Page 76 of An Unlikely Debutante

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alex paced backwards and forward at the bottom of the stairs, every few seconds checking the time on the huge grandfather clock that stood proudly near the front door. It felt as though time was passing excruciatingly slowly, every second stretching out for what felt like an hour. He was nervous, more nervous than he ought to be—and it certainly wasn’t nerves over this wager between himself and his sister.

Sometime earlier that afternoon Alex had realised he didn’t care in the least if he won or lost the wager tonight. Something much more important was at stake.

Lina loved him. She’d come out and declared the words two days ago, before challenging him to tell her how he felt about her. Alex had been unable to speak, unable to form a single word, still reeling from her declaration. He cared for her, she knew that. It was obvious in everything he did, everything he said, but love was so much more than that. He couldn’t deny Lina lit up his world, made each and every day more enjoyable, more worthwhile. He felt bereft without her, but he’d tried being in love before and it had only earned him years of heartbreak. Not that he could try to explain any of this to Lina. She had been working hard to avoid him ever since that disastrous afternoon.

With hindsight it had been a mistake to rent the rooms just off Grosvenor Square. The hurt in Lina’s eyes was something he would never forget. He’d felt that pain, felt her unhappiness translate directly into his own unhappiness.

A swish of skirts at the top of the stairs set Alex’s heart pounding, but he recognised his sister’s slow, elegant gait and returned to his pacing.

‘She’ll be down in just a minute,’ Georgina said, stopping before Alex and giving him a searching look. ‘You won’t do anything stupid tonight, will you, Alex?’

‘Like what?’

Georgina grimaced. ‘Anything you might regret.’

‘I promise not to do anything I might regret.’

‘Remember, focus on winning our wager this evening, then tomorrow you can sort the rest of your life out.’

He wondered if it might be too late tomorrow, but didn’t say anything to Georgina. Even if he’d wanted to confide his plans in his sister he couldn’t; as of yet he didn’t have the slightest idea what he might do. All he knew was that he couldn’t allow Lina to walk from his life after the ball.

‘I know you care for her, Alex,’ Georgina said, giving him a weak smile. ‘But you and Lina are from different worlds. She doesn’t belong in ours, even with all the coaching. Ask yourself if you are willing to give up all of your friends, your lifestyle, for the rest of your life for her.’

Alex knew she was just trying to look out for him. Despite being his younger sister she had always wanted to protect him from everything, including himself.

Gently he kissed her on the forehead. ‘Thank you, Georgina,’ he said.

For a moment she buried her head in his shoulder, before whispering, ‘I just want you to be happy, Alex.’

‘I know. Trust me?’

She looked up, scrutinised his expression, then after a long few moments nodded her head. Without another word, she walked away, exiting Alex’s town house to join her husband in the waiting carriage to take them to the ball.

Before Alex had time to digest his sister’s words there was another rustle of material at the top of the stairs. He saw Lina hesitate and then rally, descending the stairs in a faint cloud of sweet-smelling perfume.

This past week he’d been kept strictly out of the dressmaker’s, not allowed even a single peep at the dress Lina would be wearing tonight—and now he could appreciate why. It was magnificent. Or more accurately, it made Lina look magnificent. Emerald green in colour, it was cut to show off her curves without doing anything to offend the matrons in the ballroom. The silky material hinted at the body it hid underneath, making Alex want to run his hands all the way from her shoulders down past the swell of her breasts and the line of her waist.

Lina’s hair was pinned on top of her head, the decorative silver comb he’d bought to replace the one she’d been forced to give up to her uncle holding some of the strands in place. Her face was fresh, just a hint of colour on her cheeks, and her lips, a luscious and natural red.

Alex was speechless and she’d reached the bottom of the stairs before he recovered. Without thinking he stepped forward and took her in his arms, only coming to his senses when he felt her stiffen under his touch.

‘You look beautiful.’

‘I hope I look the part of a debutante,’ Lina said tightly. ‘I wouldn’t want you to lose the wager, not now I know how much you despise the idea of love and marriage.’

He wanted to kiss away the frown line between her eyebrows, kiss away the tension in her jaw and make her lips stretch into the smile he loved so much. Instead he offered her his arm.

‘I think you’ll be the most beautiful debutante in attendance.’ It wasn’t said to flatter or win favour, it was a simple statement of fact.

Lina glanced up at him, but he couldn’t read anything in her eyes. She’d had two days to prepare herself for this moment, two days to shutter her eyes and suppress any hurt or emotion.

Part of him wanted to gather her in his arms, to whisper in her ear that everything would work out perfectly, but he couldn’t give her those assurances. Right now he didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what he wanted, other than knowing he couldn’t bear to let Lina leave at the end of the evening. Two days he’d mulled over his options and still he was no closer to knowing how their time together would end.

In silence, they left the town house and Alex helped Lina up into the carriage. With her dress spread around her there was no room for him on the seat next to her, so instead he had to settle for sitting directly opposite. Lina smoothed out the material of her skirts for the third time just as the carriage pulled away, and Alex realised she was nervous—but whether it was about the impending test of her social manners or about spending the time in his company, he could not tell.

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