A great wave of irritation swept through James as he looked at Emma and pictured her with their handsome friend. Withanyof his eligible friends.
“No,” he said. “This is best.”
Roseford let out a chuckle and said, “Well, if you insist. Now I see my mother signaling, so I shall be off.”
Graham let out a long sigh. “I’ll go with you. I should dance with Margaret.”
James felt Simon stiffen at his side and shot his friend a look, but his face was unmoved. They said their goodbyes to their friends and were left alone. James continued to look out over the crowd at Emma.
As if she felt his gaze on her, she turned. Her face lost some of its color, then she whispered something to her companions, took a deep breath and began to move toward him. His heart stuttered as he watched her move through the sea of people.
Simon turned to him. “Looks like your answer is coming after all, James.” He looked at Emma, then his attention moved off into the crowd. He shook his head slowly. “I’m not like Graham and Roseford. I don’t know if what you’re planning is right or wrong or just plain crazy. But I do know from bitter experience that if one doesn’t take his opportunities, regret is a poor bedfellow. So do whatever you feel is right.”
James glanced at him, troubled by Simon’s long frown. But his friend didn’t allow him to press on the issue. He merely patted James’s forearm and then slipped away just before Emma reached him. Then all other thought emptied from his mind, leaving only her.
Emma could hardly breathe as she finished what felt like a very long walk from across the room. James was staring at her the entire way, which didn’t help, for it was a very intense expression on his handsome, angular face. One that put her to mind of the garden and his unexpected and highly pleasurable kiss.
She stopped before him, shoving her shaking hands behind her back. “Your—Your Grace,” she said softly.
He tilted his head, examining her closely before he said, “Would you like to dance, Emma?”
She jolted at the suggestion. Somehow she hadn’t been expecting it. But there was no avoiding it, so she nodded. He held out a hand and she took it, electricity racing up her arm that she tried hard to ignore. She felt every eye in the ballroom turn toward her as he guided her to the dancefloor. As the music began, she held back a groan.
A waltz. Of course it would be a waltz. Anything to force her to remain in his arms like she belonged there, when she most certainly did not.
He placed a hand on her hip and spun her into the first steps. She found herself staring up into his face, perfectly guided by him. He was everything a man should be when he danced. He was lithe and graceful, but he led with a firm hand, turning her exactly where he wanted her to go.
He smiled down at her. “It would probably help if you looked slightly less terrified, Emma. People will think I’m holding you hostage.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at his light tone. It drained some of the tension from her body and made her steps easier. She drew in a long breath. “If I look nervous, it is because I’ve been thinking about what you suggested in the garden.”
His fingers tightened against her back, drawing her just the tiniest fraction closer. “Have you? And what did you determine your answer to my plan to be?”
“It is madness to participate in such a deception,” she said, watching a flash of emotion cross his face before he went back to calm and unreadable. “But…”
“But?” he pressed.
“I have almost nothing to lose with the effort,” she admitted. “So if your offer still stands, I will agree to the terms.”
He smiled, an expression that lit up his face and made her stumble in her steps. Great Lord, but he was beautiful. Truly beautiful, like some kind of wicked angel.
He steadied her as he said, “My dear, we have not yet come to terms.”
She wrinkled her brow. “Haven’t we? I’m agreeing to your ruse.”
He spun her deftly as he said, “But there are details. And details are incredibly important, especially in an arrangement like this. But here on the dancefloor with the world watching is not the place to hash those out.”
She glanced around and drew in a sharp breath. Indeed, the world did seem to be watching. Women were glaring at her over their fans, gentlemen were talking and sizing her up. She shifted with discomfort, for she had never been the center of such attention before.
“Where then?” she asked, her voice catching.
He pondered the question a moment. “My sister says she has provided you with a room to yourself?”
Her lips parted. “You cannot mean to come to my room, Your Grace.”
There was a dark flare of heat in his eyes, but then he shook his head. “No. I think that would not be a wise idea, considering.”
“Considering what?” she asked on the barest of breaths.
