“I have no doubt I will,” he murmured as she fled for the relative safety of her bedchamber. To her relief, when her maid arrived several minutes later to dress her for the evening, she mentioned nothing about the redness of Cecily’s eyes.
Chapter Six
The Pantheon blazed with candlelight, laughter, and the sweep of strings. Cecily entered on William Devereaux’s arm, all her suspicions coming true. He was indeed a flirt of magnificent levels, and he exuded arrogant confidence, no doubt that she would fall for his charms.
One could perfume excrement, but that did not make it taste any better. Even so, the magnificence of the building replaced her thoughts of discontent with ones of wonder.
Everything was so verygolden. Lights reflected from gilt vases, adding to the illusion of gold. If she tilted her head back, she could make out the famous stuccos—grotesque, but oddly charming, in a distinctly gothic style. A dome rose overhead, and even the walls of the ballrooms were lusciously painted. Guests milled around statues of the Roman gods and goddesses.
If Cecily had been there alone—and a more dangerous thing for a lady she could not conceive—she would have been content to stare all day at its grandeur.
Unfortunately, she was not alone.
To his credit, William behaved very charmingly for the first two dances, all outrageous compliments and very few wandering hands or eyes. He boasted about his experiences in Italy and the magnificence of the architecture there, and if Cecily hadn’t noticed the dangerous gleam in his eye, she might have thought the outing an innocent one.
That was, until he led her to a darkened corner, one hand to the small of her back, and when she twisted away, he caught her arm.
If she had ever needed confirmation he was not who she had once thought him to be, this was it.
“Come now, petal,” he said, gripping her a little too strongly. “I know you’ve missed me. Wearing the willow for me all these years.”
She turned to look at him. “Is that what you think? I’m married now, William.”
“Ah yes, to that stuffy baronet. Does he keep you locked up, my flower? Did you have to escape his clutches to come here with me? Never fear—I shall contrive ways for you to escape his reach. When I want something, I am not denied.”
A bead of sweat rolled down her spine. Even if she had been in a mood to partake in an assignation, the heat would have been enough to put her off. Nothing was less appealing than feeling damp and uncomfortable. Not one gentleman considered that when they made their advances in the bitter cold or the height of summer.
And with all the bodies crammed in around them? The multitudes of candles that lit the place?
Yes, it looked all very romantic, and she would brave the heat to dance, but decidedlynotfor this.
He pressed still closer, forcing her to attempt to step back—and encounter a wall. Really, was he going to force himself on her in public? Instead of fear, she only felt a burst of anger.Perhaps he thought she hadn’t grown since the age of nineteen, when she had been so desperate for his affection, but he would shortly find that wasn’t the case.
Still, she had come here with him to find the truth once and for all.
“I have a question for you,” she said, staring into his handsome face and wondering how she could have been so deceived by it. “If we had not been discovered all those years ago, what would you have done?”
A grin spread slowly across his face. “Perhaps we could find out here, petal.”
“Perhaps not. Would you have married me?”
“What does that matter now? You married another.”
“Because youfledwhen he discovered us.”
His grip on her arm tightened once more. “What else was I to do when he revealed he had bought my debts and would call them in if I didn’t leave the country at once?” he growled. “Four years I stayed away, all because of him.”
Cecily suffered three unpleasant shocks in one. The first was that Percy, in all in his gallant efforts to protect her, had sent William away, andthatwas why he had left the country.
The second was that William no doubt saw seducing her as a form of revenge. Once again, his actions had no bearing on his feelings for her as a woman.
The third was that, then and now, she was an idiot.
“But,” William said, his tone once again smooth and charming, “we need not concern ourselves with that.”
She shoved him back. “At which point did you think I would forsake my marriage vows for the sake of a man whom I have not seen for four years?” she asked icily. “One whom, moreover, tried to ruin me?”
“You did well for yourself out of it. Married your rich baronet and lived the life of luxury. Really, you ought to be thankingme for forcing his hand. Maybe he would never have offered for you otherwise.” William’s breath was hot against her cheek as he leant in, pressing her more firmly against the wall. “And now we are free to have our fun together with no fear of ruin or repercussions. Is that not something?”
