“Evelina, it would be an honor if you would join me,” Christopher said as he offered her his arm. Evelina graciously accepted, and Christopher led Evelina in the same direction as Graham and Alaina. Georgiana and Charlotte were left to stare after each of the couples wistfully, and for the same reason: husbands that were not in attendance, whether by choice or not.
The evening of dancing flew by for all the guests, the magic of the atmosphere seeming to accelerate the passage of time, none more so than for Alaina and Christopher. Alaina shared a pair of dances with Graham before being swept away in a waltz by Lord Blackwell, a friend of Georgiana’s husband who also attended school a year ahead of Graham and Christopher. It seemed that no sooner was Christopher without a partner, that Alaina was occupied in a dance or in conversation, and vice versa. Finally, Alaina found herself alone at the refreshment table, able to catch her breath for the first time since arriving.
“My lady, we need to stop meeting like this,” came a rich, low voice behind her, almost like a caress.
Alaina turned to find Christopher smiling at her, a twinkle in his eyes, apparently amused at his own wit.
“And what has you so amused?” Alaina pressed. She had wished for and dreaded the moment she may be alone with the marquess.
Christopher cleared his throat, and his eyes darkened with something that made Alaina shiver, before he breathed the word, “You.”
Alaina stuffed her elation, and let her skepticism guard her heart. “I amuse you, sir?”
“Not so much that, but I would admit that I cannot stop thinking of you,” Christopher added, and Alaina felt her insides twist in a knot.
“Surely you jest,” came her parry. “Pretty words just tumbling from your mouth because of the magic of the evening.”
“No, never that.”
“How can you say such things? I was sure that you hated me once,” Alaina challenged.
“Hated you?”
“Yes, hated me. We argued at every turn.”
But Christopher pushed back, “I admit, yes, we argued, but I found myself enthralled at our every interaction. And there was your courtship with Graham to consider. I could not act on anything before…”
“And now is the appropriate time?” Alaina asked. She felt her heart leap, but was cautious.
Christopher was slow to respond, but then the words came out in a tumble. “No, I know that this is an inopportune moment, but I cannot seem to help myself. At dinner, at the dress shop, our kiss at the Stamford Ball; it was like I was consumed by something.”
Alaina struggled to calm her breathing. The memories he had recalled tumbled about in her mind. Christopher’s eyes feasted on Alaina, from her hair to her toes, his slow perusal of her person a loving touch, a gentle caress. Alaina noticed that his breathing matched hers and she wished that her mind did not feel so jumbled. When she finally spoke, her tone was gentle but cautious. “So, am I to understand that your thoughts on marriage have changed?”
Alaina watched as Christopher set his jaw, and she did not wait for his response. “I will take your silence as a ‘no.’ Am I to assume that your original statement is correct? I do only amuse you?”
Christopher opened his mouth, but in the next moment the couple was swallowed by the rest of the partygoers as they gathered around the refreshment table. Georgiana was among the group and was quick to interject, “Alaina, Christopher, what are you doing all the way over here? The musicians will be playing their last set soon, and I would have you both on the dance floor!”
The group seemed oblivious of the couple as they grabbed glasses of punch and treats before once more retreating to the inner garden as strains of music reached Alaina and Christopher’s ears.
Christopher presented his arm to Alaina, and she stiffly accepted. They walked in silence along the path to the dance floor, and found themselves quickly set upon, Christopher finding himself paired with a lady of Georgiana’s acquaintance and Alaina paired once more with Lord Blackwell. They each passed the rest of the evening with stilted smiles and forced conversations, wishing for the evening to end.
Alaina flounced once more in her bed as the clock in her room chimed to remind her that sleep eluded her for yet another hour. Her interaction with Christopher weighed on her, the elation of his admission mixed with disappointment; the marquess had no interest in a wife. His feelings on the matter did not change the fact that in the morning, Alaina would need to sever her connection with the duke, an undesirable task, but necessary. Graham deserved someone whose heart was not already captured by another.
Christopher stood by the window in his room and stared at the moon, numbly watching it peak in and out of the clouds that traversed the night sky. His mind was occupied with his interaction with Lady Alaina, one left unfinished. Christopher chided himself for his tongue-tied interaction.To imagine that he left his thoughts on marriage unsaid, even when Alaina asked him a clear question. The thoughts roiled in his mind. He was still wary of the institution to be sure, but on the other hand, the idea of being without Alaina for even a moment caused an ache in his chest.He could only hope that tomorrow would give him another opportunity.
Chapter 13
Alaina found herself wandering the halls of the Ashford manor the next morning, a bundle of nerves and anticipation. She knew she had to end her courtship with the duke, and had no wish to hurt Graham or his family. However, it was her unfinished conversation with Christopher that weighed most heavily on her mind and her heart.
Since the prior evening had been the last night of the party, most of the guests had departed early in the morning, directly following a buffet-style breakfast. Unlike the previous few days, there was no set time for the meal, and so Alaina, Charlotte, and Evelina had only encountered one other guest, Lady Drake, Georgiana’s friend from Cornwall. They had eaten in relative quiet compared to the previous evening, each person only contributing niceties and small talk about the weather and other such things. Alaina had been relieved that Graham had not made an appearance.
Georgiana had invited the three of them to stay on for a few days after the party since, in her words, the party planners needed rest following such an event. This allowed Alaina the freedom to roam the house. Charlotte and Evelina had gone back to their chambers after breakfast, each claiming exhaustion from the night before, leaving Alaina to her own devices near the library. It had been in Charlotte’s mind, at least, that Alaina may need some time to reflect, or just to read and be with her thoughts. In truth, Alaina had no intention of remaining stationary; she was too worried to sit still.
It was also her most fervent wish to talk to Christopher and finish their conversation, if for no other reason than to put the matter to rest, one way or the other. Though wandering the halls could be construed as nosy or untoward, Alaina felt that it increased her chances of encountering Christopher, even if that meant also a chance of encountering the duke. When her mother and sister had made their way to the stairway leading upstairs, Alaina had feigned in the direction of the library, simply passing the doors, making her way slowly down the hall in the direction of the stables. Pausing every so often to look over a portrait of some previous duke or duchess, or a landscape painting, Alaina tried to appear calm and without purpose. However, on the inside, she was jittery, hoping that at every doorway to a darkened parlor or bend in the hall, she would see Christopher. She was equally nervous to encounter the duke.
As Alaina rounded the last corner before the door to the stables at the end of a long hallway, she heard muffled voices. Feeling her feet pick up speed she began to search for the source, even poking her head into a few of the open doorways on her right, only to find darkened rooms, each appearing to have a slightly different purpose or décor. Alaina had just found yet another sitting room, this one so decorated in a rose motif that she could envision herself in the middle of a bouquet, when the door to the outside stables opened and the muffled voices became clear as Graham and Christopher entered the hallway.
The sudden change in sound and situation startled Alaina, and she could feel herself blush at the possibility of being caught snooping. Before she could exit the rose parlor’s door completely and turn around, she heard the voices stop, along with the accompanying footsteps.
