For a moment, he worried that she would try and dart past him, but she did not. Instead, she let him gently guide her from the room and watched as he closed the door behind him.
“I will see you at dinner, Lady Andrea.” Dominic inclined his head towards her, not moving from the doorway.
“Of course, Your Grace. Thank you for your help.” Lady Andrea curtsied and turned, making her way down the stairs. “Oh, I believe Lady Charlotte was looking for you.”
Dominic’s heart sped up. “When?”
“Earlier this afternoon. She seemed rather upset when no one could find you.” Lady Andrea paused thoughtfully and then added, “It is rather odd that you did not tell her where you were.”
“I was working on a gift for her. Just a silly little poem, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” Dominic tried to look sheepish, even as his heart twisted.I swore I told her that I would be in the library if she needed me, but perhaps I did not.
It was not entirely a lie. He had not wanted to tell Charlotte about the letter; he had wanted to get it out of his head.
“How sweet! You still write to her even though you are in the same place.” Lady Andrea’s smile did not quite reach her eyes.
“Some habits are hard to break. Besides, it is often easier to say things in writing than to say them aloud,” he replied evenly.
“Of course.” Lady Andrea nodded her head towards him and began to walk away. “I will see you later, I am sure.”
Dominic was barely aware of her leaving; his mind was full of the image of Charlotte. The hurt and anger on her face when she thought he had been behaving dishonourably.Why should I care? We will never see one another again after these games are done.
But he did care. Dominic shook his head and made his way to the dining room, determined to find Charlotte and reassure her.
He rushed down the stairs, stopping by his room to change before rushing to the dining hall. He scanned the crowded hall and saw Charlotte sitting at a table with some of his cousins, laughing and joking.
“I am sorry,” he murmured as he took a seat beside her.
“Whatever for?” Charlotte looked at him in confusion.
“For not telling you where I would be.” Dominic felt his own confusion grow. “I could have sworn I did, but apparently…”
“But you did tell me. You told me this morning you would be in the Eastern library.” Charlotte frowned. “Unless you have been somewhere else?”
“No, that is where I was.” Dominic’s brow furrowed.Why would Lady Andrea lie about such a thing?“I… Someone said that you were looking for me — that you were upset.”
“Perhaps they were confused? One of the other guests was looking for her fiancé though I think her name is Harriet, not Charlotte. I suppose they sound similar enough to be confused.” Charlotte shrugged.
“Possibly.” Dominic felt a prickle of unease but tried to put it from his mind.Lady Andrea is not family; she might easily get guests mixed up.
That was probably it. Dominic rubbed the back of his neck, trying to sooth himself.
“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” one of the cousins asked, pointing his fork at them.
“Careful, do not ask questions you would rather not know the answer to!” Frederick teased.
“It can hardly be too scandalous; they are at the dinner table!” Cecily laughed.
“It is not scandalous at all; I just did not think the rest of the table wished to hear me tell my Precious Plum just how beautiful she looks this evening,” Dominic replied smoothly, gently taking Charlotte’s hand in his and looking at her. “You do look wonderful though.”
“Thank you,” Charlotte murmured, an odd look flitting across her face before he could read it. “So do you, Sweetkins. I missed you this afternoon.”
Dominic felt his heart skip at her words.She is just saying what she thinks they want to hear.“I missed you too.”
“Ugh, the two of you are too much,” one of his cousins groaned. “Does love always make people this sickeningly soppy?”
“Perhaps we are just lucky.” Dominic answered.
He realised that Charlotte’s hand was still in his and that he had been absentmindedly stroking it. She did not pull away, and he felt something stir within him.Hope.
