One hundred pounds. It was a small fortune, and Dylan badly needed the funds.
He’d much rather dance with some silly young girl than beg his father for an advance. Especially given his behavior tonight.
“All right,” Dylan agreed. “You’re on.”
* * *
Natalia spent the next hour sending covert glances toward the ballroom entrance, hoping for another tantalizing glimpse of Captain Blake. She refused to believe he’d already left. Who knew if she’d ever cross paths with him again?
Just when she’d nearly given up hope, she caught sight of his brilliant scarlet uniform. Her heart gave a little thrill of delight. Perhaps she’d have a chance to meet him, after all.
Unfortunately, Captain Blake accompanied Lord Jonathan Taylor, one of her most annoying and persistent suitors. Usually, she dissuaded unwanted attention with a condescending stare, but Lord Jonathan had not yet taken the hint.
She wondered what the little weasel had in common with a hero like Captain Blake. Surely, they weren’t friends?
The two men spoke intently for a few moments, but to her relief, Lord Jonathan soon drifted away, leaving Captain Blake alone. Perfect. She was breathless with excitement at this unexpected stroke of luck.
The next man on her dance card arrived, and Natalia sent him off to fetch a glass of champagne. Having bought herself another moment or two of solitude, she plotted her next move. How could she arrange an introduction to the captain without damaging her reputation?
The captain remained at the edge of the crowd, leaning against one of the marble pillars as he cast his brooding gaze over the assembled guests. His thick, inky black hair made a stark contrast to the white stone, and his broad shoulders spanned the entire width of the column.
To her everlasting embarrassment, he caught her staring. One corner of his mouth lifted in a questioning smile, and his disturbing blue gaze met hers with shocking familiarity. A strange little quiver raced up and down her spine.
He’d been the main topic of conversation during the past hour, and everything she’d heard only intrigued her more. Dylan Blake was one of her peers, yet he’d chosen to break free of the stifling restraints aristocratic society placed on its members.
Ever since he’d sold his commission and returned to London, he’d refused to conform to his father’s wishes. Rumor had it that his father had been furious with him for selling out and had refused his request to give him an estate of his own to manage.
Undaunted, Captain Blake had begun searching for work as an estate manager somewhere else, a quest nobody could understand. A gentleman didnotwork. It simply wasn’t done.
In response to his scandalous actions, thetonhad closed ranks against him. None of them would allow him to manage so much as a haystack.
But Natalia approved of his need to do something worthwhile. How could anyone expect a man who had done such great things, who was used to being in command, to come back to England and rest on his laurels?
The other rumors concerned her a little more, given her intense attraction to the man. Apparently, he was a rake and a womanizer, but Natalia decided those were small things, easily forgiven in light of the fact that he’d spent the last twelve years fighting for his country.
Perhaps all he needed was the right woman. Someone who would love him enough to calm his restless spirit. She desperately wanted to talk to him. She needed to prove to herself that the man she’d idolized for so long was worthy of her affections. Something good and fine lurked behind that too-handsome face and mocking smile; she just knew it.
Unfortunately, she still hadn’t figured out how to initiate a conversation with him.
For the Duke of Clayton’s daughter, the world was a narrow and confining place. Soon, her father would decide on a suitable husband and, after her marriage, she’d be sent away to some country pile to produce the requisite heir and spare. Her own wants and wishes didn’t matter.
Still, she couldn’t resist glancing at Dylan Blake again and again. Why did he keep looking at her? From everything she’d heard, she didn’t think he cared about marriage.
Surely, he realized her father would never consider him?
Her gaze met his once more and a ripple of awareness sent shockwaves through her very heart. The duke might not consider Dylan Blake suitable, but she found him absolutely perfect. More than handsome, he embodied all her dangerous dreams.
As though he’d read her mind and knew how much she wanted to meet him, he smiled and moved toward her through the crowd. She watched, torn between terror and heady excitement as he paused to speak to her cousin, Nigel Sinclair. Nigel frowned a bit, then nodded, and the two men headed her way.
As they approached, Nigel gave her an apologetic little smile, as though on a distasteful but necessary mission. She clenched her fists, and her nails bit into her palms as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She shouldn’t want this introduction so badly and must never allow her true feelings to show.
“Lady Natalia Sinclair, allow me to introduce Captain Dylan Blake.” Nigel smiled at her again, as though the two of them shared a private joke at the expense of the earl’s prodigal son.
Captain Blake smiled as well, drawing her gaze to the lush, full curve of his lips, so at odds with the harsh, uncompromising line of his jaw. His dark lashes, too, seemed out of place. The thick fringe framed his eyes in a sensuous tangle.
And the impact of that stare up close took her breath away. His eyes weren’t really blue, she discovered. They were gray, the color of smoke and stormy skies.
He bowed with effortless grace and then brought her gloved hand to his lips. The heat of his mouth warmed her skin through the thin layer of silk. “Lady Natalia.” His voice was smooth and cultured, as beautiful as the rest of him. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
