Standing alone with a flute of champagne, the Earl of Blackthorne inspected the large ballroom with his observant eyes. Ever since he stepped into the room, women competed for his attention. Some blinked slowly at him in subtle invitation, some flirted boldly with him, but he declined them all. At this moment, he wasn't interested to quench the burning needs with the ordinary and the mundane.
Perusing the sea of faces, he found what he searched. The ballroom was full of lovely women, but he didn't need a magic mirror to tell who was the fairest of them all. Riveting his gaze on her, Blackthorne curled his fingers into fist in aching need.
He was not accustomed to not getting what he wanted when women were concerned. Women of all ages and class hurled theirselves at him all the time. Whenever he needed one, women were always available, in a colossal amount that could surpass the king's harem, until he finally got jaded, and only a few women could whet his appetite. The dark-haired beauty intrigued him. She possessed such sensual innocence that made him burn with desire. At first, she gave an impression of purity. When she refused his advances, it was as though the reason was morality. Even now when he knew the truth that she wasn't untouched, the sight of her still boiled his blood in unspent passion. She looked so young and innocent, almost naive. How could she ever deceive him? He always knew whether a woman was chaste or debauched in the first place.
He remembered the taste of her, the resistance she offered when he kissed her, before she melted helplessly in his arms. He imagined how she responded to a more intimate touch. He was just about to savor her sweet surrender when their moment was suddenly interrupted by an unwanted intruder. The vain duke. He recalled their recent encounter in the afternoon. From the way the duke ordered him about with immeasurable arrogance, he had no doubt the man considered himself king. That arrogant prick behaved in an unreasonable confidence as though he owned the world and everything in it.
Something~ or somebody drew attention to the doorway and he glanced in the direction. The duke was entering the room, and Blackthorne watched in irritation as the ladies in the ballroom granted him with admiring glance while the gentlemen gave him a courtly welcome.
The Duke of Vermont was a cocky bastard, yet the entire ton seemed to justify his cockiness. They placed him on a pedestal as a role model. A man with grand principles and incredible moral standards. The gentlemen spoke highly of him. The older ladies offered their daughters to him any chance they had while they dragged their girls away the second a rakehell like himself came into sight. Those poor ladies never knew that their paragon of virtue was no better than him, Lothario of London. The utmost difference was; he just didn't care to preserve his propriety in public like some hypocrites.
Tracking the other man's gaze, Blackthorne knew where it anchored. The elfin beauty darted around people and headed toward the doorway. The duke moved in the same direction. He noticed instantly that the duke was following the girl at a discreet pace. Occasionally that bloody bastard stopped and talked to some of his peers but he kept an eye on her all the time. She went out of the ballroom and soon he could no longer see her. A moment later, the duke followed her path and disappeared beyond the doorway as well. Stealing some time for a passionate interlude, very likely. There were only so many vacant rooms in the secluded corridor.
His eyes wandered across the room in search of another person, the poor fiancée the duke had just left, alone and abandoned. Venus of Wales, they called her. With her moonbeam-colored hair and her tall, slender figure, it didn't took long to find her in the crowd. With her unusual height, she dwarfed all the women around her, as much as she did with her exceptional beauty. Always dressed in subtle, understated style, evidently she didn't need more display to enhance her loveliness. The pearls around her long, swanlike-curve neck glowing softly under the muted light of the chandeliers. The champagne colored gown looked perfect on her flawless skin. Her skirt swirled slowly when she took a few steps and he could see that beneath the silk were a pair of long, long legs. She was a true gem, but for him, her physical riches was not her most impressive feature. Beyond that, she possessed a natural, effortless grace he had never seen in any other woman.
Damn lucky bastard.
He had a goddess and a temptress at the same time. Life had favored him in too many ways nevertheless he was positively undeserving of all those advantages. He studied the lady with piercing scrutiny. With her slim, willowy figure, she looked dainty and delicate. Even so, he knew by instinct, she was anything but vulnerable. Even if she were just an ordinary woman, still she wasn't a woman to trifle with.
