“Yes, all from excellent stock. Ferocious things. Would you believe, one of them nearly caught a fox last month.”
“I am stunned.”
April felt it before she saw it. Stone’s gaze cut across the room like a blade. Her eyes found him easily, and he was watching her and Harrow.
He did not smile, nor did he blink. Only watched. Dark and motionless and lethal.
Twelve
April let out a sigh of relief when the dance ended, but as Viscount Harrow retreated, another gentleman came to take his place.
“The Earl of Moore,” he said, smiling down at her as though he expected her to leap with joy at this introduction.
April curtsied politely. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Moore.”
“Oh, we’ve met before, Lady April. Your mother introduced us.”
April felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment, and she lowered her eyes and smiled.How many people have I forgotten since the start of this season?“Forgive me, My Lord.”
“Think nothing of it.” He held out his hand. “May I have this quadrille?”
Out of curiosity, she glanced around the ballroom, and when she saw Stone, he was leaning against a column with a crystal of champagne in his hand as he conversed with the Lord and Lady Worthing.
Like a bolt of lightning, his eyes found hers. The intensity rooted her in place, but what made her heart race faster was the displeasure she saw in his demeanor.Why do you look at me like that, as if every word spoken in this room is an insult to your claim?
April turned and agreed to dance with Moore, and she let herself be led back to the floor, but just as the music resumed and the dancers moved into formation, an energy stirred the crowd.
She turned her head to see Stone walking across the ballroom toward her. The Earl paused mid-step, nearly stumbling as the Duke reached them, eyes on April and no one else.
“This dance,” he said coolly, “is mine.”
The Earl glanced between them, his brows slightly raised, but stepped back with a murmured, “Of course, Your Grace.”
April, stunned, found her hand taken before she could protest. She was dancing again. With Stone.
“You bullied him,” she accused under her breath.
He didn’t blink. “Did I?”
She glared at him. “You walked across the ballroom like a storm cloud.”
“That’s opinion, not evidence.”
“You claimed the dance was yours, and he gave way.”
“Precisely. He yielded, like every respectable gentleman should.”
“Or a frightened rabbit.”
His gaze narrowed but not in displeasure. “I didn’t know rabbits ranked among your preferred suitors.”
Her lips parted, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or scold him.Why does he always do this? Twist my words until they turn against me and leave me flustered. Like some wicked game of fencing, only I’m never handed a sword.
“Do you usually interrupt women’s dances just to debate wildlife metaphors, Your Grace?”
“Only when I feel the conversation might improve the evening.”
Their feet moved in perfect tandem, but April’s mind was whirling.The nerve of him! His sheer audacity! And yet, how maddeningly steady his hand feels on my waist. How easily my mind and body remember this rhythm.
