“Hmph. You are a bit of an oddity, my lady.” The edge of his mouth hitched just a little while the rest of his features transformed into something that almost resembled a look of admiration. “I mean that as a compliment,” he added. “In case you were wondering.”
Not knowing what to say besides thanking him, Juliette focused her attention on completing the rest of the dance while wondering why she’d never taken the time to get to know him better. The answer was simple really. For one thing, he hadn’t been present at more than a couple of social functions she’d attended in the past. She’d been new to Society back then and he had been very standoffish. Then the Season had ended and she had gone to spend the autumn and winter at Raphe’s estate in Gloucester. So the opportunity to improve her acquaintance with Florian hadn’t really been there. Until now. And considering how much she’d enjoyed his company this evening, she had every intention of improving it even further during the course of the coming weeks.
Chapter 4
The dance came to an end and Florian reluctantly released his hold on Lady Juliette. He’d been honest with the woman who’d begged a dance from him upon his arrival. He didn’t waltz, but somehow with Lady Juliette, he’d wanted to. Stepping back, he bowed while she curtseyed, after which he escorted her from the dance floor. “Would you like a refreshment?” he asked, hoping to keep her by his side just a little while longer.
The effect she had on him was curious. Whereas he always counted the seconds until he could leave a social event without being rude, he had no desire to be anywhere else right now than here, with her. The attention and depth of concentration she’d shown when he’d spoken about his work was not only unusual but strangely intoxicating.
And then when she’d clasped his hand and a surge of heat had swept through him, he’d felt momentarily unmoored, which should have alarmed him. After all, he was, if anything, the sort of man who thrived on certainty and fact, not at all the type who took to flights of fancy or succumbed to endless romantic ponderings. But Lady Juliette’s effect on him had been a refreshing change, offering him a welcome reprieve from all his concerns. And the way she’d put him back in his place during supper had been strangely arousing.
“Florian?”
“Hmm?” He realized she’d been talking to him and that he had not been listening. Which again contradicted his character. Focusing on people was never a problem, and yet his mind had allowed itself to wander...
“You asked if I would like a refreshment.”
“Would you?” He saw to his surprise that they’d crossed the room and were presently standing before the refreshment table.
“A glass of lemonade would be nice.” Her eyes sparkled, her lips trembling as if she fought to suppress a smile, and Florian wondered if she knew the extent to which she distracted him.
He reached for a glass, grateful for a task he could anchor himself to, and filled it. Handing it to her, he watched as she took a sip. Her upper lip carefully settled against the edge of the glass, and something inside him tightened into a straining ball of fire. Reaching for another glass, he snatched it up and filled it, the lemonade sloshing slightly over the side because of his shaking hands.
Bloody hell!
No woman had ever affected him so. He was a physician, accustomed to the human body in ways few people could even imagine. There was no mystery there for him. Lips and breasts had never stood apart from hands and feet. Until now, when the smooth skin rising above the neckline of Lady Juliette’s bodice and the sudden urge to claim her mouth overcame him with the force of a charging carriage. It threw his entire world off balance and challenged his composure.
“Are you all right?” She asked the question with innocent eyes while he did his best to bury some very inappropriate thoughts.
A cold sip of lemonade helped, as did his deliberate effort to think about the procedure he’d be performing in the morning. He took a deep breath, and a second later, he knew he’d managed to school his features and calm his nerves successfully.
“Fine,” he said, in answer to her question. “I was merely experiencing a little discomfort. On account of the heat and the exercise our dance entailed and...” He let the words fade, aware he sounded ridiculous. Which was yet another new experience for him. He cleared his throat, tried to think of something to say. Anything to distract from his recent bumbling.
She came to his rescue. “Is it true that your brother owns a popular club here in London?”
Thank God! A safe topic he could speak of with ease. “Yes. He wanted to make one available for gentlemen and ladies alike, so husbands would have somewhere to take their wives. It’s very exclusive and tastefully done.”
“A little strange, though, isn’t it, for an heir to do such a thing?”
Florian dipped his chin. “It’s unusual for any aristocrat to do so, not only for an heir. But it’s Lowell’s passion, and although there was some resistance to the idea and a fair bit of gossip in the beginning, it has become a great success.”
She gazed up at him, studying his face until discomfort flooded his veins. “You’re really proud of him,” she said as if surprised by the fact.
“Of course I am. Lowell has worked extremely hard to make the Red Rose what it is today.” He leaned back slightly, the heady scent of honey and jasmine making him slightly light-headed. “You should visit it one day. I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”
“Why?”
The question threw him a little and for a second he was at a complete loss for words. They came to him in the next heartbeat and as naturally as a stream flowing through the woods. “Because of your easy ability to smile.” A charming frown appeared above the bridge of her nose, forcing him to continue talking, lest he lose himself in the intricate detail it provided. “The Red Rose is a place of entertainment, my lady. There’s card play, music, a fine restaurant and even singers who come to perform.”
“I’ll mention it to Raphe. Perhaps he and Gabriella can take me there one evening.” She hesitated briefly, glanced away as if considering the crowd before returning her attention to him. She took a deep breath, expelled it slowly, and finally said, “Maybe you could come with us.”
Florian’s heart thudded hard against his chest. His skin tightened around his limbs and heat poured into his stomach. She wanted to see him again, to keep his company and... what? He was not in the market for a wife and had no intention of ever gaining one. So then what would be the point? The sort of friendship that was destined to torture him with lusty thoughts?
“Possibly,” he said, promising nothing. She was lovely, the sort of woman a man like him would be fortunate to spend his days with. But his life was not as simple as most. He wasn’t destined to be a husband, not only because of his dedication toward his patients, but because he would never lie to his wife about who he was. Telling the truth wasn’t something he ever wished to endure.
Depressed by this thought, he wondered if it wouldn’t be best for him to take his leave before he ruined the evening for Lady Juliette with the black mood closing in around him. He hesitated because her presence was the only thing stopping him from descending into the melancholic pit in which he so often found himself whenever thoughts of his “real” father rose to the surface.
He clenched his fists and fought the bitterness rolling through him, his gaze leaving Lady Juliette to wander across the crowd in search of escape. A group of women moved to the right and two older gentlemen stepped to the left, allowing a glimpse of a face that chilled Florian’s blood. His heart slammed against his chest and a fist tightened around his lungs, cutting off air. He muttered an absent excuse to Lady Juliette and started toward the man he’d just seen.