He finished his champagne in one long swallow. Without tearing his gaze from her, he set the flute on a tray carried by a passing footman, then took a few determined steps toward her.
"Lady Selene Wyndham,"
He put on his most charming smile.
"Will you do me the honor of allowing me to dance with you?"
Glancing at the man came over her, Selene raised a brow in surprise. Had this rogue not known that Lady Selene Wyndham didn't dance with scandalizers?
"I'm afraid I have quite enough of dance tonight."
"Of course, but I believe you would be kind enough to spare me the last dance."
The lady strayed her gaze across the room, as though just looking at him was beneath her dignity.
"I'm saving the last dance for my fiancé."
It wasn't the first time a woman declined his advances, but it was possibly the first time a woman truly declined him, not for the purpose of playing hard to get. Well, the second time probably, although he suspected the other woman's rejection was tentative.
"He is such a lucky man, but I'm not sure he will appreciate it."
"Pardon?"
The lady's gaze returned to him, he smiled inwardly for now he got her undivided attention.
"Because I know it very well, my lady."
He made a deliberate pause to emphasize the effect of his statement.
"This precise moment, your fiancé is busy entertaining himself in the arms of another woman."
"I suppose you know better than to play your tricks on me, My Lord."
It was such a terrific day. Never in his life he had difficulties in handling women, but today he was rejected by a woman, and intimidated by another.
"I dare not. I'm offering you an important, factual information that I believe would be of value."
The lady only cast an assessing glance at him for a long while. He grew restless in anticipation. There was a chance she would just turn away and leave him without a second thought.
"But of course you don't need to know it from me. Sooner or later, you will find out by yourself. You'll need a long time, I suppose. Your soon-to-be husband has exceptional ability in hiding secrets."
He spun on his heel and walked away.
"I guess such a valuable information comes with a price."
She finally said.
His lips curved a triumphant smile and he turned toward her.
"I think I can get you a good price on that."
Across the room, the orchestra started to play the music for the upcoming dance. He made an elegant bow and offered his hand.
"Now, may I have this dance?"
Walking alone in the hallway to the music room, Ava was on full alert. The music room was quite far from the ballroom. To fetch the reticule, she had to pass the corridor, dashed up the empty stairway in fear of unexpectedly being caught by Lord Blackthorne once again. Once she found the reticule in the music room, she took it and rushed downstairs. Her footsteps echoed in the walls. Dim and silent, the side of the building was completely empty as the entire guests were gathering at the ballroom. Not even a servant passed by. She wondered if someone could hear her scream from here.When she scurried along the long corridor, suddenly she glimpsed a figure standing in the shade of an alcove. The man stepped out immediately, barring her passage. She almost shrieked in shock, but his pewter locks made her recognized him at once. For a second she was thankful to find it wasn't the man she feared for, but the relief last no longer than a heartbeat. He shot a crudely i
Long past midnight, the sheet in the large bed was still perfectly neat and straight, for it remained as yet untouched. The occupant of the best and largest suite for guest in the mansion had spent the hours sitting by the window, looking at something in the distance. Ever since he saw her in the devil's arms, the sight was consuming his every waking thought. The image played over and over again through his restless mind with startling clarity, made him feel as though the vessels in his chest was going to explode.He stared out the window, in the direction of her room in the opposite building, the East Tower, where the upper servants were housed. Instead of window, each room had a small balcony overlooking the garden below. Every balcony in the second and third floor were dark, for all the inhabitants must be sleeping safe and sound at this hour. So was her room, but suddenly a little light flickered and spread over the balcony. He tensed on his seat, his senses
Ashton watched her room from the shadow in the darkest hour of the night, only to make sure she was not with somebody else. He couldn't tell whether she was waiting for the scoundrel or not. The question harrowed him the whole night. He went back to his room in the small hours, just one hour before sunrise, wondering if he started to lose his sanity. He acted like a man obsessed, a man possessed. He was restless and curious and furious at the same time. This emotion had completely taken over at the expense of everything else.***A few hours later, he sat idly on a bench in the garden with his sketchbook and pencil. The gentle morning breeze carried the stench of dewy grass and the heady perfume of roses to his nose as the birds fluttered and chirped above his head. Soft, vibrant rays of sunlight flooded over the landscape, lighting and warming every inch of the lawn. It was a bright, beautiful morning but his mood was as dark as the night.
