The word felt far too small for what she was actually feeling. No one had ever made her feel so carefully seen before.
Alexander studied her face carefully. Then his smile deepened slightly.
“I am glad.” He stepped closer. “You may have whatever you wish, Diana. I will make certain of it.”
There was something in his gaze that made her too aware of the way she was standing, of her expressions. For a moment, she wondered if he realized what he had done, if he understood how carefully chosen these gifts had been.
Diana forced herself to breathe slowly, aware that if she looked at him for too long, she might say something entirely too revealing.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Alexander added after a moment, his voice gentler now.
Diana nodded again, still holding the dress. And as they left the room together, the quiet of the house felt very different indeed.
CHAPTER 17
“Your Grace, I must say it is a relief to see you among us again.”
The baron’s voice carried a polite tone that masked the sharp curiosity glittering behind his eyes. Diana recognized the look immediately because she had seen it on dozens of faces over the past week. Society had taken notice of his return.
Alexander, however, appeared entirely untroubled by the attention.
Diana watched him from her place beside him as he inclined his head politely toward Baron Whitcombe, the faintest trace of a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
“It is a relief to be here,” Alexander replied easily, his voice calm and measured, the tone perfectly suited to polite conversation within the crowded ballroom. “Though I confess the eveninghas reminded me how easily one forgets the sheer number of acquaintances a London season requires a man to maintain.”
The baron laughed obligingly. “Yes, yes, society is terribly demanding in that regard.”
Alexander lifted his glass slightly in acknowledgment before continuing, his gaze attentive but relaxed. “Fortunately, the company has been generous in reminding me of familiar faces. One finds that a gentleman may recover his bearings rather quickly when surrounded by such helpful acquaintances.”
Diana felt a quiet swell of pride bloom in her chest. It had taken her only a few moments to understand what he was doing. He had revealed nothing. Not a single detail of his missing memory had escaped him.
Instead, he guided the conversation with a careful balance of observation and politeness, asking questions that were broad enough to conceal his uncertainty yet precise enough to suggest familiarity.
“Your estate in the countryside continues to prosper, I trust?” Alexander asked the baron.
Whitcombe nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed, it does. The spring harvest has been quite favorable.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Alexander replied smoothly. “The country has always had a reputation for good fortune where agriculture is concerned.”
Diana nearly smiled outright.
It was masterful. Not once had he pretended to recall something specific. Instead, he allowed the other man to supply the information himself, responding with thoughtful interest that never betrayed the truth.
Baron Whitcombe appeared entirely satisfied.
After several more minutes of polite conversation, the baron finally excused himself to greet another acquaintance across the room, leaving Diana and Alexander standing together near the edge of the ballroom.
The music swelled softly through the hall as dancers moved gracefully across the polished floor, their laughter and conversation blending into the warm glow of candlelight reflected in the towering mirrors along the walls.
Diana turned toward him the moment the baron was out of earshot.
“I begin to detect something rather suspicious, Your Grace.”
Alexander raised one brow slightly. “Suspicious?”
She folded her hands together in front of her gown, studying him with deliberate scrutiny. “Your memory appears remarkably convenient this evening.”
“Does it?”
