Lady Kensington’s words swiftly cut into his train of thought. “Excuse me?” he asked, thinking he had misheard her.
No respectable lady would make such a confession to a virtual stranger! But… he was not, really. He was her husband’s cousin. He’d made it a point to recognize that they were nowfamily. And yet, they were in a ballroom. Her words could have been overheard by anyone.
Brushing his shock aside, he focused his attention on contemplating exactly what she was suggesting. All for the greater good of his foolish cousin, once again.
But no, he had not misheard her. She had openly admitted to a lack of knowledge and experience sexually. Really, she ought to be discussing this with Flavion.
“I’m sure it would be more befitting of you to discuss this with your husband. Perhaps he simply requires some… encouragement?” he suggested. She ought not to be having this conversation with him. It was far too personal and far too fast for a London ballroom. But it seemed such restrictions were to be discarded tonight between the two of them. He and Lady Kensington had quickly moved beyond any semblance of small talk whatsoever.
The countess shook her head. “He has no patience with me.” And then she brightened. “Perhaps you could teach me?” she said hopefully. “If you could give me some pointers… then perchance…”
She trailed off without completing her suggestion. She licked her lips slowly, and he felt an unbidden tightening in his groin. He purposefully shifted his attention to her eyes and considered her words. Her gaze was unreadable, but she appeared quite serious.
It was a sad shame, but apparently Flavion had convinced this girl that she was not sexually appealing.
Preposterous!
What exactly did she want from him? This time it was Stephen who missed a step. After regaining his footing, he studied her intently. “Surely you are not asking me to… tutor you… in the verses of lovemaking?”
What Lady Kensington needed was somebody to bolster her confidence. If she were more confident in her sensuality, perhaps it would give Flave additional motivation to make something of this marriage. But surely, Stephen was not the person to do so!
This should not be a problem for any red-blooded male. Cecily Nottingham possessed a very feminine appeal.
She shrugged prettily. “Perhaps you are the key to saving my marriage.”
Stephen smelled a rat. Well, he thought he smelled a rat. Hadn’t his first impression of the countess been that shehatedher husband? Now, he wasn’t so sure. She appeared to be something of an innocent. Could this be an illusion? He pondered the look of artlessness in her expression. Hmm… perhaps he needed to learn more about the new Lady Kensington. She was Thomas Findlay’s daughter, after all.
She missed a step, and Stephen pulled her close once again.
Maybe some experience would benefit the newly married couple. If she had any willingness at all to regain Flavion’s affections, then that was definitely a step in the right direction. Yes, this made the most sense.
And then the music stopped.
Stephen held her for just a moment after the music came to a halt and narrowed his eyes at her.
“I’ll think about it,” he said.
After Mr. Nottinghamreturned Cecily to her friends and then disappeared, she could hardly keep herself from shaking. She could not believe what she had done. How had she found the nerve to speak thusly to a virtual stranger? Oh, she ought not to have had that last glass of champagne. Were all of the morals her governess had instilled into her over the past few years gone? Never in her wildest imagination would she ever have thought she would talk to a man so boldly. Oh, God, she felt sick.
Flavion had done this to her. She leaned into Emily’s ear and whispered, “I need to get out of here… now!”
Emily did not hesitate, but signaled for both Sophia and Rhoda’s attention.
“Let’s go outside,” Emily said. “It’s too hot in here.”
“It’s notthatwarm,” Sophia said.
But Rhoda had understood. “No, Soph, it’s too warm. Let’s go onto the terrace. If it is crowded, we can stroll down to the gardens.” She lifted the hem of her dress and led the way. Emily took Cecily’s hand and dragged her behind them. Sophia followed.
Once outside, Rhoda managed to locate a very private area behind several potted plants.
“What is it?” Emily asked Cecily, sounding like a schoolteacher. “What did he say to you?”
Cecily drew in a deep breath and then held up her right hand. “I’m shaking. I cannot believe what I have done, and now look at me. I’m a mess!”
Rhoda raised her brows and met Emily’s eyes before returning her attention to Cecily. “Blast, Cecily, tell us what you said to him!”
The three girls waited in silence, none of them willing to miss a single word of what Cecily had to say.
