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Ophelia wasn’t fond of the description. She had seen nothing egotistical in his manner; then again, she had only seen him for a few seconds.
“I would be rather rude, too, if I knew an entire room had been gossiping about me, I suppose.” She kept thinking back to the stare he had delivered to the room.
“Touché!” Margery agreed. “I need another, do you?”
Ophelia tipped back some of her champagne and nodded for a top-up. As she turned away to reach the table, she found someone was in her path. Unable to stop herself in time, she collided with a tall figure.
The glass tipped out of her hand and the gentleman ‘oomph’-ed.
“Who isn’t looking where they are going?” The deep voice made Ophelia stand still.
Chapter 4
Elliot turned round. Now that he had spilled his champagne on the floor, he was finding fewer and fewer reasons to be calm. He had already not wanted to come tonight, yet Harrison had persuaded him it was a good idea if he wanted to find a wealthy wife. Walking into the room to find the entiretonstaring at him had made him regret his decision.
I wish I was anywhere but here.
“Careful, Elliot,” Harrison muttered as Elliot turned to accost whoever had walked into him. He assumed it must be some gentleman in his cups, perhaps a scandal sheet writer looking for a story, yet as Elliot turned around, he was faced with the last thing he had expected.
It was a young lady with blue eyes so bold in her face that they were now wide in surprise.
“I did not mean to walk into you. My apologies.” She spoke quickly and looked down to her champagne glass that had fallen to the floor.
Elliot felt the guilt rage through him. No matter what his problems were with this world, he didn’t need to speak sharply to this young lady.
“Here, let me.” He bent down to pick up the flute at the same time she did, and their hands connected on the glass. He felt a spark pass through his hand, one so strong that he snatched his fingers away from her at once and slowly stood to his feet. She was staring back at him, with just as much surprise.
“Forgive my friend’s sharpness,” Harrison said, trying to cover up for the sudden awkwardness between them. “He is perhaps a little out of sorts.”
“Ah, so you think I’d walk into you on purpose?” the woman asked, with something of a playful smile on her lips. “I’m afraid I cannot agree with you there. You were simply in the way of the drinks table.”
Her jest was so audacious that Elliot found his lips tugging upward, in the temptation to smile, in spite of himself.
“The collision is my own fault then?” he asked, watching as she smiled, too.
“That is not what I said, but I thank you for the apology.” She was bold indeed, clearly jesting by the smile on her face. There was something rather alluring about the way she spoke to him. She was not walking away as others had done already in the room, muttering about money. “May I?” she asked, gesturing to the table.
“Allow me.” Elliot reached back and collected a champagne bottle. He replaced the lady’s glass with a clean one before he topped it up, and her friend’s, too, beside her.
“Thank you. A kind gentleman, I see.”
Her observation intrigued him. He was sure many people were talking about him tonight, but they would not call him “kind.” The words “broke,” “a waste of a good fortune,” and a “disgrace to the dukedom” came more to mind.
“Forgive me, I do not know your n—” Elliot longed for the stranger’s name, but before he could finish asking, a lady appeared behind her.
“Come, you two, come quickly. There is something I must show you.” The woman was older, perhaps one of the girl’s mothers, with dark hair pinned into an elaborate updo. When her eyes found Elliot’s, she looked quite horrified, her lips pressed together.
So, she has heard the rumours and wants me far away from these ladies.
“Excuse me, sirs.” She curtsied to them, putting on a false smile, then took the two young ladies’ arms and drew them away.
Elliot found his eyes lingered on the one that had intrigued him so. She seemed to be looking back at him too, those blue eyes barely blinking.
That is a rather captivating gaze.
Then she was jerked forward by the older lady, and she vanished into the crowd of theton.
“This is hopeless, Harrison,” Elliot said with a sigh.
