“I see,” he murmured after a long moment, taking some comfort in the way her body visibly relaxed under his touch.
“Good,” she said with a nod. “I did make him promise that he would make a success of you.”
Lucien let out a dry laugh. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“And I will look over your contract. You won’t be bound to him forever,” she added, pressing her hand to his forearm for a brief moment.
Lucien stared at the spot before lifting his gaze to her face, where she watched him anxiously. Was this how she expressed affection? In contracts and legalese and business dealings? Was she trying to communicate her regard or was he simply looking for a scrap of meaning anywhere he could find it, like a hungry beggar in the doorway of a banquet?
“What about the board? Don’t you need me?”
But Alex shook her head. “I’ll think of something else. Or perhaps taking on the Ericsons as clients will be enough to prove my acumen once and for all.”
Suddenly a white-hot urge snaked through his veins. The urge to take her firmly by the shoulders and refuse to let her go. Notuntil she said something that couldn’t also double as recorded minutes from a board meeting. Somethingreal. As real as everything he felt for her. Everything he had wanted to say. But he could still say them, couldn’t he?
Do it, then. If you’re so sure she’ll want to hear it. That she’ll fall into a swoon over you.
But instead Lucien kept his mouth shut. Kept all those pretty thoughts and feelings tucked safely away. Because of course Alex wouldn’t swoon. She probably wouldn’t even blink. He was Lucien Taylor, the son of the cook and the coachman. He had been lucky she ever thought to bother with him at all. Even if it had only been a ruse to keep him away from Freddie.
God,Freddie.
What Alex must think of him, claiming to be in love with her own sister but then gladly taking her favors. He was a cad. A walking embarrassment. Not even when he boarded the train to London with little more than the clothes on his back had he felt this pathetic.
She was right. Their association had come to an end. And not a moment too soon.
“All right, then. If that is what you think is best,” he said woodenly. “Consider our contract terminated. It was nice doing business with you, Miss Atkinson.” Then he gave her a stiff, short bow and walked out of the room.
Alex scanned the ballroom of Park House, taking in the array of guests enjoying her parents’ hospitality. A month before, she would have been very pleased by the turnout—from a purelybusiness-minded perspective, of course. Personally, there were only a handful of people here that she could stand, and she was related to most of them. But as her aunt had sagely noted, Will was a duke and dukes were expected to invite a certain kind of people. Alex did note with pleasure that Phoebe had also invited all of her fellow schoolteachers, along with Inspector Holland, who somehow looked even more uncomfortable here than he had at the theater. She had exchanged a congenial nod with him earlier before he slunk off to hold up a wall.
Now though, Alex took absolutely no pleasure in noting the attendance of various captains of industry. For no matter how hard she looked, the one face she truly wished to see was not to be found among this crowd. It had been a few days since she ended things with Lucien. A few days since he walked out of her life without a backward glance—not that she deserved one anyway. After they parted, she had walked blindly around the lecture hall until Marguerite found her and guided her to Aunt Winifred. If they spoke on the way back home, Alex couldn’t recall a word.
When she woke the next morning, she went straight to the office and worked until her eyes ached. Then Alex did the same thing the next day, and the next. Work had saved her before when she needed to forget Benjamin and it would save her once again. She was counting on it. Then this cursed engagement ball interrupted her schedule. And if it had been for anyone other than two of her favorite people, she would have made some excuse. But that wasn’t possible for Will and Phoebe. And if the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that Alex needed to keep the few people she loved very close.
Just as her throat began to tighten with emotion, someone who inspired the very opposite feeling approached.
“Alexandra! I was hoping to see you here.”
It was Mildred Henderson.
“A reasonable expectation, given that it is my sister’s engagement ball,” Alex said dryly.
Mildred let out a laugh, as if she had made a joke, and gestured to the nondescript man beside her. “This is my husband, Mr. Thomas Henderson.”
“How do you do,” Alex replied and wondered what on earth had made Mildred leave school early to marry this man. He seemed perfectly average to her. “I did not realize you knew my sister, or the duke.”
“We are quite good friends with Ellis,” Mildred said, using Will’s title, which Alex knew he absolutely hated and indicated that they were not, in fact, anything remotely close togood friends. “He and dear Thomas were at school together.”
At the mention of his name, dear Thomas gave a short bow and shot her a hesitant look. “I asked my wife to introduce us, actually.”
“Oh?” Alex said. That was genuinely surprising.
“The duke speaks very highly of your expertise,” he began. “And I—”
“Yes,” Mildred gracelessly interrupted him. “Dear Thomas is interested in investments and he is under the impression that you have some knowledge in that area.” She laughed again. “But I told him it is yourfather’scompany.”
“Darling,” the man said tightly as an embarrassed flush stained his pale cheeks. “Miss Atkinson works there as well.”
“Oh, ofcourseshe does,” Mildred replied with a dismissive wave of her fan.
