CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Leofelt sick. His stomach was twisted in knots, and he had a feeling of impending doom that he could not shake. There were hundreds of people milling around the Hamilton ballroom, and many more outside walking the gardens and maze.
“She has arrived.”
His body snapped to attention as he followed Jacob’s gaze and found Beth. She was walking toward him with Grace and Nick.
Her dress was white with a lace overskirt. It caressed her lush body and swirled around her ankles as she walked. When had he ever been so aware of a woman simply crossing the room before?
“Grace, Poppy, and Charlotte decided white was the best color for visibility in the maze,” Jacob said.
Leo managed to nod, but could not take his eyes from the vision walking toward him. Her mask was white also. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, and adorned with tiny pearls.
“What?”
“What?” He dragged his eyes from Beth to look at Jacob.
“You made a strangled sound as if you were in pain.”
“No, I did not.”
Jacob smiled. “Yes, you did actually. And can I say I like your future wife? She’s the perfect woman for you.”
“How so?”
“She’s strong, and knows her mind, so you won’t be able to bend her to your will constantly.”
“That was not a compliment.”
“Harriet was never the right one for you, Leo. Surely you can see that now?”
He nodded. “I can, and will add that it is a relief Hyndmarsh took her before I was saddled with her.”
“It’s nice to see you finally succumbing like the rest of us, my friend.”
“Yes, but I will never be as pathetic as you three,” he said, still looking at Beth. She was close now, and the tension inside climbed. Tonight, God willing, they would settle this business with Lloyd, and he and Beth could move on with their lives... together.
“Too late, you’ve already capitulated,” Jacob drawled.
“Good evening, my lord.”
“Miss Whitlow.” He bowed, and then took her hand and placed it on his arm. They did not talk much, but stayed surrounded by their friends.
Poppy was married to Jacob, and a woman who knew her own mind, just as Charlotte, Marcus’s wife, did. Leo respected and liked all his friends’ wives, and for the first time realized what his friends had been talking about when they’d expressed fears or worries about their spouses. He finally understood what it was to have another person in your life you would do anything for. Someone who held your future happiness in their hands. It was a terrifying yet exhilarating thought.
I am no longer alone.The thought flashed through his mind.
“What has you smiling?”
“You,” he said, lifting Beth’s hands and kissing her fingers.
She didn’t speak, simply moved closer to him as they talked to their friends. They appeared to be simply enjoying each other’s company, but what they were doing was biding their time until midnight.
“May I have this dance, Miss Whitlow?”
“No thank you, Lord Chalmers.”
Leo swallowed his smile as the man walked away.
