The beautiful, serene and apparently cold-as-ice widow was also Tessa, his wild and grubby little sprite from the forest.
It made no sense.
As he watched, Edgar Blaxland seated his sister and said something that made her stiffen.She shook her head and rose.It looked as if she was ready to leave.But Edgar simply shoved her back into her seat.He turned to the companion, said something that made the woman nod, sit down beside Tessa and take her arm in what looked like a firm grip.
Marcus frowned.
Then Edgar made a ‘stay there’ sort of gesture to his sister and headed for the card room.
Tessa watched him go, her expression, what?Mulish?Angry?
What on earth was going on?Marcus could only surmise, but whatever it was, he didn’t like it.But not a soul in the ballroom had seemed to notice, or if they did, it hadn’t seemed to bother them, not even when Edgar pushed his sister into her chair, and not gently.
The moment Edgar disappeared, the companion or chaperone or whatever she was, started looking around and gesturing with her free hand, trying to catch the eye of a waiter.After a few unsuccessful minutes, she stood, made a ‘stay there’ gesture to Tessa, and hurried away.
Abandoning his friend in mid-sentence, Marcus strode across the room.He had to talk to Tessa.As he approached, weaving through the crowd toward her, their eyes met.For a moment he thought hers lit up with a welcoming expression, but then she looked away, biting her lip and looking first one way, then another, as if looking for someone.The chaperone?Her brother?
Had she not recognized him?Her eyes were still that deep violet-blue he remembered, but now he couldn’t read them.
But as he reached her the cool, frustrated, faintly worried expression vanished and she smiled up at him.“Marcus.”
“Tessa, what a wonderful surprise.I had no idea you were in London, let alone that you would be attending this party.”
“It was a last-minute decision.We’ve only just returned to London—or at least I’ve only just returned.”Again she glanced quickly in the direction her brother had gone, and the furrow between her brows deepened.If he hadn’t been watching her so closely he might have missed it.
“How long has it been?Remember how we freed the vixen from the trap that day?”Lord, but he was hopeless at making polite conversation with women.
Her smile was half-hearted, a little distracted.“Of course I do.And have often wondered whether she has survived in the years since.”
She kept darting sideways glances in the direction her brother had gone.Why?Was she nervous in company?The child he remembered hadn’t been nervous or the slightest bit shy.
“I don’t often come to London,” he told her, “But I’m delighted to see you here.”Lord, where was witty banter when he needed it?
She glanced around.“I rarely move intoncircles.”
“I gather you are widowed.My condolences on your loss.”
She didn’t reply, just glanced again in the direction her brother had gone, absently pulling off her gloves and smoothing them on her lap with restless fingers.
“Are you looking for someone?”he asked.
She started and gave him a swift smile.Again it felt forced.“No, I don’t know anyone here.Just my brother.And you.”She looked up at him with a serene expression, but he noticed she was picking at her nails with nervous fingers.
Marcus frowned.Was his presence unsettling her?He wasn’t much of a conversationalist it was true, but surely ...Was he looming?He edged back—but no, she leaned slightly toward him, so it wasn’t that.
“What have you been doing in the years since we last met?”she asked him.“I suppose you’re married.”
“No,” he said bluntly.
She was about to say something in response when the chaperone returned with two brimming glasses of wine.
The woman pushed her way in between them, saying, “I mush ask you to leave, sir.”She plopped unsteadily down in the seat next to Tessa, drained one of the glasses and tucked it out of sight under her chair.“S’most improper, you haven’t been introdushed.”She sipped daintily from the second glass.It was clearly not her first glass of the evening.
“Nonsense,” Marcus said crisply.“Lady—” he broke off, unable to recall Tessa’s married name.“The lady and I have known each other since childhood.”
“Nev’r’thless, I have my instrusch’ns,” the woman said.
“Oh no,” Tessa muttered, looking past Marcus.“Itoldhim!”Her eyes flashed and she made a low, angry sound.
