Marcus paced up and down the corridor, continuously glancing at the staircase as he waited for Lady Caroline to arrive. He hesitated just long enough to check his reflection in the mirror, adjusting his tailcoat a little to make sure it lay perfectly flat. He then brushed back his hair, too.
It’s been a long time since I wanted to charm anyone.
Yet he did want to charm her. How could he not want to charm such a beauty as Lady Caroline? Or a woman with such wit in her? She was tempting.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat.
He spun around fast to see that Lady Caroline was at the bottom of the stairs. Behind her a few steps was her maid. Lady Caroline had an amused smile on her face as she looked at him; the candlelight from the tables nearby fell on her beautiful features.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked, nodding her head at the mirror.
“I’ve been caught, I see.” He chuckled and walked towards her, offering his arm. “May I escort you to dinner, My Lady?”
Slowly, she took his arm. The way her hand slid across the crook of his elbow was a thrill indeed. It reminded him of the way he had kissed her hand that afternoon, making him wonder how she would react if he kissed her lips instead.
Would she gasp in that same way?
They walked towards the dining room with the maid following behind them. Quite struggling for words, Marcus just admired Lady Caroline instead. His eyes traced the curve of her gown until they reached the dining room. He held the chair out for her, allowing her to sit first before he took his place at the head of the table.
The maid took her place in a chair in the corner of the room to chaperone. Marcus had nothing against the maid, though he found himself glancing her way in irritation. He would have much preferred to have been alone without a chaperone at all.
“I see you are holding true to having a chaperone then, My Lady,” he whispered for Lady Caroline’s ears only as he reached for a carafe of red wine and poured out two glasses for them.
“It is the done thing, is it not? The way the ton works.” She hardly sounded enamoured by the idea, eagerly helping herself to the food on the table, something that interested him. It was traditional for a woman to wait for the man to serve her first, though he would happily admit it was a tradition he found most strange. Lady Caroline did not bother with such things and served herself some roast chicken and vegetables before passing him the bowl.
He had insisted tonight they were left quite alone, rather than the stiff and formal affair of having so many staff around them serving multiple courses. He wanted the chance to get to know her properly without having many staff members in the room to disturb them.
“Yes, it is,” he said rather statically, having little wish to talk about the ton, though he supposed he should do. “The ton has high expectations. Everyone in it believes we have to act a certain way.”
“You sound resentful,” she said with interest, lifting the glass of wine to her lips. “Are you?”
“I think it wise I say nothing more. From what I hear, you are a fine favourite of the ton, Lady Caroline. Your praises have been sung by many, so much so that your reputation has come all the way here to Hertfordshire.” He had heard her talked of many times by the ton, but to his shame, the thing that had interested him in her reputation was the fact she had a wealthy dowry.
She dropped the fork in her grasp. It clattered against the plate so loudly that the maid across the room flinched in surprise.
“I’m sorry about that.” Lady Caroline picked up the fork again hastily. “I think the ton exaggerates my virtues.”
“Why is that?”
“Maybe they see an image rather than a person.” She shrugged. “It’s what I think of the ton. They look at one another like they are both pictures on a wall, not human beings that are made of blood and emotion.”
Marcus blinked, no longer serving himself food.
This was not the direction he had expected their conversation to go. He had perhaps hoped for warm and flirtatious again, but they had turned serious. Perhaps it was their secret wishes not to talk about the engagement between them, yet this? It showed him something he had not been expecting.
She sees the ton as I do.
“You are something of a surprise, My Lady.” He finished serving himself, watching as her eyes turned towards him.
“I am?” She blushed a deep shade of red, almost as rich as the roasted tomatoes she had placed on her plate. “In what way?” she asked a little shakily.
“I guess I thought I might be facing a very prim and proper lady of the ton.” At his words, she glanced at her maid across the room, who fidgeted in her chair. Worried he might have caused offence, he hastened on with his words. “You are very elegant, My Lady, do not misunderstand me, yet you are also … refreshing,” he whispered, making sure that this time, the maid had no chance of hearing them.
“You think so?” Lady Caroline asked, leaning towards him.
“My Lady –”
“Oh, no more of that.” She suddenly waved the claret glass at him, in danger of spilling the claret over the edge. He chuckled when he saw her look of fear and how close she had come to causing a mess.
