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“She is here,” Oscar said, “but I do not see Miss Rosamond.”
Alexander stilled, following his brother’s intent stare to see Lucinda. His breath left him on a slow exhale. She was breathtakingly lovely, resplendently gowned in a dress of silver-and-green satin, which hugged alluringly to Lucinda’s body and accentuated succulent curves in all the right places. She wore white satin gloves, and her hair was artfully coiffed with several curls cascading along her cheeks.
“I do not think Miss Rosamond is out in society yet,” he said. “It is unlikely you might see her at a ball.”
His brother’s sigh felt heavy, and he tore his gaze from Lucinda to consider his brother. “You regard her highly?”
His eyes lit up. “She is most delightful and not at all pretentious. I…I like her very much, brother. Her smile is the most radiant I have ever seen, and her manners are so charming even as I can see she is a right hellion underneath that careful exterior she presents sometimes.” His brother took a step closer and lowered his voice. “We walked and spoke a lot, and she…Miss Rosamond is very lovely.” Oscar looked sheepish when he glanced up at Alexander.
“There is nothing wrong with paying court to her should you wish it.”
His brother stilled. “You approve of her?”
“I would approve of any choice you make. You are not a fool, even if you are overly romantic.”
Oscar grinned. “Thank you. Mother will be delighted one of us is at last thinking about marriage.”
“With William married and now you thinking about it, perhaps she will stop chasing me, hmm?” Alexander sobered. “Do not rush or be foolhardy in your pursuit. Be mindful of her reputation in all you do. Ensure that you learn her character and approve of what you learn before making an offer. You do not wish to be miserable in a marriage.”
His brother frowned slightly. “I know the bitter arguments between mother and father made you sour toward marriage.”
There had been more than bitter arguments. There had been physical confrontations, recriminations, accusations, regret and endless tears from his mother, and many drunken nights from his father. “I am not sour,” Alexander said lightly, “I do not believe marriage is necessary for happiness in life. However, I do not begrudge those who wish it for themselves. William and his wife seem to be very happy with their decisions. It can be the same for you, Oscar.”
His brother looked very pleased with Alexander’s blessing and even eager to depart the ball, no doubt to return to the townhouse so that he could start penning letters to Miss Rosamond. Should the lady accept his suit, she would be very well provided. Oscar did not have to take the path given to most third sons by becoming a military officer or entering the clergy. A recent graduate of Cambridge, he was very well gifted in estate management and oversaw this duty for Alexander. He had also ensured his brother an income of twenty thousand pounds per year and a recently bought and refurbished unentailed country estate of his own in Suffolk.
They made the rounds, and Alexander introduced his brother to a few young bucks before wending his way through the crowd and to Lucinda. She stood in a circle of ladies, all lovely and a few familiar. He recognized the Duchess of Hartford and the Countess of Wycliffe. The ladies spoke with great animation, and when the countess observed his approach, her eyes widened, and she murmured something that all the ladies turned around.
Immediately Alexander knew Lucinda had told her friends what transpired between them at his estate. The awareness so astonished him, he smiled. Lucinda detached from her small group and took a few steps toward him. Once at a respectable distance, she dropped into an elegant curtsy. “My lord, I had not expected to see you here tonight.”
“It was a last-minute decision to attend,” he said, aware of how hungry his gaze must seem to others as he stared at her. “They are about to announce a waltz. Will you honor me with this dance, Lucinda?”
A flush of pleasure rose in her cheeks, and her gray eyes darkened with an emotion he could not identify.
“Yes.”
She rested her hand atop his arm, and he escorted her toward the dancing area. The orchestra leaped to life, and he took her into his arms, one hand on her shoulder, the other sliding against her elbows as they twirled across the expanse of the ballroom.
Her gray eyes glittered with pleasure, and a smile about her mouth informed him of her enjoyment. Alexander could not explain why he was so stuck on this lady before him, but hewasinexplicably stuck. The last time he saw her in Derbyshire had been two weeks ago, and every damn night he thought of her. Even in the days, he would pause whatever task he was doing to recall that night in the gardens when she had rested her forehead against him and how they had conversed well into the night in the music room. Temptation had beat at his senses, and he’d ignored it with a ruthless will. Except when she had left, that hunger had not abated but only grew.
Last night he had attended another ball, and Lady Wilford had flirted shamelessly, the invitation for him to join her in bed evident. Alexander had not been enticed in the least. Instead, he had gone home with thoughts of Lucinda, wondering if he would ever encounter her again.
“You are about to start a scandal if you keep staring at me,” she said breathlessly.
He spun her out in a wide twirl, drawing her back in close…too closer. “Are you afraid of a bit of scandal?”
Her eyes laughed up at him. “No.”
“Good, because I cannot damn well hide what I am feeling to save my life.”
Her lashes lowered briefly, and when her gaze met his again, her eyes sparkled with curiosity and daring.
“And what feelings are those?” she asked softly, want and tenderness in her gaze.
He felt an odd glimmer of peculiar emotions, and it wafted away from him before he could turn it over. “I am bemused by longing.”
“Longing for what?”
“You, and I suspect you know it.”
