She stood and walked behind the group toward the music room. Lord Hanover seemed not to be in a hurry and because he walked so slowly, everyone passed him until she had caught up to him. He really was a tall man, and although she’d detested some of his haughtiness, she couldn’t discount his handsome good looks, or his lovely hazel eyes. Not only that, but he had a nice smile – when he wasn’t forcing it.
“Lord Hanover,” she said, which captured his attention. “I would very much like to hear you play, as well.”
Nodding, he grinned. “I’m sure I’m not anywhere as good as you, but I’ll play if that will make you happy.”
Her heartbeat skipped.He wants to make me happy?Confusion filled her head as she tore her gaze away from him and moved toward the pianoforte. Why was he all of a sudden being nice to her? The way he’d been acting since they’d arrived made her aware of what he must think of their lowly situation.
Adeline was the first to play the pianoforte. The selection she had chosen was one that she’d memorized a year ago. As she played, she could see the expressions of those who stood nearby. Lord Hanover stood directly in her view, and it was hard not to stare at him while she played the lovely ballad. The dreaminess in his eyes, and the softness of his smile let her know he was pleased with what he heard.
As soon as she was finished, everyone applauded, but she could hear Lord Hanover clap louder than the others. She stood and curtsied before motioning to Lord Hanover to play. The others encouraged him, and it didn’t take him long to give in and take his seat on the stool. The moment his fingers flew across the keys, her heart flipped with excitement. He played magnificently. She was certain her clapping was louder than everyone else’s when they all applauded his performance.
It didn’t take long before they split into groups and chatted for the next little while. She stood next to Lord Hanover, listening to his childhood stories about when he played in front of others. Olivia and her brother, Jacob also stood by her, listening to Lord Hanover’s tales.
Adeline laughed at a few of the lord’s stories, and she couldn’t deny his deep voice made her heart pitter-patter. It was hard to control the infatuation growing inside her. Even though she kept telling herself there was no way a man like Lord Hanover would consider Adeline as a wife, she still wanted to believe that he found her interesting. The way his eyes twinkled when he looked at her – more so now than when they first met – let her know that he might be attracted to her, as well.
Jacob took over the conversation, and for the life of her, Adeline couldn’t keep her mind on her brother. Instead, she studied Lord Hanover’s handsome face. He was definitely one finely built man, one she never thought she’d meet. And now that he stood so close, it was nearly impossible not to want to touch his arm just to see if his arms were as muscular as they appeared... or caress his rugged chin to see if the skin was coarse or smooth... and her fingers itched to thread through his lovely wavy sandy-blond hair.
Lord Hanover seemed to be listening to her brother, but then suddenly, the lord’s gaze shifted and met hers. A teasing smile stretched across his face as if he knew she’d been watching him or what had been on her mind.
Heat consumed her face, then slowly spread down her neck and throughout her body.Where’s my fan?And yet, the hotter her face became, the more she realized a mere fan would not cool her enough.
She touched her brother’s arm, stopping him in mid-sentence. “Jacob, excuse me, but I need to step outside. It’s very stuffy in this room, and—”
“What a splendid idea,” Lord Hanover said. “Why don’t we all take a stroll outside and get some fresh air?”
“I, uh...” Jacob stuttered as his attention moved between Lord Hanover and her. “I suppose that would be a good idea.”
Adeline didn’t wait to ask for anyone else’s approval before she led the way toward the front door. Holding her breath, she waited for the moment the cooler air would touch her cheeks and remove the heat from her body.
Just before she could reach for the doorknob, Lord Hanover grasped the knob and opened the door for her. She gave him a polite smile and hurried out. After taking five steps away from the house, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Just as she suspected, the cooler air helped. Of course, their walk wouldn’t be very long because he suspected she’d become chilled soon since she’d not thought to first grab her shawl.
“What a beautiful night.” Lord Hanover’s voice was so close.
She snapped to attention and looked over her shoulder at the handsome man who stood staring up at the night sky.
“I notice the rainstorm didn’t last very long.”
“Yes, thankfully.” She peeked up at the sky, noticing the twinkling stars before returning her focus to him. Then she realized her sister and brother were not out with them. “Where are the others?”
Lord Hanover looked back at the manor. “I think I heard your sister mention fetching her shawl, and your brother said something about finding a lantern to light our way.”
“Oh.” Her heartbeat quickened. They were alone!
His gaze met hers and he smiled. “But that will give me time to do something I’ve been wanting to do since I heard your remarkable performance on the pianoforte.”
She sucked in a quick breath, suddenly feeling very shaky. Although the idea of kissing him had entered her mind a few times this evening, would he feel the same way? And now that they were alone... would he dare?
