AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 7
Richard watched as Miss Josephine Claremont drank her fourth glass of wine. Her cheeks were rosy, and there was a particular glint in her eye, a glint that told him that she was up for mischief.
How did he know that?
Well, for one thing, he’d been watching her since the day he’d met her, and she’d never had more than one glass of wine, including during dinner. And for another thing, she was looking at him in the way a cat would look at a delectable piece of fish or a fresh bowl of milk.
Considering her earlier assertion that she would never entangle herself with a gentleman, Richard thought she might have changed her mind.
What had happened to cause that change in her?
He shouldn’t have cared. It wasn’t his business. She was off limits, and he would soon be betrothed. But she walked toward him with that fiery glint in her eyes, and he couldn’t quite move away.
“My lord,” she said as she reached his side.
“Miss Claremont,” he said gruffly. “Your performance today was exceptional.”
Her face instantly changed, and she sipped at her half-finished glass of wine.
“Was it, my lord?” She raised her brow and finished her drink, tipping her head back, bearing her delectable neck to his gaze.
Richard forced himself to focus. He took the glass from her and handed it to the passing footman. “I think four glasses are quite enough.”
She cocked a brow. “How do you know how many glasses I had?”
“Let’s just say that your cheeks are now the color of wine,” Richard said, unwilling to give away the fact that he’d watched her the entire night. “And you are acting a bit forward, considering our last conversation.”
She scoffed. “When Mick flirts with every lady at the party, nobody blinks an eye. When I do it, suddenly it is noted upon by everyone.”
“Who’s everyone?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“And Mick will slink off yet with another lady at the party with no regard to—”
Richard frowned. “Who in the devil is Mick?”
Miss Claremont beckoned to another footman and picked up another glass of wine. “The lead actor. The man who killed me at the end of the play. Either way, he can do no wrong as far as society is concerned, but I….” She shrugged and brought the glass to her lips.
Something gathered inside Richard’s chest. It felt a lot like jealousy. “Is he an old flame?” he growled.
Miss Claremont took a sip of her drink at the same time as he asked the question. She looked at him with wide eyes before sputtering a laugh, her unswallowed wine flying everywhere. She covered her mouth and laughed. The footman quickly rushed toward them with a cloth in his hand.
“Oh, thank you,” Miss Claremont said, taking the cloth before Richard could reach for it. She handed off her wine and started wiping Richard’s waistcoat and coat. “Mm… I think you need to take this off for a proper… cleaning.”
Her motions over his chest were no longer of a practical nature. Instead, her fingers curled, scratching his skin through the layers of his clothing.
Richard covered her hand with his. “Perhaps I should.”
“Take me away from here,” she whispered.
Richard could see the vulnerability and sadness in her eyes. He didn’t know what had happened to cause her pain. He didn’t know what had happened to lead her to over-drink and act so brazenly. And he didn’t know what Mick had to do with any of it, but he wanted to punch him hard in the face.
Well, it would be the second best thing to do at this moment. The first best thing was to take Miss Claremont out of the ballroom and offer her some solace.
He opted for the better option. He took her by the hand and walked swiftly to the exit.
* * *
Jo’s heart thumped loudly in her chest as Viscount Gage led her out of the parlor. The moment she placed her hand in his, all sorts of doubts assailed her, clear reason threatening to overwhelm her. But she didn’t want to think clearly. She wanted to act irrationally. She wanted to find comfort in the arms of the viscount.
