Page 30 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

“That must be Lady Evelyn Fitzroy,” Scarlett commented. “She is the younger sister of the Duke of Thorns and has spent most of her time in the country estate with their grandmother, Lady Wellington.”

“You do keep up with the latest gossip,” Alice remarked with a wry smile.

When the party of three finally reached them, she found that she could barely breathe comfortably. It was one thing to watch Colin from across the room and an entirely different thing to be standing before each other.

“Lady Alice,” he greeted her in a cold tone, “may I introduce my grandmother, Lady Wellington, and my younger sister, Lady Evelyn Fitzroy. Evie, Grandmother, this is my betrothed, Lady Alice Barkley.”

“Oh, my dear,” the older lady greeted her with a pleasant smile. “I cannot believe how much of a boor my grandson has been to keep you from us.”

Alice felt her initial anxiety slip away at the older woman’s enthusiastic reception. “The pleasure of this introduction is all mine, Lady Wellington. His G—Colin,” she amended hastily, “has told me lots of wonderful things about you.”

“Has he now?” the old woman murmured, slyly glancing at her grandson.

“Of course,” Alice told her warmly. “And Lady Evelyn, too.”

“Oh, just Evie would be fine!” The young lady beamed at her. “After all, we are to be sisters soon.”

Alice felt her heart falter a little at that word. Sisters.

But we are just pretending—no, lying to them. To everybody.

She caught Colin giving her a curt nod, and she smiled and nodded towards Evie. “Of course, Evie.”

She ducked her head and avoided Colin’s intense glare as she introduced her sister and Scarlett, much to the pleasure of Evie, who found someone closer to her age who had just made her bow that Season, too.

As Phoebe and Evie happily began to chat with each other, she felt Colin grab her dance card, his dark eyebrows snapping together. Alice felt her face heating up as his eyes scanned the names there.

“You are not dancing with anyone but me,” he told her arrogantly when he handed her dance card back.

Alice blinked at him in disbelief. “I beg your pardon?”

“Dance with me, Alice.”

He did not ask so much as he pulled her onto the dance floor just as the musicians began to play the first few strains of the next song. Alice could only stumble through the requisite bow and the first few steps before Colin’s calm presence steadied her.

“For the love of all that is holy, look at me!”

Those words were uttered with such a charming smile that Alice could not help but just stare at him in complete incredulity.

“Your Grace, might I remind you that you were the one who dragged me onto the dance floor most unceremoniously without a moment to prepare,” she reminded him primly. “I believe I am entitled to gather my wits about me.”

“I do not believe you have lost them,” he replied blithely as they swept across the dance floor, “if your sharp tongue is anything to go by.”

“Oh, so now you are complaining about my sharp tongue?”

Her glare faltered when she saw his dark gaze drop to her lips and linger there. Smoldering.

Was he thinking of something roguish? She did not really know. No one had ever looked at her the way Colin did—like a Wolf sizing up its prey before a meal.

“There are many things I could think of that involve your tongue,” he told her huskily. “But none of them are appropriate for a crowded ballroom like this.”

So, he is thinking of something lewd! Alice gaped at him in shock. And he certainly has no qualms telling me just that!

“You… you are absolutely impossible!” she sputtered.

“True.” He grinned at her. “But you like talking to me anyway. Dare I say that you are actually enjoying taking a walk in uncharted territory, little lamb?”

Heaven help her, she knew that she should not—but she did. Heart pounding in her chest, heat flooding her face, she truly did enjoy talking to this particular Wolf. So much so that she believed she had taken leave of her senses.

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