“Of course, my lady. I do not think you are the type of person to put on airs. It is quite refreshing.” The duke smiled and Alaina felt a little flutter in her heart.
The music ended as Alaina and the duke completed one last turn around the ballroom. Each of them stepped back to acknowledge the end of the dance with a bow and curtsy, right near the mothers and the marquess. Graham looked upon Lady Alaina with a broad smile, one that reached his eyes. Lady Alaina, suddenly faced with such interest and the presence of the marquess, averted her gaze and gave the duke a timid smile. As the duke led them completely off the dance floor toward her mother’s side, he quietly commented, “It would be uncouth for me to request yet another dance this evening, but I hope to call on you tomorrow?”
Alaina glanced to catch his eyes, so dark and yet so earnest. “Of course, a call tomorrow would be most lovely. I expect you know where the Norwich townhome is?”
“My mother certainly does, whether before this evening, or through her conversations with your mother.” They had arrived at their party, and the duke passed one last sparkling smile to Alaina before delivering her to Charlotte and joining his own mother.
“What a marvelous couple you two make,” Eleanor beamed.
“I most heartily agree,” Charlotte emphatically answered. Alaina’s mother was not one to gush, but apparently herself and the dowager had made the decision to become family over the course of just two dances. “Do you not agree, my lord?” This time she was addressing the marquess.
“They do make a handsome couple, very much in sync during the dance,” Christopher responded. The marquess paused as if to ruminate on some thought, and then said, “They most assuredly cannot dance anymore this evening without tongues wagging, but I would be honored with the next dance, Lady Alaina.”
Christopher turned to Alaina, meeting her questioning eyes with almost a dare, as he held out his arm in supplication.
Alaina met the marquess’s eyes, wary of his intent. If their argument before was anything of an indicator, it might be best to limit their interactions lest the marquess take tales of her poor temper to the duke. However, as she looked around the group in an effort to forestall such an event, she found no excuse ready on her tongue.
“I would be honored with the next dance, my lord,” Alaina responded, her voice small and flat, as she tried to present a calm, uninterested demeanor. Her hand found his arm, and the marquess led her onto the dance floor.
Just before Christopher left Alaina to the line of ladies to start the contradance, he leaned in and his breath tickled her ear. “It was cricket.”
Alaina, confused by the statement, did not say anything until their first turn together. “What was cricket?”
“The eye,” the marquess quickly replied. “You seemed rather curious about my injury, I thought I would enlighten you.”
A few moments passed as each of them made their way in between other couples, before they could converse again.
“And here I thought it was none of my business,” Alaina remarked, as her face remained placid.
“Technically, it is not your business, but I could not have you thinking I got into a brawl,” Christopher started, a line of couples walking between them. “Forgive me if my reaction seemed rude. You see, I had just been called out by someone who suspected I already had imbibed more than enough for the evening, and that was after a friend dragged me to this affair after a run-in with a cricket ball.”
“And that gave you license to insult someone you did not know in the least?” Alaina responded, a little louder than intended.
“I was just pointing out the obvious,” Christopher countered. “Youwerebeing rude.”
“And you think the way to counter a perceived slight is with a real one?” Alaina bit out acridly.
“Perceived? You called me a drunk and then noted my unsightly appearance,” Christopher growled.
Alaina and Christopher had stopped almost nose-to-nose in the center of the aisle, and both quickly realized that they were blocking the procession of couples. Stepping back into their places once more, Alaina tried to assess the marquess’s implacability, his furrowed brow a clear indication of his continued morose mood.
Christopher continued the dance in silence, presenting his arm as required for their own procession down the aisle of couples, and Alaina could see a muscle work in his jaw before he finally spoke. “I fear, my lady, that we find ourselves at an impasse. As it is not necessary for the dance, shall we avoid speaking to one another further?”
Worried that if she denied his olive branch, the marquess would ruin her chances with the duke, Alaina cautiously accepted. “You have a deal, I shall try and enjoy the rest of the dance, but I shall trouble you no further lest I be subjected once more to your forthrightobservations.”
Leading Lady Alaina through the dance had a heady effect on Christopher. Just moments ago, he had been ready to flay her for even talking to him, so loathe was he to even be in this insipid place, but it was a rare lady who chose to stand toe-to-toe with him when he was in such a mood. Her spunk in that moment had been enough to keep his attention fixed upon her, convinced at the next opportunityhewould finish whatshehad started. But, as he watched Graham dance with Lady Alaina, taking care not to stare, he was surprised to see vivacious smiles and easy laughter, when she had practically scowled at him only a few moments earlier. It was in his mind that the lady may be yet another two-faced fortune hunter, and one who had accidentally exposed her true colors to someone deemed less than eligible.
And now that he had a moment with the lady, he had bungled his attempt to learn the truth of her character. He had been unable to put aside his personal compulsion to spar with the lady, and he had gleaned no useful information to aid his friend. It would be easy to assess her as an ill-tempered shrew by their interactions, certainly, but he had been hesitant to fight with Alaina, and brash in his offer of silence. Now, Christopher would never figure out more about her character to protect his friend.
Casting a glance to his right, keeping his eyes guarded, he looked over Alaina with curiosity. Obviously, this lady had many facets: impertinence, unease, the ability to beguile his friend. The question was, which one was real?
Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he caught the duke regarding Lady Alaina with a similar curiosity. Christopher just hoped that his friend was not blinded by her beauty. Her looks were to be admired, but both of them had dealt with their fair share of empty-headed or ladder-climbing ladies. There was no guarantee she did not fit into either category, regardless of Charlotte and Eleanor’s new friendship. It was often the mothers who foisted their deficient daughters upon an unexpecting gentleman.
Christopher and Lady Alaina once again found themselves in the starting position of the contradance.What a shame it was not a waltz, so he could be closer to Alaina,he could not help but think, the wish coming from a dark recess of his mind.
Meeting Alaina’s eyes, Christopher could not help but admire her vibrance despite everything that had transpired. Alaina nearly dazzled, her eyes twinkling in the candlelight of the room. Christopher could tell she loved to dance, her grace unmatched in the currently dancing couples.
Christopher escorted her a few steps down the aisle of dancers, in accordance with the steps of the dance. Still having found no further words to speak, he was surprised by the reaction of his gut to this small slip of a woman, his mind fighting his body as he tried to recall their uncomfortable interactions.He was here to help his friend root out any bad apples. Besides,Christopher reminded himself,he had no desire to get married in the least.
