***
Triana walked through the lavish gardens outside Egremont House, pausing now and again to touch the silky petal of a rose or smell their fragrant blossoms. But it wasn’t until she reached a marble fountain; the statue in the middle depicting a Greek warrior with his sword raised in battle as an army of fish swam about him, that she found her solace. The scene of turmoil suited her mood rather appropriately, so she sat down and hugged herself against the chill of the stone.
She let the melody of the splashing water envelope her in its song, while her gaze drifted to the celestial formations laid out like a sparkling map in the inky, black sky. Even the lavish décor surrounding tonight’s merrymaking couldn’t compete with the natural glory of the heavens.
How many times had she studied the stars when she was a little girl? Too numerous to guess, she would imagine. Many of her special, childhood memories had been of staring at this same sky. She closed her eyes and recalled an almost forgotten stitch in time. She saw her father by her side, helping her pick out the different constellations. She had been in a state of pure awe as the image of an archer had been drawn for her, like a scrambled canvas that had suddenly become a work of art. She remembered throwing her arms around her father’s neck and kissing him on the cheek, thanking him for showing her such a wondrous and magical display.
Sighing, Triana opened her eyes and wondered how many times she’d wanted to forget those memories. Now, she felt that same frustration toward Travell. He was supposed to be different from their father. He shouldn’t have secrets and he certainly shouldn’t have kept them from her. He knew how hard it had been for her when their father had left, and how much she’d suffered after that dreaded night of her debut ball.
She kicked at a stray stone with the toe of her slipper and had to snort at the irony of her current circumstances. Not only had her brother betrayed her, but the duke had also claimed to care, had touched her more intimately than anyone else had ever dared, and yet he was now engaged to another woman.
The sad part about it all is that she’d allowed her heart to become truly bruised because of it.
The man was a plague.
Any time she’d tried to steer herself away from thinking about Gabriel — there he’d be. It really was too bad alcohol wasn’t her forte, for she would be sorely tempted to forget him at the bottom of an expensive bottle of brandy. But even then, she knew the moment she sobered up, he’d be in the forefront of her mind....waiting.
What she wouldn’t give for the opportunity to turn back the clock and never set foot on that blasted terrace! She would have rather cast up her accounts in the middle of the Kensingtons’ ballroom, rather than feel this empty, hollow sickness that threatened to rip apart her chest from the inside out.
Triana blew out a frustrated breath and stared at the twinkling heavens, scrutinizing every star that made its home there. She vowed she would forget all those intimate moments with him and name every single constellation by the time she left this fountain — even if she had to sit here the rest of the night.
But the instant she located the big and little dipper, she felt her scalp begin to prickle and she realized she was no longer alone.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?”
Triana’s eyes slid shut as that familiar, velvety timbre skidded over her skin.
Oh yes, a definite plague.
“The stars,” the Duke of Chiltern murmured in that seductive tone, the one his voice held when he wasn’t even trying. “They’re quite remarkable, actually.”
Triana opened her eyes, but didn’t turn to him, keeping her face averted.Please, just go away. Unfortunately, he must have taken her silence as an invitation to join her, for he sat down; close enough that she no longer felt the chill from the fountain, but rather the comforting warmth from his body.
“You see there? That cluster of stars?” He pointed almost directly above their heads, and she reluctantly glanced upward, arching her neck as she did so. “That is Ursa Minor. And over there,” He gestured to another set nearby. “Is Ursa Major.”
“Yes, I know.” Triana said quietly. Without taking her eyes off the sky, she positioned her own finger in the air, determined that she wouldn’t be outdone. “That’s Orion.” She offered in return, “And of course, those three stars,” She made a line in the air. “Are his belt.”
“Like I said...beautiful.” He spoke so soft, that Triana finally turned to look at him. Her pulse leaped when she found those smoky, silver eyes fixated on her face; making her wonder if he’d been referencing the constellations at all.
Surely a more handsome man did not exist! Foregoing his usual, black and white attire, tonight he wore a sapphire blue waistcoat and silver cravat; the knot tied so expertly around his throat, that it drew her gaze to his freshly shaven jaw. She found her fingers itching to run them along that firm profile, before sliding closer to him, where their mouths might meet for another earth-shattering kiss…
Good Lord, what was she doing?
In a frantic effort to take back control over her wayward thoughts, Triana stood and put some distance between them, as if by doing so, she could shield herself from the fiery attraction trying to drag her under his spell. “What are you doing here?”
Bathed in the moon’s glow, those silver eyes glimmered with an unfathomable emotion. “I thought it was obvious. I came to see you.”
Chapter Nine
Triana’s heart began to beat so furiously that she feared it might leave her chest entirely. “I can’t imagine why.”
The duke’s clothes rustled as he stood, and although he made no move to touch her, she almost shook with the sudden desire to be in his arms. “Can’t you?” he returned softly.
While most of his face was still hidden in shadow, there was no concealing those shining orbs watching her calmly, as though he could see through to her very soul. Triana clenched her fists. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but it’s not amusing. Good evening, Your Grace. No doubt your affianced is wondering where you are.”
She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her elbow. She saw a deep frown creasing Gabriel’s forehead. “What are you talking about? I’m not engaged.”
Triana gave a laugh that was mysteriously hollow. She had to hold on to her anger, for to let it go would mean daring herself to hope. “You’re telling me that Lady Worthington means nothing to you?”
