“Your grace, how fortunate you are here. I was beginning to fear you would hide in the card room all night.”
As though Lady Norwood hadaccidentallyled Evelyn across the room to where the duke was standing.
“You must lead Lady Evelyn!”
The duke’s eyes flitted toward her before returning to Lady Norwood.
“I do not think that is wise.”
“The Duke of Ravenscar with Lady Evelyn Stratford!” Lady Norwood announced to any close enough to hear her, a self-satisfied gleam in her eye.
Evelyn’s stomach dropped as she met the duke’s horrified expression.
But there was nothing else to do.
He held out his hand.
She placed hers within his.
Their eyes locked as he drew her close.
And the dance began.
5
Asher knew he was holding himself as tight as a bowstring, but this was the last situation he had expected to find himself in.
He heard Lady Evelyn’s breath catch when he placed his hand on her waist, grasping her other in his. He tried to ignore how much he wanted to draw that hip in toward him, to play his fingers over her body.
But of course, that was the last thing he would do with half thetoncurrently watching them, breath held so that they could have more to talk about.
Both of them having been raised to attend events such as this, their steps fell into rhythm, and, eventually, when other dancers began to join them, they met one another’s gaze now and then, although Lady Evelyn’s eyes always quickly flitted away, the air becoming even tenser between them the longer they danced.
Asher was overly aware of her. Her every moment, her steps, the way she smelled, like lilacs in the summer sunshine.
This was dangerous.
And yet… it felt so natural.
Without thinking, he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, and even through her gloves, she started, finally clearing her throat as she looked up at him.
“This seems rather… opportunistic.”
“For whom?”
“For Lady Norwood, since it would appear as she orchestrated the whole thing.”
“Adeptly, too.”
“She’s harmless, though,” Evelyn said. “At least, in this situation. She only wants to initiate a greater scandal. It’s very convenient if it happens at her own party.”
“She looks rather foxlike, watching us at the moment,” Asher murmured, glancing over at her. Lady Norwood’s smile appeared frozen to her face, her gaze sharp with satisfaction that this was not just mischief, but done by design.
“One would think she wouldn’t want to make an enemy of a duke.”
“One would think,” he agreed. “But it seems there are some women who are not intimidated by such a title.”
She shot a look at him, as his reference was clearly aimed toward her.
