“Is that why you did not want me to dance with James?” she asked. “You realize that I must have danced with plenty of gentlemen before, do you not? It would seem strange if a duchess attended events and didnottake to the dance floor at least once. Yet, it appearsthatwas not a bother to you.”
A cold look fell across Henry’s face, as they joined hands in a cross configuration, to begin a promenade. “It would seem stranger if a duchess did not dance with her duke before anyone else. Would you invite fresh gossip and scrutiny bynotdancing with me first? Really, you should have thought ahead before accepting James’ request.”
So, this is not you wanting to dance with me at all. This is about how it makes you look, yet again.
Annoyance bubbled away in Thalia’s veins like a pot about to boil over, her pride a little dented. But what had she expected? That her formerly distant, absent husband had suddenly transformed into one who did not wish to be parted from her, not even for the duration of a dance?
“It would not invite fresh gossip at all; it would merely be a repetition of the old,” she remarked. “Apparently, you have a horde of paramours, and I am a silly thing waiting at home for you, oblivious.”
As Henry raised his hand up to turn her in a circle, his expression was peculiar, strained as if he was trying to fight amusement.
“Is that funny to you?” Thalia rasped, as they swayed from side to side, before returning in the direction they had just come, promenading. A dance step that made it impossible to be anything but close to him.
“Itisrather ridiculous,” he replied. “Anyone who knew me would laugh at such an accusation.”
Thalia’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, well, I donotknow you, do I? Even before… my injury, I did not know you. I have enough pride to know that I would not mope around for someone, least of all an absent husband, but I can only take your word for the rest.”
She shook her head. “I mean,Icertainly am not to your liking, I know you do not find me appealing, so why would you not have a paramour? Someone you actually like. All I ask is that I am informed.”
“I cannot inform you of something that simply is not true,” Henry said, turning to face her, as they moved together in a box step. “I have never been disloyal. It has never been a matter of finding you unappealing. Indeed, that is part of the problem.”
Thalia wobbled, losing her footing at the shock of what he had just said.
“What?” she managed to whisper, as his hands shot out to steady her.
His grip did more than balance her, snatching away her breath as she peered up at him, wide-eyed. In kind, he stared back at her, with such intensity that her heart began to pound violently. And when his gaze flitted to her lips, she wished she had brought her fan to cool the heat in her face, for if this kept up, she was bound to faint.
He would not… would he? He would not kiss me in front of all these people.
The thought swiftly reminded her that there was quite an audience. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see people staring, cupping their hands to the ears of others to whisper, muttering under their breaths.
But Henry seemed unperturbed, his eyes burning, his hold upon her almost possessive, as he moved a half step that brought him inappropriately close. Barely an inch between them.
He is going to kiss me…
And she was too dazed to be able to decide if that was what she wanted or not. Her thundering heart seemed to say “yes” while her foggy, impaired mind was split. Did that give “yes” the majority? She did not know.
Just then, the music came to an end, the rest of the dancers drawing apart to curtsy and bow respectively.
Instead, Henry put an arm around her and whispered, “Pretend your foot is sore.”
“What?” she murmured.
“Your foot. Pretend it is sore. It will gain you their sympathy, and they will forget that you stumbled.”
Any involuntary desire to be kissed evaporated, the moment gone, as her wide eyes narrowed in irritation once more. Evidently, he cared more about her misstep than anything else.
Nevertheless, she feigned a mild limp as Henry ‘helped’ her from the dance floor, the pressure of his arm around her tempering her anger just a little bit. Which only served to annoy her more. Why did he keep confusing her like this? Why did her traitorous heart keep racing?
And what on earth had he meant when he said thatnotfinding her unappealing was part of the problem?
Ishe attracted to me, after all?
Somehow, that felt like an alarming prospect, particularly when paired with the knowledge that she had recently desired to be a mother.AskedHenry to make her a mother, according to someletter she could not remember, and according to Frances who had no reason to lie.
Now that Thalia thought about it, that was the second time she had been certain that her husband was about to kiss her. And that was a problem for her, too.
CHAPTER 19
