Her head tilted upward, her eyes sparkling with so much wonder and anticipation he felt his heart shudder and his chest grow tight. “Of course not, Florian. The waltz is perfect.”
Unable to speak for fear of sounding as awkward as he felt, he escorted her onto the dance floor and took his position opposite, his hand clasping hers while the other settled snuggly against her waist. A swift exhalation of breath slipped past her lips. It was almost a gasp, though more subtle, coupled with wide-eyed dismay. Gone in an instant, she expertly hid her response beneath a cooler composure. But in the brief second it lasted, Florian realized that as nonchalant as Lady Juliette wished to appear, he affected her in the same way she’d begun affecting him. Which, as enticing as some men might find that, was rather something of a problem. Because if there was one thing Florian could not afford to do, it was getting tangled up in desire and, God forbid, love.
So he did as she did and schooled his features while trying his damnedest to ignore the sweet floral scent that clung to her body and the feel of said body beneath his touch. Spinning her around, he led her expertly between other couples, aware that it felt just as right as it had the last time they’d danced.
“What was it you wished to say?” Perhaps if he could focus on conversation he would not think of how well she fit in his arms.
“My brother met with his bankers the day before yesterday. My donation should be made available to you by tomorrow morning.”
He held her gaze. She was the sister of a duke, so the sum had to be substantial. Still, he had to know the details. “Forgive me for sounding vulgar, but how much exactly are you offering?” He’d never thought to ask until now.
Her eyes lit with the pleasure of knowing she was going to impress him. “Three thousand pounds.”
Florian’s heel hit the floor before it was meant to, forcing him to pull her closer in order to save them from stumbling. This time her gasp was unhindered, her pretty lips parting while the shock of awareness brightened her eyes. He felt it too and wasted no time adding distance once more. “That is quite a staggering sum, my lady.”
She gave a curt nod to indicate she also wished to banish the inconvenient attraction blooming between them. “I know, but what I hope to accomplish will not come cheap.”
He was well aware, but he still had not imagined she’d offer that much. “Is it the entire allowance you are giving up?”
“It is indeed.”
“You have no wish to save some of it in case you need a new bonnet or—”
“Florian.” Her voice was suddenly stripped of its usual softness. “I have survived without material things for most of my life. Since moving into Huntley House I have received more pretty trinkets and fripperies than any person needs. Doing without my allowance for a year will be no hardship, least of all when considering the good that will hopefully come of it.”
She was fairly trembling with emotion, her nerves clearly on edge in spite of her efforts to convey complete calm. He admired her stalwart determination and her burning desire to help those in need. Though he knew it wasn’t wise, that he shouldn’t encourage a deeper attachment, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to know more about her.
“Have you always been so passionate in your pursuits?”
She tilted her head as he led her along the periphery of the dance floor, and he suddenly wondered what it might be like to be the subject of her dedication. The thought produced a provocative image of him submitting to her desire, of her mouth descending over his while her hands—
“I think so,” she said, scattering the inconvenient fantasy. “When Raphe... Huntley, that is... insisted on teaching Amelia and me the Latin he knew, he brought home a book for us to study. With little else to keep me busy, I set my mind to learning every conjugation, reciting them several times daily while challenging myself to learn ten new words a day. Within a couple of months, I’d surpassed my brother’s abilities and had started teaching him.”
She smiled, not arrogantly, as some might have done, but with the pride of a woman who valued her achievements. Impressed and perhaps even slightly awestruck, Florian tightened his hand around hers as he spun her. He knew she and her siblings had faced theton’s censure when they’d arrived, that there were still some who thought they didn’t belong in high society—that they weren’t good enough. But the truth was that Lady Juliette was better than most of the people who filled this ballroom. She had heart, the will to make a difference, not only to her own life, but to the lives of others, and this both fascinated and drew him like nothing ever had.
“Admiror te fortitudinem.”I admire your strength.
A flicker of appreciation lit her eyes. “Et admiror tuam.”And I admire yours. “Your accomplishments are impressive.” She frowned slightly before saying, “Especially for someone as young as you.”
He started a little, surprised as always by her candor. “Perhaps I’m not as young as you think.”
This forced a grin to her lips, and once again the thought of kissing her pressed upon his mind. He tried to ignore it, but it persisted, heightening his awareness. It was more than a year since he’d last been with a woman. His work had buried his baser instincts and driven away all compulsion.
Until now.
“I would place you at roughly thirty years of age.”
“And I suspect you’ve been studying Debrett’s.”
She made a face. “Guilty. Though studying it might be an overstatement. I only look up the families that intrigue me.”
His heart expanded and for a lovely moment, all his concerns drifted away. It was only the two of them now, caught in a dance that he wished would last forever. He wanted to ask ifheintrigued her, but was too afraid of breaking the spell and ruining the moment, though he could not stop his gaze from lowering to her lips.
“There wasn’t as much information about you as I had hoped,” she continued, then hastily added, “I thought it wise to learn as much about you as possible, considering we’ll be working together.”
The magic shattered, stabbing Florian straight in the chest. “I see.” His voice was harder than he’d intended, but it couldn’t be helped. Not when he’d been foolishly lost in a dream without her. “My education and accomplishments are outlined in the medical journals at the Royal College of Surgeons. I’ll send a note over granting you access so you can look through them.”
Her expression changed from confident to uncertain. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to offend you in any way.”
