from when their dance began to moments after.
He had looked out into the crowd, his jaw ticking. Although she had seen nothing when she followed his line of sight, he had been different, more reserved. She hoped that he was all right.
“So, how was your dance with the Duke?” Nancy asked her, lacing her hands with hers, the action pulling Augusta out of her thoughts.
“It was quite all right, I suppose,” she said, still a little distracted by thoughts of him.
“You suppose?” Jane butted in. “The Duke is such a wonderful dancer. He moves with a grace that not even Evan possesses and need I remind you, my husband is such a great dancer.”
“Careful, Jane. We wouldn’t want Evan to get jealous now, would we?” Nancy giggled lightly.
“Oh, he will not. Evan is quite secure in my heart and he knows this. Besides, the Duke and Augusta are such a lovely pair. I do believe he will think I only say so to get her to see more positives from him,” she grinned before turning to Augusta. “You do see them, don’t you?”
Augusta sighed. She knew her sister and sister-in-law would not leave her be until she answered their question. They were like hounds that had latched on to a scent.
“Yes, Jane, I see them,” she said. “And yes, the Duke is a wonderful dancer, however, we are often distracted with conversation that I do not know how much so he is.”
“Oh, is he good with conversation?” Nancy asked. “I danced with an Earl at the last ball and he turned out quite disappointing when I asked him questions. He genuinely thought I cared only for compliments and could not fathom why I would want to speak more on topics that should not otherwise be of concern to the womenfolk.”
Augusta laughed when Nancy shuddered after she finished, allowing herself to pay attention to what they were saying.
“The Duke is not so old-fashioned as that, is he?” Jane asked with a hopeful expression.
Augusta shook her head. “No, quite the opposite actually. He likes to listen and does not care what topic you wish to discuss, so long as it is proper. He is insufferable though.”
Jane and Nancy shared a look that made her squint. She was quite familiar with their antics by now and was in no mood for it. Her mind was too distracted to keep up with them.
“I am super excited for you, Augusta. I never thought it was ever going to get this far,” Jane said with a smile.
“Jane!” Nancy chastised. “You shouldn’t say that.”
“It is the truth, and I mean it not as an affront to Augusta. You are a beautiful woman and any man would be lucky to have you, however, Evan and I worried that you would not be so inclined to have any of them.
“I admit I worried too as well, but I am glad to see you happy and with a man who seems to care for you,” Nancy sighed.
“Thank you for your vote of confidence, ladies,” Augusta said sarcastically before her face turned sincere. “Thank you for your concern.”
She looked around the ballroom to see if he had returned in the time that she was distracted but he was nowhere to be found. She needed to look for him and find out if there was a problem.
“All that dancing has tired me out and made me a little hungry,” she said. “I think I will go get some refreshment and sit down for a bit.”
“Oh, are you certain you’re fine?” Nancy asked with a worried expression. “Perhaps I should come with you.”
Augusta’s heart ached with guilt. She did not like to lie to her sister but she knew they would try to stop her if she told them the truth about where she was going.
“That’s all right, Nancy. You should stay here with Jane and have some fun. There might be some gentleman who wish to dance with you and are only waiting for me to leave so they can approach,” she laughed.
Nancy and Jane laughed with her. “Well then, do come back as quick as you can. I do not wish to stand here all alone when she does go to dance and Evan is not back from his card games.”
