“Shall we dance?” He held out his hand to her.
Her mouth suddenly went dry, and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak as he took her hand and led her toward the dance floor. The smell of amber washed over her, making her head swim. He walked with a confidence that reminded her of a lion she had once seen at the royal menagerie.
As he put his hand at the small of her back, Vivian felt a rush of warmth spread through her. She looked up into his eyes and found herself lost in his gaze. His lips quirked into a half smile, and her heart pounded against her ribs.
“Remind me again, what were we discussing when I asked you to dance, my lady?” His voice held an edge of amusement.
Vivian felt her muscles tense, and she nearly missed a step during their waltz. “I cannot remember.”
“I am unaccustomed to being so easily forgotten.” He caught her stumble, guiding her across the floor with such confidence and ease that it made her feel almost graceful.
She smiled, trying to ignore the way her heart thundered in her chest. She could feel beads of sweat trickling down the back of her neck.
It would help if he were not quite so handsome.
“And yet the memory of our conversation seems also to have eluded you.”
“Indeed. As has your name.” His eyes flashed, and Vivian felt as though a snare was tightening around her. “I am not the kind of man who forgets the name of a woman as breathtaking as you.”
Breathtaking?She would not be made fun of. “You are too kind. Perhaps your forgetfulness is due to my own unremarkable nature.”
“There is very little unremarkable about you, dear lady.” His eyes bored into her, and she felt as though all the air had been sucked from the room. “After all, few women would be bold enough to trick a stranger into dancing with them.”
The words hit her sharply. Her cheeks flushed scarlet, eyes widening. The man arched an eyebrow at her, and she knew she could not refute him.This was a ridiculous gambit, and now it has blown up in my face.
“I meant no offence. I was not thinking… I am sorry—I should never have done this. I should go.” Vivian tried to leave, but the man pulled her back, holding her closer than before, straddling the line of propriety.
“You need not apologize. I am simply curious as to the reason for it all. Why would a woman as pretty as you resort to such anticsto secure a dance with someone? Especially when you do not seem to know who I am.” The man canted his head toward her, matching his steps to hers so perfectly it was as if they had been made for each other.
“Should I?” Vivian frowned at the stranger.
The man shrugged. “Answer my question first.”
Vivian hesitated for a moment and searched the stranger’s face for some hint of emotion. It gave nothing away, but there was something about his piercing blue eyes that held her attention. She had expected to see judgment or even rebuke, but instead she was greeted with curiosity. As though she was a puzzle he could not quite work out.
He cannot think any less of me; I may as well tell him the truth.
She sighed. “I suppose I cannot embarrass myself any more than I have. My name is Lady Vivian Willows, and before I approached you, I had just run into my fiancé and his new wife.”
Vivian found herself telling him the whole story. When she explained that they had been promised since her birth, she thought his grip tightened, but it was so fleeting she was sure she had imagined it. She told him everything and found that it was surprisingly easy.
“It is not as though I had any feelings for him or particularly relished the thought of marrying him. In all honesty, I wasrelieved when I first discovered it, before the reality of what it would mean for my future hit me at least.” There was no stirring of emotion within her; she could simply tell him the facts as they were. “It was the way they treated me. I could not stand how they were both looking at me with pity as though I was the last unwanted fruit at a stall, and as my dance card was empty, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands and show him that I am not some pathetic spinster deserving of his pity.”
“Rather bold of you.” The man’s lips quirked upwards.
Vivian shrugged. “I prefer to think of it as necessary. Before long, everyone will know of my humiliation, and I do not want him to think he has won.”
The man nodded. “If you truly wish to have your revenge, you should do more than just dance.”
“What do you mean?” Vivian frowned at him.
“Well, the man is a viscount. He is clearly arrogant enough to think that losing him is some kind of wound to you. That kind of man is the sort who cannot fathom that another man might want what he does not.” The stranger looked at her in a calculating way that reminded Vivian of a spider at the center of a web, spinning traps for unsuspecting flies. “To make him pay, you must make him believe that someone wants you. And that someone must be his better.”
“You make it sound so easy.” She let out a bitter laugh. “Find a man who is at least an earl and get him to propose. What could be simpler?”
“I think you should set your sights higher, Lady Vivian.” His smile broadened. “You should marry a marquess.”
Vivian arched an eyebrow at him.And now he is making fun of me.“And do you happen to know an eligible and willing marquess?”
