She was devastating. Luminous. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
“It’s lovely,” Louise said, her voice small. “But it’s far too fine for a companion. I couldn’t possibly?—”
“You will have it.” The words left Aaron’s mouth before he could stop them.
Everyone turned to stare at him. Louise’s lips parted in surprise.
Cecilia nudged his arm sharply. “Is that all you have to say? She looks magnificent, and you say she ‘will have it’?”
Aaron’s throat tightened. He should say something more. He should tell her she looked like starlight given form. He should admit that the sight of her had stolen every coherent thought from his head.
“The gown suits you,” he managed. “Well.”
Cecilia rolled her eyes heavenward. Louise’s expression flickered with something that looked like disappointment before she masked it with a polite smile.
“Thank you, Your Grace. But the cost must be considerable. I couldn’t allow you to?—”
“The cost is irrelevant.”
“Your Grace?—”
“The dress is yours, Lady Louise.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “I won’t hear any argument.”
Louise stared at him, searching his face for something he couldn’t let her find. “I … I don’t know what to say.”
“Say nothing. It’s settled.” Aaron turned away before he could do something foolish, like cross the room and show her exactly what he thought of how she looked in that gown.
His gaze fell on a display of hair ornaments near the door. A delicate butterfly comb caught the light, its wings fashioned from seed pearls and silver filigree.
“This as well.” He picked it up and handed it to a startled Madame Beaumont. “For Lady Emily. To match her sister.”
Emily squealed with delight. “For me? Truly?”
“To my knowledge, princesses need proper adornment.”
Emily threw her arms around his waist in a fierce hug that caught him off guard.
Aaron froze completely, his hands hovering in the air as if Emily were made of spun glass that might shatter at his touch.
Emily squeezed tighter, her small face pressed against his waistcoat. “You’re the best duke in the whole world!”
His hand lowered slowly, awkwardly, until it rested on her curls. The gesture looked like something he had observed others do rather than felt it himself, only a careful imitation. His fingers barely grazed her hair, as if deeper contact might reveal how unprepared he was for this moment.
“You’re welcome,” he managed, his voice rougher than intended.
Over her head, he saw Louise watching him with an expression that made his chest ache.
“Thank you,” Louise said softly.
Aaron extracted himself from Emily’s embrace and checked his watch. Nearly one o’clock. “I must go. My appointment won’t wait.”
“Of course.” Cecilia’s knowing smile suggested she saw far more than he wanted her to. “We’ll manage from here. But try to return at a reasonable hour. We’re dining as a family tonight, and I won’t have you claiming urgent business.”
He fled the salon without looking back, but Louise’s image followed him into the street. The pearl silk against her skin. The uncertainty in her eyes. The flash of disappointment when he’d fumbled his compliment like a green boy.
The gown suits you. Well.
He was an idiot. A complete and utter idiot.
