AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Four
Jonah cursed under his breath. He was a right arse, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Lady Calliope had depended on him, and Hampstead had asked him to help protect her. Instead of doing as he’d agreed, Jonah had disappeared. He really had to stop agreeing to things he knew he wouldn’t be able to do. None of this had gone as it should have; however, hehadbehaved as he’d always done. Some things never changed, and clearly he would remain the same in spite of promises he made.
He had to make it right somehow.
“Lady Calliope,” he called out. She either hadn’t heard Jonah call for her or had decided to ignore him—he was willing to bet on the latter. He jogged after her. When he caught up to her he was breathing heavily. “Wait,” he said between breaths. “Please.”
She shook her head and headed up the stairs to the private balcony. Jonah followed behind her and once they were at the top he reached for. “Please,” he said again. “Give me a moment.”
She turned around and glanced up at him. The moonlight showered her face and made her skin glisten beneath it. His breath caught for a moment as he basked in her beauty and the fire that sparked in her blue eyes. “I would rather go inside. There’s no reason for us to remain outside or continue this conversation.” Lady Calliope brushed past him and went straight for the balcony doors. Jonah stepped in front of her, blocking her from entering.
“Let me apologize.” He pasted his most charming smile on his face. It had worked many times in the past and he expected it would now.
She pursed her lips and glared at him. The displeasure pouring from her was so palpable he had to repress the urge to flinch. Lady Calliope tilted her head to the side and narrowed her gaze. “Your attempts at diffusing my anger have no chance of succeeding.”
He scrunched his eyebrows together. “And why is that?” No lady of his acquaintance was unaffected by his charm when he chose to wield it. Lady Calliope not succumbing now seemed…odd. Jonah didn’t know what to make of it.
“I would think the answer is obvious,” she retorted.
“It isn’t to me…” This conversation was not going the way he wanted it to. He had to steer it back in the right direction. “Why don’t you explain it to me.”
She snorted. This was a whole new experience for him. She tilted her chin upward defiantly. “All right. I’ll even speak in simple terms so you are able to understand with little effort.”
“So good of you,” he countered. Perhaps he was wrong. This was one of the most interesting conversations he’d ever had with a woman. He couldn’t help wondering how he could prolong it. “Please do that.”
“Most ladies take one look at you and lost a little piece of their heart.” She shrugged. “You have that broody handsomeness about you. Makes a woman want to lighten up your life.”
“But not you?” He lifted a brow. Was that how ladies saw him? “I’m too much trouble for you?”
She laughed. “Darling, your too much trouble for any lady capable of drawing air to breathe. That’s part of your charm.” Her words should make his blood sing with anticipation, but they did something far worse. They gave him pause instead. The way she said them hadn’t been as endearing as they could have been.
“But you said you’re not charmed by me.”
“That’s correct,” she confirmed. “I could have been, and perhaps on our first introduction I was, but I was a young girl. I can’t be faulted for that.” She met his gaze. “You’re one of my brother’s oldest friends. We have crossed paths over the years. Perhaps they were fleeting moments, but it was enough for me to become quite accustomed to you, your smile, and deflecting wit.”
Her reasons were valid. She had probably been around him far more than any other female in his life. They never spent much time together. Hampstead wouldn’t have allowed it, and they were not formally introduced until a few months ago at the Christmastide house party. That was one of the only times he’d ever truly spoken to her. That didn’t mean she hadn’t witnessed some of his behaviors over the years. There was no telling what she could have eavesdropped on either. “So you don’t believe I’m a man worthy of your time or consideration?” he asked. “And you are one of the few females in existence that has no desire to trap me into marriage.”
She smiled. “I have no desire to trapanyman into marriage. You’re not the exception there.” Lady Calliope shrugged. “When I marry it will because I want to and the man is choosing me. I refuse to enter into a marriage that will make everyone involved miserable.” She stared at him. “You don’t seem the type that would willingly stand before a vicar and promise to love, honor, and cherish anyone.” She licked her lip and he found himself trailing her tongue with his gaze. Damn. He should not be this attracted to his friend’s sister. “Therefore, I refuse to allow myself to consider you to have any sort of role in my life any longer. Ididlike you and thought we could perhaps be friends. Clearly I was wrong on both counts.” She brushed her hands over her skirts. “Now can you please allow me to pass? I do need to step inside so I can attend dinner.”
She had hoped they could be friends? How…refreshing. Jonah wanted that too…now. He hadn’t considered having a lady as a friend before, but he found he wanted Lady Calliope to be the first. “As long as you let me escort you to dinner.” He didn’t want their conversation to end yet.
“All right,” she said in an exasperated tone. “But only because you leave me no choice, and you were supposed to dance with me before supper. It won’t be frowned upon if you escort me in.”
Jonah smiled and held out his arm to her. “Then shall we?”
She didn’t speak just looped her arm with his. Then they walked inside in silence. He didn’t let that influence his plans for the rest of the evening though. If anything he found it encouraging.
Callie didn’t understandwhat had just happened. She had made a decision that having any sort of relationship with Lord Goodland would not be the best idea. He clearly had some difficulties that she shouldn’t take any interest in. Something haunted him. It was there lingering just beneath the surface but he hid it with a smile and easy charm. He hid it well, but she could see what he hid from the world. No one seemed to care enough to see past his façade.
Why had he decided to escort her to dinner? Callie hoped that she hadn’t made a mistake by agreeing to this scheme. They strolled down the hall and into the ballroom. Luckily they hadn’t rung the dinner bell yet. The strands of the music from the last dance were echoing around them still. Callie breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that no one seemed to have noticed she’d been missing.
“Were you worried?” Lord Goodland asked.
She glanced at him startled. “Should I have been?”
He shrugged. “I don’t believe so, but I don’t usually follow the rules. The more scandalous the better.”
“I suppose what I should take from that is that I should never do as you would if I hope to keep my reputation intact.” What she didn’t tell him was that she liked him far more than she should. She might say she didn’t want to have anything to do with him, but that was a lie. Callie had never been more intrigued by a man. She couldn’t say that to him though. If she told him how she truly felt he’d keep his distance from her. This could not appear to be anything more than a reluctant friendship, and maybe that was all it ever would be… That didn’t mean she couldn’t hope for something more.
