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Aunt Sarah smiled slowly. “It was quite the marriage. But other matches work. Your mother and father for example.”
“They were hardly passionate about one another,” Cassie pointed out. “We have Eleanor as living proof of that.”
“But they were good friends. What more can one ask for but to spend your life with your closest friend?”
Cassie wasn’t certain. She had not spent much time devoting her thoughts to matrimony. Her parents had what many of thetonwould consider a successful marriage despite her father’s one infidelity, but she could not imagine having such a thing for herself.
Most especially not after kissing Luke and experiencing such sensations. How could she live a life without such feelings again? No, marriage and all its difficulties needed to be put from her mind. She had other things to worry about.
“Aunt—” She twisted to find her aunt had vanished. She shook her head. Aunt Sarah had likely gone off to find Wilde and speak of his cats again. They seemed to seek each other out at every social occasion now but she could not fathom how they spent so much time conversing on the one matter.
When she turned back, Luke pushed through the crowds around the dance floor toward her. Her breath stilted in her chest. He struck an especially masculine presence against the many beautiful flowers adorning the ballroom of Harton House, his shoulders seeming so broad in his evening jacket. A knot gathered in her throat and it did not shift, even when he greeted her.
“I have been trying to come and see you all evening.”
She nodded, her tongue feeling strangely thick in her mouth.
“I did not want to seem too eager,” he murmured. “We must not draw attention to ourselves.”
Eager. Good Lord, but she felt eager. Eager for his hands upon her, eager to have his mouth pressed to hers once more.
“We are old friends,” she said, aware of her breathless tone. “No one shall pay notice.”
“So you have not changed your mind?”
Her gaze shot to his. “No. Have you?”
He smirked. “I wish I could.”
“You do?”
“You underestimate the temptation you provide, Cassie.”
“I do?”
“If I could, I would take you aside now, and start providing you with an...education tonight.”
Heat flowed swiftly up her entire body. She felt her fingertips pulse and her nipples harden against her stays at the possibilities his words held. She sighed. “If only—”
A scream from the entrance way to the ballroom sliced through the room. Cassie searched for the source of the scream, but several other screeches rang out then the dancers dispersed and surged along with the other attendees toward the various exits. Frowning, she rose onto tiptoes.
“Look out.” Luke snatched her hand and pulled her in toward him as a brightly colored bird swept past her head. She felt the beat of the birds wing so close it ruffled her carefully coiffed hair.
“What is going on?”
“His Lordship has a whole menagerie of exotic birds,” Luke shouted over the screams and shouts as they ducked the birds. “It seems someone has let them loose.”
She grimaced. Her aunt had vanished. But would she really do such a thing to engineer a distraction?
The music ceased and glass tinkled. People pushed into them and Luke drew her closer, his hand firm around hers.
“We need to get out of here.”
Mrs. Warner screeched when a bird let loose a dropping on Mr. Warner’s shiny, bald head.
She nodded frantically and winced as a large gentleman stood on her foot. “Yes, we do.”
***
