“That was expertly done,” she whispered, as the music swelled, and more couples joined them on the dancefloor, which thankfully distracted from Dorian’s rude interruption.
“I’ll have to send him a bottle of whiskey later,” Dorian whispered back.
“Is this another tactic to make me look more desirable?”
“Actually, I was just worried that man was such a horrible dancer it would throw you off entirely. You looked as if you were getting nervous again.”
Lady Leah swallowed. “I was, a bit. He was a very bad dancer--but I thought it was my fault.”
“It was not,” Dorian said with authority. “You are an excellent dancer. Don’t worry, you can relax now, I’ve got you.” And he felt her relax in his arms, melt into the rhythm of his lead the way she had melted against him when he had kissed her back.
No, don’t think about that!That would only get him into trouble. The focus now would be entirely on making her look graceful and alluring--which wasn’t hard, considering she actually was a great dancer.
He could feel it instinctively, being an excellent dancer himself. It was one of the many skills he needed in order to be a rake. Or to be perceived as a rake.
“I want to announce to the room, perhaps a little boldly, that you have my interest,” he murmured.
“Is that wise?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Showing men are interested in me is one thing; but won’t a Duke scare them off?”
“No. Men are very competitive with one another, especially with Dukes. And especially with me!”
“There’s that arrogance again,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“No,” he said in a low voice, and she looked back at him, taken aback. “That’s it,” he murmured. “Look me directly in the eyes. Very good. Now look down and laugh softly.”
She looked down, and the laugh that came from her was a bit choked, as if she were having trouble breathing.
Good enough.
“Now look back up at me.” She did so, and when her wild green eyes met his, they were radiating the same intensity he had seen when she’d kissed him in the garden. It made his heart beat faster, and for a second, he almost forgot the next step. But he didn’t forget it, because that would be ridiculous. Dorian Attor, Duke of Nottington, did not forget dance steps because of a pretty chit.
Still, it was better that he find Lady Leah a husband--and fast.
“Well you looked very graceful dancing with Nottington last night,” Eve said, smirking at her from across the breakfast table. Leah, who was in the middle of eating a slice of toast, frowned at her sister. At the same time, she felt as if her stomach had leapt into her throat, and she had to work hard to keep herself from blushing or giving away any of the emotions that were suddenly raging through her.
She took her time to finish chewing her toast and swallow, knowing that reacting quickly would only alert her sister to her heightened emotions.
“What do you mean?” she asked at last, arching an eyebrow.
Eve smirked even wider. “I mean that you seemed very comfortable dancing with him. That’s unusual for you. All Season, you haven’t seemed to be able to get comfortable at balls.”
“The Duke is a great dancer,” Leah said with a shrug.
“So is he your favorite of your suitors?” Eve asked, the wickedness in her eyes growing.
“He isn’t a suitor,” Leah said. “You know that. He’s trying to help me find a husband.”
“Uh huh.” Eve looked at Celeste, who was reading a book at the breakfast table and clearly trying not to get involved in this. “I think he seems like a suitor. He certainly looked like a suitor when he had his arms wrapped around you during the dance.”
“He was just performing the correct dance moves,” Leah said, even as her face began to redden. “There was no… He was not…” Of course, Eve had no way of knowing that Leah did know what it felt like to have the Duke’s arms wrapped around her.
She and Lucien had decided not to tell their sisters about her kiss and plan to entrap the Duke. They thought he was simply helping her out of kindness for the family.
So of course, Eve couldn’t know that last night, during the dance, Leah had been remembering that kiss with painful vividness.
Not that it mattered. Leah was trying to find a man who actually wanted to marry her--and she wasn’t going to let herself be distracted by a man who certainly didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Eve said with a fake look of nonchalance. “It certainly seemed like there was more going on than just dance moves.”
