She frowned. He’d not chased her before, and this was the only time he’d followed her onto the terrace.
“I call at your home, but am turned away, and when you do grant me a waltz, you run away as quickly as you can. I no longer wish to play the fool.”
She placed a hand on her heart.
“It was a pleasure to know you.” He bowed, then took his leave.
Antonia blinked back tears as the only gentleman, nay, person, who brought her peace marched away. He was the one for her, and she had always known that, but Antonia also knew that she would only be a burden to him. That was the reason she would never reveal the truth. She feared that he’d be willing to take on that burden and by the time he tired of it, he would be stuck with her. She couldn’t do that to anyone.
She did not want to be in London any longer. She wanted to go home and would beg her parents to take her there. She also never wanted to return to London again. There was nothing here for her but heartache and pain.
Chapter One
Nightshade Manor, Bocka Morrow, Cornwall ~ six months later
* * *
Philip Cardwell, Viscount Chedworth, leaned back in the leather chair beside the fireplace and lifted his glass of brandy. "We survived, gentlemen."
The comment was addressed to his good friends Reese Westcott, Viscount Amcaster and Comte de Rohan, Cassian Jourdain.
“We realized we had survived twelve days ago,” Amcaster reminded him.
“Yes, but today the last of the guests, at least those parents and their marriageable and magical daughters, departed. We could not afford to let down our guard while they were still about,” Philip reminded them. “Though, why they remained for nearly a fortnight is beyond me.”
There was an unwritten rule for those of Drakos blood, which he was—that the males, who never received magical abilities, were to marry a witch. Only two had not, but Philip had accepted his duty as heir and child of a witch that he would wed as requested.
That was also one of the reasons his aunt, the Countess of Wharton, Lady Iris Drakos, had hosted a Witches’ Ball nearly a fortnight ago. Each guest had either been a witch or warlock, or came from a family of such, or knew of the existence of witches and was not disturbed but accepting. His aunt had hoped that many matches would be made, him included, but Philip had avoided being caught in matrimony and the reason he was now celebrating with his friends.
“I am still here,” Amcaster said.
“Ah, but you are my friend. It is different.”
“There are still two misses here,” Cassian reminded them.
“They are visiting with my cousins and will be until the end of the month,” Philip dismissed. “Besides, their mothers are not here, therefore, no need to fear matchmaking.”
“Who still remains?” Amcaster asked.
“Lady Antonia Kerrigan and Lady Samantha Ellis,” Cassian answered.
“Lady Antonia is still here?” Amcaster asked. His eyes focused on Philip as an eyebrow arched in speculation.
Amcaster had taken great pleasure in Philip often being abandoned before a waltz was fully completed, and the other difficulties he had suffered when trying to court the woman. “The two ladies are close friends of Petra and Maia, and they asked the two to stay. At least, that is what I have been told, nor does it matter.”
Of all the women his cousins could have about, why did one have to be Lady Antonia? Philip had tried to forget her, put her from his mind, but he’d not been able to do so. It wasn’t that he was in love, it was because he had never figured her out.
After he left her in the gardens that last night, he had not seen her again. Not until she walked into the Witches’ Ball. He had assumed that she would not be in attendance because all the guests had arrived at least a day earlier, many of them days earlier.
But she had walked in just as the ball had begun and was even more beautiful than he remembered with her thick dark hair, light blue eyes, and full crimson lips.
He had not asked her to waltz because he knew how it would end. In fact, he’d spent the entire night and these past twelve days practically avoiding or ignoring her.
Oh, they had meals together, with everyone else who was residing at Nightshade Manor, and there had been polite conversation, but he did not go out of his way to find her, no matter how many times he wished to do so.
Except, and he hated to admit this even to himself, now that most of the guests had departed, Philip hoped to spend time with her. Did he dare approach her again?
Philip had been smitten with her almost immediately. Lady Antonia had not been besotted with him. Therefore, he should just continue to keep his distance and eventually she would be gone.
