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Alaric studied the crowd of people, shifting his gaze from one gentleman to the next. Even as he searched, he kept getting distracted by glimpses of his wife. Charlotte greeted Lady Scarsdale, smiling warmly at the countess, while Thornton shadowed her. Then she moved among the other young women, speaking to several of them.

There. He finally caught a glimpse of Mr Virdon. He was speaking to a gentleman Alaric couldn’t see, since the man’s back was to him. There was no choice but to move through the hallway towards another doorway. He had just reached it when he realised that the gentleman was Lenora’s husband, Lord Selwyn.

Alaric held back a curse. It wasn’t surprising to see the two men talking. But what did surprise him was when Lenora approached Mr Virdon, the earl motioned her back, keeping her away. Was it because Selwyn wanted to protect her? Or was he trying to keep her from overhearing his secrets?

He didn’t like what he was seeing tonight between the earl and Virdon. Although it might not have anything to do with him, he didn’t trust either of them.

Alaric glanced back at his wife and saw that Charlotte had begun dancing with Thornton. In her bearing, he saw happiness, as if she were enjoying herself—unlike the time when he had first danced with her. She hadn’t been feeling particularly well that night after Lord Selwyn had implied that Alaric had only married Charlotte for her dowry. Despite his wife’s claims that she was content with their arranged marriage, Alaric knew it wasn’t entirely true. And it was clear from their conversation earlier that she was putting up walls between them.

He couldn’t give her the love she wanted, even though he cared about her. It was better to return to the way things had once been—and if that meant keeping a certain distance between them, so be it.

With reluctance, he turned back and saw Mr Virdon making his way across the ballroom. Alaric stared at the man, wondering who he would speak to next—but then he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned and saw Lenora standing there. She wore a light blue gown that skimmed her waist, the sleeves hardly more than wisps of fabric at her shoulders.

‘I didn’t expect to see you here, Alaric,’ she murmured. ‘You hate balls.’

The intimate use of his first name startled him, for he’d not heard her say it in months now.

‘I do, yes.’ He turned back to the crowd while she came to stand beside him.

‘Then why did you come tonight?’

He wondered how much she knew about her husband’s business dealings. Lenora was quiet by nature, but she was also observant. Perhaps honesty was the best choice.

‘I’m here to find out what Mr Virdon’s connections are among the ton. I saw him speaking with your husband earlier. He claims my father borrowed money from him, but I don’t know if that’s true.’

Lenora glanced at him, her gaze discerning. ‘Your brother did owe my husband money once. But it was a while ago, I believe.’

Her confession took him aback, for he hadn’t known of Thornton’s debt to Selwyn. It felt like a slight, and perhaps he should have known. He didn’t acknowledge her words, but it was another reminder of why she’d married Selwyn—because of his wealth.

He said nothing and there was a weighted silence between them.

‘You’re still angry with me,’ she predicted. ‘I suppose you have a right to be. But I only wanted to—’

‘I don’t even think about you any more.’ He continued staring at the ballroom, though he wasn’t entirely able to concentrate. Right now, he wanted her to simply go away.

‘I had my reasons for marrying the earl,’ she continued.

Alaric continued to hold his silence, staring back at her. ‘Why?’ He deserved to know the answer, especially after the months he’d spent courting her in secret.

At last, she took a breath and said quietly, ‘Because I wasn’t who you needed. You needed an heiress to restore Severn—but I didn’t have a large enough dowry.’

He didn’t believe that was the only reason. ‘That’s not why you married him.’

‘No.’ After a pause, she said, ‘My father’s debts were as bad as your father’s. Lord Selwyn agreed to help my family if I married him. And he…he was kind.’

‘I would have found a way to save your family,’ he reminded her. But her lack of faith in him was the final blow.

‘You loved the idea of me,’ she said, ‘but not who I am. You really don’t know me at all, Alaric. I’m too quiet, not at all brave enough to ever be a duchess.’

‘You’re right,’ he admitted, ‘and now I see that what we had wasn’t real at all.’ His voice was calm as he turned to face her. ‘And I think you wanted to keep our courtship hidden from the ton because it wasn’t real for you either.’

Her hands moved around her waist, as if she were trying to hold on to courage. ‘You needed someone I could never be. A woman who is confident and can stand up to you. Like Charlotte.’ Her mouth curved in a slight smile, holding the shadow of regret.

Lenora was right. The feelings he’d thought he had for her had never really been love—only attraction. The kisses they had shared were pleasant, but they had never made him burn for her. Not the way Charlotte’s kisses did.

His marriage had begun as a silent vengeance, an assertion that he didn’t need Lenora. And somehow, his wife had transformed their union into something else. Something worth fighting for.

It wasn’t only a mutually beneficial arrangement, he realised. And no matter how much he wanted to put things back the way they’d once been, it could never quite be the same. Lenora was right—Charlotte had stood up to him, had tried to convince him she could be the wife he needed. And he’d shut her down, out of fear that he would become like his father.