Page 81 of Duke It Out
The applause rings out and it’s warm and genuine. But I can’t stop staring up at him, because there was something in his voice, just for a second. A crack he didn’t quite cover, like he’s shouldering something he doesn’t want anyone else to see.
I’m still looking when Fenella sidles up.
“You must be exhausted,” she says, handing me a drink I didn’t ask for. Her smile is polite, but her eyes are like knives.
I take the glass, warily.
“You’ve been doing so well,” she says sweetly. “Trying so hard to keep up.”
I blink. “Sorry?”
“Oh,” she gives a tinkly little laugh. “Don’t take it the wrong way. I mean, it’s just such a different world, isn’t it? These sort of parties. All the people. All the… expectations.”
I open my mouth to reply but she waves a graceful hand, as if to say she understands.
“Must be overwhelming, I’m sure.”
My stomach sinks and I can feel my cheeks burning. I give a tight smile and mumble something about needing to find the bathroom before turning away, clutching my glass like a lifeline. There’s no sign of a familiar face – Kate’s nowhere to be seen, nor Janey or Gregor – and Anna’s been AWOL for ages. The last time I saw her she was hovering on the periphery of a group of Americans, talking about bonds.
I retreat to the edge of the ballroom, slipping behind one of the heavy red velvet curtains which frame the huge windows. There’s a cool draught here and I lean against thecold stone and breathe in the now-familiar scent of beeswax and pine.
I should leave now. Go to bed. Pack. Vanish into the night like Cinderella, only minus the glass slipper because my feet are killing me.
“When I was young, I used to escape here when I’d had enough.”
I jump, almost spilling champagne down the front of my dress. Rory is standing there, one eyebrow raised, holding a tumbler of whisky and looking as if he’s just stepped out of a Highland romance novel.
“Bloody hell.”
“I see my knack of charming pretty girls hasn’t lost its edge.”
I roll my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be working the room, Your Grace?”
“I’ve done quite enough of that.” He lifts the glass to his lips. “Besides, I’ve been looking for you.”
I swallow again and take a breath, watching as my breasts rise and fall, trapped in the bodice of the dress. I look up to see his gaze has landed in the same place and he smirks for a moment and looks away.
“You said you were looking for me?”
He nods. “You vanished. And you only vanish when someone’s been awful.”
I blink. “How would you know that?”
“I pay attention.”
He reaches out and takes the champagne flute from my hand, his fingers brushing mine.
“You don’t like champagne.”
“It was given to me.”
A silence stretches for a moment.
“By Fenella,” I say, eventually. “I think she was warning me off.”
“Is that so.” He puts the flute down on the side table and passes me his tumbler of whisky, his hand brushing mine again. This time it feels deliberate. “Why don’t you have this.”
I take a sip, cupping the heavy crystal in both hands and looking at him over the rim. And then he takes that from me too, setting it carefully down and closing the gap between us so I can feel the warmth of his body radiating through the space between us.
