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Two old duchesses walk up to my sister and me, crooning over us and asking Maggie about her broken ankle. I make sure the ladies are between me and the Duke, if only to shield myself from his gaze.
Or his glare, I should say. He’s staring at me like he wants to murder me. What did I do wrong?
My cheeks burn. Even the tips of my ears feel hot. I ignore his stare, choosing instead to listen to the gossip from the two old ladies in front of me.
I can’t get away from the Duke, though, because that’s all they seem to want to talk about. “He hasn’t attended any social gathering in four years, and now it’s two within a month,” one woman says, glancing over his shoulder. “And to come here of all places!”
I frown. “Why would coming here be particularly surprising?”
Lady Gertrude, the older of the two, snorts as she puts her hand to her pearl necklace. “There’s no love lost between Count Gregory and the Duke.”
“Why not?”
Maggie puts a sharp elbow between my ribs and throws me a loaded look, but I can’t help it. I stare at the two ladies, waiting for an explanation.
“Well, with all the business with his brother and that experimental drug treatment…” Lady Gertrude trails off, turning to greet another guest. She makes a big show of turning her back to my sister and me, and I know I’m not going to get any more answers from her.
Looking at my sister, I frown. “What happened between the Duke’s brother and Count Gregory? What’s she talking about?”
Maggie shrugs. “I never heard anything. Probably just idle gossip.”
I glance across the room to see storm clouds brewing over Count Gregory’s head. He looks absolutely murderous. A chill skitters down my spine, and I shake my head. “Doesn’t look like idle gossip.”
Someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn to see the Duke standing there. My stomach clenches. That scent of his, so intoxicating, wraps around me like a warm fog. His eyes are dark and unreadable. When my gaze drifts over his broad shoulders, I remember what it felt like to be sheltered within his arms.
“Ada,” he says softly. My sister stiffens at his familiar tone. “I’m sorry for the other evening. Mr. Seville told me you made it home safely.”
“I did.” My tone is frosty, but my body burns.
“Please understand that I had urgent business at the castle. I’m sorry for my rudeness.”
At the castle?
I want to be mad at him. I hate these games we seem to be playing. I hate not knowing where we stand and what he wants. I’d like to turn my back on him and tell him to leave me alone, but my whole body is begging me to take a step closer and crush my lips to his.
My body and mind and heart are at war. I’ve known the man for two weeks, and I’m already knotted up in complicated feelings for him.
He lets out a long breath. “When I heard you were coming to the Count’s holiday dinner, I knew I had to attend,” he says, his voice a low growl.
My eyes flick to his. I don’t understand the look on his face. Pain. Frustration. Anger. Did I make him angry? What could I have done wrong? He kicked me out of his house and didn’t speak to me for ten days.
“You didn’t have to do anything,” I reply. “I know you had your own affairs to attend to. I don’t need an explanation from you.”
The skin around his eyes tightens as his lips drop open. He sucks in a breath, then gives me a curt nod. “I understand.”
A bell rings, and it’s time for dinner.
15
Ada
The Duke is seated at the far end of the long dining table. The Count, unfortunately, sits down just opposite my sister and me. I catch the old man’s gaze flicking to me one too many times, and I shift uncomfortably. Why is he staring so much? It’s creepy.
Maggie looks like the perfect little lady she is. Poised and polite. Perfectly mannered and totally at ease. Is everything in her body not screaming at her to get out of here? How can she resign herself to this life?
Laughter booms at the opposite end of the long table, with Lady Gertrude hanging off the Duke of Blythe’s arm. He flashes her a smile, and I watch the old lady melt. Jealousy rips through my core just as the Duke catches me staring.
I flush, dropping my eyes to my plate.
