Her eyes meet mine from across the room and I hate the way my heart stutters in my chest. I’m in deep shit.
Chapter Eight
RAELYN
Smoky grey eyes look me up and down, and the stranger’s lips quirk into the hint of a smile. Do I know him? Not that I know many people, thanks to my hermit-like habits. Still, there’s an odd pang of familiarity, but when I grasp for it, it slips away like ash on the wind.
For a moment, I wonder if he’s even looking at me. I glance to my left and right and then over my shoulder, but when I turn back, he tilts his head and gives me a slight nod. Almost as if to say,Yes, it’s you I’m staring at.A blush creeps up my neck, heat engulfing my body. I take a sip of my sparkling wine, but when I look back, he’s gone.
My shoulders droop after scanning the room and not seeing him. I didn’t expect anyone to catch my eye, and that glance made me feel alive, made me think that perhaps I’m not a completely lost cause. What a shame. Would it be so terrible to find a handsome lord to dance with? If I’m all dressed up, I might as well take advantage of it.
My skin is still buzzing from my afternoon run. The spark of hope that I’ve outgrown my strange affliction has me wonderingif perhaps my life could be more than it is . . . more than it’s been. Perhaps itwouldn’tbe so terrible to find a man to flirt with, one who might be willing to abscond to a dark corner and press his lips to mine . . . like the lips on the stranger I caught staring.
Get a hold of yourself, Raelyn. One man glances your way and you lose your head.It has to be hormones . . . definitely hormones. I calculate the time of month and laugh to myself, even as I let my gaze wander.
The ballroom is the grandest space in the manor with its polished floors and gleaming pillars. The ceiling reaches to the top of our three-story home, and a dozen crystal chandeliers shine down upon us. Lavender wisteria drips off the ends of them, their potent scent lingering in the space. I’m grateful the doors to the outside terrace are open, allowing fresh air in to combat the competing scents of perfume and sweat from all the dancers twirling about the space.
The new Lady Astoria’s decorator ought to be fired. While the front hall reeks of death and pumpkins and is decorated in an array of autumn colors, the ballroom clings to the last vestiges of summer with violet flowers and pastel drapes.
After draining my glass, I set it on the table next to me and cross my arms under my breasts, trying to perk them up a little.
“Looking for someone?” A silky smooth voice caresses the back of my neck as a warm presence steps closer. When I glance to my left, I hold back a gasp and look away. It’s him.What do I do?
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I quip, feeling oddly flustered.
“I actually would, hence my asking.”
I squeeze my eyes shut.Why am I so bad at this? “Who are you?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Ah, ah, ah, I asked you a question first, love.”
“Excuse me?” I spin to look at him, my mouth gaping. “Are you always so informal with strangers?”
Hurt flickers in his eyes, but he quickly masks it, his lips quirking into a grin. “My mistake. I thought we were acquainted.”
I frown. “I think I’d remember you.” I try to wrack my brain for who he might possibly be, but once again, I fail at placing him.
A harsh laugh comes out of him. “Nice to know I’m so forgettable. I thought everyone knew me.”
I roll my eyes. So conceited. “Who do you think you are, a prince of Rakveren or something?”
“That is precisely who I am.”
Well shit.
I step back and drop into a deep curtsy, my eyes glued to the floor as my cheeks heat with mortification. “I apologize, Your Highness. I truly did not recognize you.”
His feet step into view, and a hand reaches out, tilting my chin up so I meet his stormy gaze. There’s a hint of humor there, and I relax a little, fairly certain I’m not headed for the gallows.
“Please rise. I promise I won’t tell anyone you didn’t recognize your prince, love.” He winks before pulling his hand away.
Rising from my curtsy, I can’t keep from saying, “Stop calling me that. It’s Lady Raelyn.”
“I’m well aware.”
Something about his words and the way he looks at me tugs on something in my chest. Before I can respond, he reaches down and pulls my gloved hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss on it, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“Dance with me, my lady?”
