Page 5 of A Virgin for the Rakish Marquess

But it seemed that her luck had abandoned her, since she could not locate her sister-in-law anywhere in the sea of beautiful dresses and dark coats. She was ready to give up and retreat to her favorite bay window in the drawing room. There, she could be away from the crowds, near the refreshments, and have an unobstructed view of the ballroom.

But then she saw Richard presenting with pride one of the books that Selina had donated to the auction in an empty area of the ballroom.

Ah, exactly the man I needed to see.

Her proper brother-in-law was the right person to ask about Elizabeth, since she could trust that the strict man would refrain from meaningless hints and senseless jokes.

“Diana.” Richard dutifully bowed to her. “Enjoying the evening?”

“I must congratulate both of you,” Diana complimented.

She meant it. Annoying or not, Selina had truly outdone herself, and her charity events had become a fixture in the ton’s calendar, marking the imminent start of the Season. And leave it to Selina to make it not just a social event but also a reminder that many were less fortunate than them.

Richard seemed to be proud of his wife as his eyes drifted toward her.

That look…

Diana felt that pang again, right between her heart and her abdomen, between her ribs.

Could be the corset.

She preferred to think that her corset finally decided to stab her rather than the alternative.

“Richard, have you seen Elizabeth?”

“If I am not mistaken, she went to the powder room. Is everything all right, dear? Anything I can help you with?”

Diana was ready to take her leave. Just a split moment, a fleeting tick in time. That was all it took.

Someone coughed behind her, and Richard looked over her shoulder.Wayabove her shoulder. Her instinct told her that in this refined ballroom, filled with proper muslin dresses and kid gloves, meticulously served sandwiches and cold refreshments, a predator was prowling. And yet she turned around.

It took all of her years of training and every inkling of acting skills she amassed to keep her jaw in a dignified position. Because right there stood the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on—which said a lot, since her brothers and brother-in-law were considered fetching.

Perhaps it was the ‘brother’ factor that dulled their appeal, compared to this man. But if she had to answer that, she would probably surmise that the way he towered over everyone in the room, the way his broad shoulders blocked her view, and the way his slightly tousled brown hair shone in the light made him more fetching.

Fetching? Isn’t even that too strong a word?What exactly is he supposed to fetch, after all?

Diana hastened to keep herself in check.

Her mind didn’t pay any heed to her troubles and focused on the highlight of the charity event, which was none other than those piercing baby-blue eyes that put to shame any other shade of azure.

“Crawford! You came!” Richard greeted in a cordial tone.

Crawford?

If someone were to come out of the blue and douse her in cold water, the effect would be nothing compared to what the mention of that name did to her.

So, this is the infamous rake.

“Well, Seymour.” The Marquess passed her by without even looking at her. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Diana was used to being ignored. In fact, she had honed the art of blending in the background for years. But something in her revolted at his open disregard. Even though the rational part of her brain rejoiced that the apex predator was fooled by her camouflage, Diana wished to be seen all of a sudden.

No. Leave. Now, she silently ordered herself.

“After all,” the Marquess continued, “you clearly hinted that it would mean the end of our friendship if I did not make an appearance, so why are you pretending to be surprised?”

Let’s take our leave!

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