“Fair enough.” I reached out a hand and he shook it. I grimaced when I realized I’d offered him my injured hand. “Just don’t hold anything back, even if it may paint Emmett in a poor light.”
“I won’t.”
I nodded, leaning back. “Now, I suppose we’d best get back to the ball before anyone worries that the duke’s youngest is missing as well. We’ll start looking for clues in earnest tomorrow.” I paused. “By the way, where did you arrive from? I heard you were out of town.”
“I thought Emmett may have gone up to Foxglove Abbey. We usually spend several weeks there over the summer, and it’s rather secluded.”
“No luck?”
“None. A horse was missing from the stables, so that was my first thought. But plenty of livestock have gone missing lately, so it’s likely some thief.”
I clapped him on the back. “Well, don’t fret. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“I certainly hope so.”
When we returned to the ballroom, dancing had commenced. Maxwell joined his mother, and I watched with annoyance as Isabel waltzed across the room with Ambrose, looking every bit the fairy-tale princess. I scrutinized her moves, hoping she would stumble, but her dancing was flawless. The judges looked on approvingly, murmuring to one another. I was surprised they didn’t clap, they were so smitten.
Curiously, I noticed that many of the men in the room, the elderly duke included, were missing. It was another thirty minutes before I noted their return. I wondered where they’d been off to, but I supposed business transactions often went down behind the scenes at events such as this. Perhaps I would be invited to such proceedings in the future.
Halfway through the evening, I’d danced with a dozen partners of little interest. I plopped into a seat at Helena’s table to take a breather. I hadn’t handed my dance number to the judges yet, for I was scrutinizing potential dance partners. I needed to strategize, choose someone who would make me look good. Luckily, I appeared to be naturally better than most people in this room without the help.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked.
I pushed damp hair from my eyes. “I’m only meeting the demands of the challenge set before me.”
Helena snorted. “So dedicated to the cause.”
“That’s me. Dedicated.” I snatched her champagne flute and took a generous sip before returning it to her. I was rather thirsty, but it wasn’t the blinding need for blood that I was accustomed to. Exerting myself was much more taxing as a human. As a vampire, I was indefatigable. Now, my heart was racing so loudly that I felt it in my ears, my lungs demanding greedy breaths of air to make up for the exercise.
I watched Isabel at the edge of the dance floor, speaking to Violetta, who turned her dance number in her hands nervously. As Violetta stammered something, Isabel snatched the glasses off the bridge of her nose and rethreaded the ribbon for her before carefully replacing them. She leaned over to squint at her friend’s face before offering her a glowing smile. It was perhaps the first genuine smile I’d seen on the girl’s face all evening. After a moment, she marched Violetta over to the judges’ table, a gentle, but firm hand on her arm. I frowned at the display. Perhaps I’d misread their relationship. Maybe I wasn’t as good at reading people as I’d imagined. Despite the display, however, I was still convinced that Isabel was an odious creature.
I felt a figure appear at my elbow and swallowed a sigh. It was flattering to be so admired and in constant demand, but I would have to sit a dance or two out to regain my strength. I looked up to beg a reprieve, stilling when I realized who stood before me.
“Pardon the intrusion. We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Ambrose Harclay.” He had a sheepish grin on his face as he bowed his head.
I offered him my most sultry smile. “I’m aware. Lucian Cross, at your service.”
He held out a hand to me. “Would you care for a dance?”
“It would be my honor.”
Ambrose’s hand was warm and sure as he led me out onto the floor. He paused at the judges’ table with me briefly and I reluctantly handed my dance number over to them as Ambrose leaned over and spoke with one of them.
I worried that my palms were sweaty and itched to wipe them across my pants, but resisted. I would have to hope that Ambrose was gracious enough to ignore if I was perspiring. Yet he didn’t look out of breath in the slightest as he swept me into the fray of dancers. How could he keep up with such a tireless procession of dances without fatiguing? As much attention as I had garnered tonight, Ambrose had seen more interest by far.
I was used to leading my partners in dances, but Ambrose made it clear that he would have that honor. I allowed him to take control and was pleasantly surprised by how confident he was. He never faltered once and made good eye contact throughout the number. He was making it very easy for me to stay in the competition by singling me out.
I noticed the same with Violetta as she swept by in Isabel’s arms, an easy grin in place. She looked less the awkward shadow now, transformed by Isabel’s attentions. Their bodies moved together harmoniously, instinctively, as if intimately familiar.
It was a strange feeling being in a man’s arms in such a … submissive way. I felt like Ambrose had all of the power here, and indeed, he did. It was only when we began our second dance that my hand found his shoulder, and I sucked in a breath at the powerful muscle I found hidden beneath his suit.
I felt my knees grow a little weak under his guidance, heat creeping up my neck. Was … I couldn’t be blushing, could I?
“I suppose I have your brother to thank for this dance,” I said, desperate for a distraction.
Ambrose smirked, his face so close to mine that I could see a bead of sweat forming at his temple. So, he wasn’t completely immune to the rigorous demands of the night, after all. “He may have forced my hand. Not that it took much convincing. When a stranger arrives in town, it tends to turn heads. I was hoping to test your mettle.”
“And?”
