Page 27 of Marquess of Stone

The atmosphere suddenly thickened around the room with all of the guests intently following the conversation. Some had hope in their eyes, and others looks of damnation.

“And why ever not?” Marian countered, earning herself a warning look from her mother and an appreciative glance from Nicholas. “Unless gentlemen fear competition?”

The Duke of Myste chose his moment to intervene. “I rather think education, like wealth, benefits from diverse investment strategies. Would not you agree, Lord Stone?”

Nicholas caught Elias’ raised eyebrow from across the table but chose to ignore his friend’s knowing look. “Indeed,” he replied, his knee brushing against Marian’s under the table. The touch might have seemed perfectly accidental, but it definitely wasn’t. “Though, some investments do tend to prove more valuable than others.”

“Speaking of investments,” Lady Prudence said rather desperately as she attempted to change the subject, “has anyone heard about the new conservatory they are planning to erect at Hampton Court?”

But Nicholas was barely listening to the conversation’s safer turn. He found himself too captivated by the way Marian’s eyes still danced with the fire of debate and the way her fingers played with her wine glass as she contemplated arguments she was too well-bred to mention in polite conversation.

He looked at her then — really looked at her — and he caught himself. This was dangerous territory, even for him. But he pushed the thought from his mind. Some dangers, after all, were worth risking everything for.

Later that evening, in the privacy of her chambers, Marian smiled gleefully to herself as she carefully crossed another item off her list.

1. Have a romantic moment with a stranger.

2. Swim in a lake, or the ocean.

3. Go on an adventure.

4. Gamble, smoke, or drink.

5. Read Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’.

6.Fall in loKiss someone.

CHAPTER 9

“You seem utterly distracted.”

The words hung in the air of Elias’ study like smoke, deceptively gentle but impossible to wave away. Nicholas shifted in the confines of his leather armchair, watching the firelight dance across the amber surface of his brandy. The liquid caught and held the flames, much like certain brown eyes he had been trying his best not to think about.

“Distracted?” He aimed for lightness, letting his lips curve into the easy smile that had smoothed his way through countless social situations. “Hardly. Just enjoying the company.”

Elias’ study had always been a sanctuary of sorts. Tonight, however, the familiar comfort of aged leather, polished wood, and centuries of collected wisdom lining the shelves felt somehow accusatory. Even the portraits of Elias’s ancestors seemed to watch him with unusual scrutiny.

“I assure you, I am just enjoying some… stimulating conversation, Elias,” Nicholas laughed though the sound rang hollow to even his own ears. “Nothing more.”

“Indeed?” Elias swirled his brandy thoughtfully. “I think you meant to say,” Elias sad quietly, “that you have been enjoying Lady Marian’s company.” His voice carried the same neutrality he employed when discussing particularly delicate business matters.

Elias set his glass down with deliberate precision, the soft clink against the side table as pointed as a dueler’s challenge.

Nicholas felt his smile falter and quickly recovered it with another sip of brandy. The spirit burned pleasantly as it slid down his throat but did nothing to ease the sudden tightness in his chest. “She is rather… interesting, I’ll admit.”

“Interesting enough to make you act like a fool.” The bluntness of the statement was pure Elias and proof of a friendship stripped of all ornament. “Forgive me, but your interest rather looks like you are a moth that is interested in a flame.”

“Your metaphors grow more dramatic by the glass, old friend.”

“And your evasions grow more transparent. Tell me, what exactly are your intentions toward Lady Marian?”

Nicholas’s fingers tightened around his glass. “Must every interaction with a woman come with intentions attached?”

“When the woman in question is my sister-in-law? Yes, decidedly so. Do not think I failed to notice the way you watched her during dinner last night. You cannot convince me that it was merely… a casual observation?”

“I was not aware that my dining habits were under such scrutiny,” Nicholas drawled though the lightness in his tone felt forced, even to his own ears.

“No? But then again, I suppose you were not particularly counting the number of times she smiled? Or perhaps you failed to notice how your expression changed every time she spoke?”

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