"Be careful."He held her automatically. She stopped walking and frowned as if in pain."Are you alright?"She took hold of him with another hand, apparently it was painful for her."I think I sprained my right ankle.""Let me see."He led her to a stone bench nearby and sat her carefully, absently he placed his sketchbook on the bench next to her, then squatted down in front of her."May I?" he asked. She nodded in response.He took her injured ankle beneath her skirt and brought it to his inspection. He skimmed over her delicate ankle to find the twisted muscles. When his focus fully drawn to her ankle, Selene glanced at the sketchbook laid next to her.Ashton couldn't feel a twisted muscle in her ankle, it seemed perfectly fine.&nb
She got up and tried to make her way out of the row, but her petticoat made it difficult to move in the narrow passage. She was in the midst of the row and with the seats fully occupied, to get out of here seemed like an impossible task."Please sit down, Miss. You're blocking the view."An irritated voice came from behind, followed by mutterings of annoyance. She had no choice but to sit back. She set her body rigid and looked straight ahead. She would just ignore the earl during the show. She could feel that he was watching her intently. Under his silent observation, she became more and more restless."What do you want from me?"She asked impulsively."Forgiveness."Came his unexpected reply."I apologize. I made a terrible mistake yesterday. I promise it will never happen again."Had she misheard him? Was he apologizing to her? He looked like an unrepentant jerk. But, s
"Please, allow me to make amends for my careless behavior."The lady's gaze brushed her from head to toe and she felt even more inhibited."There's no need, My Lady."Struggling to conceal her discomfort, she managed to bring out a polite answer."That's very kind of you," The lady raised one brow."I haven't seen you before, Miss..?""I'm no miss, my lady. I'm just a humble lady's companion.""I am Lady Selene Wyndham, and you are?""Miss Ava Banks of Evergreen, Vermont."She performed a low curtsy, and for some reasons she couldn't bring herself to look at the lady. Suddenly she felt an absurd guilt and an urge to escape. What would the lady think of her if she knew her fiancé had had several clandestine meetings with her?"Vermont, what a coincidence. Darling~"The lady beckoned to someone standing a few feet away
Later that evening, she walked across the garden to return to her room in the East Tower. Lady Byrne decided to retire early this evening and she couldn't be more pleased about that. She didn't think she could endure another hour of polite and mundane conversation, pretending to be enthusiastic with the topic while her mind was in total chaos.This vacation had turned out to be a real disaster, her whole situation was distressing and there was nothing she wanted more than to leave this place, and put anything that happened here behind her. She spent every hour counting down the days until she could go home and return to her peaceful life, away from the haughty, insufferable men of aristocracy who thought they could buy anything in this world with their money and power.She rushed along the lovely garden path, glancing over her shoulder every now and then as to check if she was being followed. When she passed a darkened path, suddenly a stron
Turning his head to face him, Blackthorne watched his opponent took a deep, quick draw on his cigar impatiently. He wondered how could he not collapsed into a fit of coughing from the smoke. It seemed like his lungs, just like the other organs in his body, was made of steel, cold and unfeeling.Exhaling a thin stream of smoke, the duke muttered with a dry voice."I gather that you haven't a good intention to show respect to what belongs to someone else.""I believe your ownership doesn't include a person's own free will."He countered calmly, predicting his nonchalance would infuriate his opponent to a boiling point. He was right, because the duke cut to the chase quickly."I'm going to say something to you, and you'd better pay attention, for your own good."Blackthorne held back a snort at the imperious remarks. He knew if he wanted to irritate this prick, he'd better show little emot