Her body ached for his arms around her instead. Because he was so, so much more than that. Beneath the guarded exterior was a caring, protective man. A man she couldn’t get out of her mind.
“If there is anything I’ve learned, Lady May, it is that one should not trust in that which seems too good to be true.”
Do you include yourself in that list, Elias?
She reached her hand forward, not knowing anything beyond the desire to tell him she understood the pain hidden behindthe persona. She had seen the man he was when he knelt before her in the garden, when he stepped away and treated her like a shining gentleman in the darkest night. He was loving, honorable, and kind.
Elias caught her palm in his, and it was as if she had a direct line to his heart.
“I will not allow a liar to wreck my family again.” His words reverberated through her, an avalanche that chilled to the bone. He did not mean her—how could he?—and yet she felt raw and exposed before him. She was a liar, too.
This was a bad idea. May shouldn’t have been holding his hand. But she couldn’t seem to let go. The urge to explain herself threatened to override what little good sense remained. She could not leave his honesty unmatched. So, the truth that lay at her core slipped out.
“You have a home, and you cherish it. It is as it should be. I look at you, and I wish I had a family like yours. It is most precious; do not lose it out of fear. You must know that Lord Spencer’s affection toward your sister seems most sincere.”
A fleeting shadow passed over Elias’s face. Their hands separated, at last, the spark of emotion retreating behind a familiar mask.
“He might act quite well, but it will take more than that to convince me. Unfortunately, our time runs short. The dinner I am hosting for my sister tomorrow will give you an opportunity to secure proof.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.” May curtsied before heading out. If this was what they were to be now, she could manage it. She would have to. She made it to the door when his voice reached her once more, this time a soft whisper.
“Call me Elias.”
Just when she’d gotten the fire in her almost under control.
She did not reply, her feet hurrying to outpace her caged heart.
The splendor of the dining room had long ceased impressing Elias, but it seemed to work well enough on his guests. As all those invited took their places around the table, he once again regretted that it was not possible to suddenly withdraw Lord Frenwick’s invitation. The old stooge brought his wife along, too. Now, both of them sat sour-faced as Elias applied all the social graces he could to make the event a success.
His attentions were better spent on the esteemed peers present, because every person in his household seemed intent on plucking his nerves. His sister, tonight’s honoree, seemed awkward and on edge. She performed the hostess’s duties with all the aplomb of an automaton. He’d seated her and Lord Spencer apart on purpose, but he was swiftly coming to regret it.
Because there was no ignoring Lady May, a vision in a punch-colored gown, who was seated several seats away, doing exactly what he asked her to do in the first place: pleasantly chatting with Lord Spencer.
Yet she did not look at him once.
Elias applied astonishing restraint in refusing to grind his teeth. He’d really bungled it yesterday. What was happening to him?
He knew next to nothing about Lady May, beyond her willingness to seduce his sister’s fiancé without qualms. So why did she haunt him so?
He was so occupied with her and the haunting wave of want that wrapped around his lungs, that he did not notice the table conversation veering into dangerous waters.
Lord Frenwick smirked. “I suppose, Lady Hannah must have had her fill of cultured society, to abandon us in favor of the North.”
“It is not as primitive as you think it.” Elias answered, restraining himself.
“I cannot imagine living in the middle of nowhere myself with nary a gentleman to be found,” scoffed Lady Frenwick.
“She’ll have me,” remarked Lord Spencer.
“As I said…”
“What could you mean by this?” though Lord Spencer’s voice was devoid of emotion, Elias did not doubt he would not let an insult lie.
A hushed silence fell across the dinner table, the air growing charged before an oncoming deluge. Hannah’s face could have been carved from marble. Elias really should have seen this coming. His own doubts were seeded by experience, but he knew Lord Spencer earned merit beyond his newly acquired title. After all, he was distinguished by His Majesty himself for his military accomplishments. Yet Lord Frenwick’s narrow-minded and easily incited wife would undoubtedly find the sudden change in Lord Spencer’s standing an affront.
He would not stand for this mistreatment on a day meant to celebrate his darling sister. No one else had the right to pass judgment on her choice.
The silence broke, but it was not on his account. Heads turned in Lady May’s direction as she audibly slurped the soup course. Once every eye in the room was firmly upon her, she demurely lowered her spoon and armed herself with a dazzling smile.
