Soren
About2minutesearlier
“What are you looking at?”Speaking in a hushed tone, Rafe nudged Soren from an unnaturally studious gaze.Only Rafe would have noticed his peculiar behavior.To the other sparks that had quickly grown into his fashion-obsessed, rake-obsessed herd, they were too intent upon hearing his next story.Despite the fact that he’d given them next to nothing save a few laughs this evening.Just another ball.Just another crush.
“That wom—”
“Soren, you must tell us about the widow Lynette,” a young dandy interrupted before Soren could finish his reply, but that didn’t stop his eyes from tracking her movements as she trotted inconspicuously after a lady in a pale blue gown.The tracker herself wore nothing so fashionable.In fact, it was entirely unremarkable…except that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
He chalked it up to the fact that she was behaving oddly.But really, had no one else noticed?Casting a cursory glance back to his herd indicated that indeed, no one had taken notice.
Unfortunately the herd of men that had been surrounding him only a moment ago had just amplified, something about wanting to hear more about the widow.
So he turned to his followers and threw them a nebulous crumb.“The widow…yes, you greenhorns would be curious about her story, wouldn’t you?”To which they all guffawed in a cringeworthy manner, causing Soren to smirk.
While they murmured amongst themselves regarding his answer, he took the opportunity to embrace his curiosity.“Who’s that woman?”Soren asked Rafe out of the side of his mouth.He simply could not sever his gaze from her.Watching her chase after a woman in a seemingly futile attempt to detach an unidentifiable piece of fabric stuck to her, Soren could only assume that she was on a mission to save the other woman from embarrassment.Yet each time the chaser grew close to accomplishing her mission, the target moved out of her reach.Quite amusing it was to observe the chaser’s determination to do a good deed.Certainly, he could commend her on her effort.
Ah…the woman in a dress stopped for a drink as she made her way toward them.This should be it.
“Tell us more, Soren,” another coxcomb urged him.And if the repeated question wasn’t irritating enough, he had the misfortune of stepping right in front of Soren’s view of the chaser.“How did you bag her?”The idiot blabbered on.
“First of all, I did notbaganyone.Second of all,” he shuffled to the right to better observe the subtle chase unfolding before him, “there’s nothing to share that would do any of you any good.”
To which they all chortled again.Idiots.All of them.
Though it had taken ages for a reply, Rafe quietly responded at his earliest available chance.“Precisely which woman are you asking about?”
“The one—” Oh no.Dear God above, he could see exactly what was about to happen.And it was not a favorable outcome.Alas, he could do nothing.He watched—half in horror and half in bewitched amusement—as the chaser finally stepped on the fabric.Mission complete.
Yes, the chaser had succeeded, if one could call bumbling a drink upon the unsuspecting woman a success.
The primary risk of embarrassment had been averted, but only to open the doors for a secondary risk to come to pass.
When the woman unleashed a scathing remark, the chaser remained humble.Kind.Yet unapologetic.
It had all been quite admirable to watch such determination.
But it was when she looked up and caught his eye that he felt like he’d been thrown in an oven.Suddenly the air he sucked in to breathe was suffocatingly hot.And that’s the only reason his breath hitched in his throat.Not for some other proverbial or poetic explanation.
There she was.Staring directly at him.Eyes ablaze.Hair severely pulled back.Modest gown, leaving everything to the imagination.Average frame with no hint of curves.Somewhat graceless—perhaps even rigid—movements.He should have overlooked her.Shouldn’t have really noticed her at all.Especially given her advancing-to-a-spinster age.But it was those eyes.Her peacock blue eyes drew him in.
Like ice had been poured over him, his body was frigid in shock.But that really wasn’t quite right because inside his body was growing hotter by the second.At his side, his hands itched to reach out and pull the pins from her hair to see how long it might fall.But besides these physical reactions, something deeper—something more essential to his being—shook.It was like the idea the clergyman had purported emphasizing the catastrophic creation of mountains in a single aggressive event had taken on new meaning.Not that he had believed it when he heard it, but now, from his moment, he could understand how that might have happened.Because when he had locked eyes with that woman, something had indelibly shifted within him that felt quite mountainous.
“You mean Prudence Hawthorne?”Rafe asked, following his gaze.
Prudence.
The name fit perfectly.
“Or do you mean Temperance?Her twin sister?”Rafe asked about the woman approaching Prudence’s side, only for Temperance to take over his view of Prudence all together.
Soren moved a foot to the left.
“I mean, Prudence.What do you know about her?”
Rafe shrugged.“What do you want to know?”
“I think…” Soren paused, second guessing the reply he was about to make.Because if he was being honest with himself—which he prided himself on even though he didn’t hold himself to such high standards of truthfulness with others, and byothers, he largely meant the female population—he wasn’t sure why he was about to say what he was about to say.He wanted to finish by saying something so outlandish that Rafe wouldn’t stop pelting him with questions if he did say it.But Rafe interrupted his intentions.
