He could not afford to allow himself to lust after a woman – one he was not meant to have.
His goal, his mission, came first, and it would continue to do so until it was over. It was far too dangerous otherwise.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Isee you’re still upset over the little argument from two days ago.”
Nora’s gaze slid to Penelope, the look on her face depicting her irritation and disbelief.
“You make it sound as though there is no reason for me to acknowledge my upset.” She said, exhaling deeply. “However, I have deemed his actions to be an act of war, for which there will be fitting retribution.”
Penelope sighed, tilting her head in Jane’s direction to whisper,
“Perhaps we should have not put her on this path. She has grown rather… fixated on the matters concerning the Duke.”
“I have not!” Nora snapped indignantly. “If anything — he is fixated on my own affairs! Why else would he follow me soclosely and embroil himself in matters that do not have anything to do with him?”
“I am sure he only meant well at the modiste —” Jane tried, but her words fell short when Nora held up her hand.
“He humiliated me, with no just cause. He had no right to determine what I can or cannot wear and I refuse to let him believe that he can get away with such an atrocious behavior.”
“What will you even do?” Penelope questioned, looked exasperated as she picked a glass of punch from the platter of a nearby server. “He isn’t even here. You should simply forget about him for the moment and enjoy the evening.”
Nora tutted with a stubborn shake of her head. “He is not here —yet. If there is one thing I know for certain is that he cannot stand to have me out of sight. Sooner or later, he will show up. And I will make him wish he did not.”
Jane and Penelope exchanged a look of concern, then Penelope seemed to have volunteered to do the difficult task of voicing the notion they had shared silently.
“I understand that you are upset. But I implore you to do what you can to remain as civilized as you possibly can. If you disrupt this dinner party, Jane’s poor mother will have a heart attack — but not before she wrings your neck —”
“Penelope!” Jane chided, eyes wide with horror. “That’s quite unnecessary. My mother’s efforts being at risk would not result in her falling so gravely ill, neither will she attack Nora. Do not harbor such disturbing thoughts.”
Penelope nodded wordlessly, taking a sip of her punch as Jane faced Nora.
“I understand your reasons for being upset, Nora. You know that we would always love nothing more than to support you, in all your ventures. However, we must admit that this is quite… bothersome — for yourself, more than anyone else. We know that the duke’s presence has hindered your chances of finding a husband, but you are letting him take even more from you by choosing to be so absorbed in his games. You have not spoken to a single gentleman all evening and there is no better time than right now, while he is not here.”
Nora started at her friend, feeling a little overwhelmed. She had been utterly consumed by thoughts of him and all the emotions he evoked within her. It was odd, how easily he could rile her up.
Even more so because she could not understand why.
He was eating into her mind, images of him slipping into her dreams and taking away her ability to focus on much else. And she did not know why he was doing thing — going through all this trouble to ‘protect’ her, while also driving her utterly mad.
But perhaps that was part of the game he wished to play. Perhaps he fully intended to ruin her life simply for sport, under the guise of looking after her.
Whatever his reason was, Nora had no intention to play into his game.
“Perhaps, you’re right, Jane,” Nora exhaled heavily. “I should not let his silly games stop me from achieving my goal. If he’s not here tonight, then I should take full advantage of his absence to fulfil my objective.”
Jane’s expression looked uncertain, but she still managed a small smile while Penelope clapped sharply.
“That’s the spirit. And we will be here to offer you any sort of assistance you might require,” Penelope assured with a grin, turning Nora around by her shoulders and gesturing to a man whose eyes locked with hers. “You might want to get started before we settle down for dinner. That gentleman has been glancing at you for the last ten minutes — he seems as though he could use some lessons on subtlety. But tonight, that works in your favor. Why don’t you go and introduce yourself, Miss Nora?”
Before Nora could speak, Penelope gave a slight shove forward, sending Nora stumbling towards the man.
Quickly, he caught her by the arm, his eyes apologetic as he flashed her a charming smile.
“Oh dear, are you all right, Miss? Please, do be careful. We wouldn’t want a single scratch on that lovely face of yours.” He said as he helped her regain her balance.
Nora smiles politely, instinctively pulling her hand out of his. Something about his touch felt utterly wrong — sort of clammy and cold.
