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“Marina, you remember my brother, Neil.” He gestured toward Neil, who looked at her a little coldly before lifting his nose, silently sneering. Marina curtsied. “Neil… tell me, you will bow to my wife.” James’ voice had darkened into fury.
For the first time, he saw a look of fear on his brother’s face at that tone. Neil bowed though he didn’t bow very deeply, not enough for what a duchess deserved.
“Neil…” James stepped toward him, his anger getting the better of him. Neil could hate him all he liked for what he’d done in the past, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Neil detesting Marina.
“James,” Marina tugged on his arm before he could say anymore to his brother, “would you dance with me? Please?”
“Dance?” He glanced toward her, startled by the invitation.
“Please.” She didn’t give him a chance to refuse but pulled his arm, drawing him away. “Good evening to you, Lord Frampton.” She addressed Neil who still deigned not to reply to her. The fury swelled in James again, but Marina pulled so hard on his arm he couldn’t have gotten back to his brother without making a scene.
That would probably just make Neil resent me more.
Before he left, he did just one thing. Grasping hold of the wine bottle that Neil was reaching for on the drinks table, he took it out of Neil’s reach, watching as his brother reached for it like a child wanting sweetmeats.
“Do not turn into our father, Neil.” James’ words seemed to connect with his brother more than he had thought they would. Neil’s hand went limp, and as James returned the bottle to the other end of the table, Neil didn’t reach for it again.
Marina towed James through the assembly rooms toward the main ballroom where people were gathered.
“Why did you come?” James asked, finding her hand was sliding down from his arm to take his palm. He let it happen, rather amazed at the warmth that spread through his palm as their fingers entwined together.
“I rather thought you were in need of a rescue,” she said quietly.
“I was. Well perceived.” He nodded in approval, and they shared a sad smile. “Are you truly asking me to dance though?” He stopped short of the dance floor, realizing it wasn’t an excuse for an exit after all, and she did intend to dance.
“Of course.” Her smile grew. “I am not the world’s greatest dancer, but I am not so bad that I will trip us both up, I assure you.” Her jest lightened the air a little. “Dance with me?”
“I don’t dance.”
“Another restraining rule of yours?”
“Perhaps.”
“So, bend it.” Her words were so confident that he didn’t argue with her. He didn’t even consider if he was ‘bending,’ ‘breaking,’ or throwing out the rule altogether. As the music changed and she moved toward the floor, leading him by the hand, he followed, only too glad to.
They bowed and curtsied with the start of the music and began a waltz. Slowly, he drew her into his arms, feeling the slenderness of her waist beneath his palm and how firmly her fingers held his shoulder. As they began to dance, moving in the three-time step, neither one of them looked away from one another. They just continued to stare.
“There now, I knew a dance would cheer your spirits a little,” she whispered as they circled another couple. “I must admit, I am rather enjoying the chance to be closer to you again too.” He chuckled at her audacity, loving how confident she was with him now. It reminded him of their first kiss when she had leaned across the dining table and quite demanded a kiss from him.
He rather longed to be free of this assembly room, to see what else she could demand tonight.
“You do provide a rather pleasant distraction from my woes,” he admitted, moving with her. When a couple moved near to them, James shifted her closer in his arms, avoiding a collision. They were so near to one another that Marina had to tilt her head up toward him.
He could smell her scent of bergamot and rose. It made him long to draw nearer to her.
“You look as tempted as I feel,” she whispered, her eyes flicking between his gaze and his lips.
“That’s because I am,” he confessed. “You and I cannot dance again this evening if we continue to stare at one another like this. I’ll be hurrying you to the carriage all too quickly.” She laughed at the words, lowering her head a little.
As he turned the two of them, his eyes were caught at the side of the dance floor. Neil was standing there, watching him closely.
“Thank you,” James said, returning his focus to Marina.
“What for?”
“For distracting me from my brother. You came to cheer me up, didn’t you?”
“Ah, it seems I am not half so crafty as I think I am. You have discovered my intent.” She smiled and shifted toward him so that their hips were nearly brushing together. He was glad there were so many couples on the floor that they could not easily be seen together. “You are most welcome, James.”
