Page 33 of Conveniently Trapped with the Marquess
William chuckled. “I am well aware, yes.”
“Good,” she responded with a decisive nod, a giggle bubbling up her throat. It was so easy to relax around him now. In his presence, she could forget about what happened last night, about the fact that her sister had been attacked because they looked so much alike. She could quell the feeling of dread that was constantly rising in her when she looked in his humor-filled blue eyes and let herself forget about everything and everyone else but him.
If Father were to see us now, I do not know if he would be overjoyed or angry.
Remembering the earlier encounter, Alice asked, “What were you and Father talking about before I arrived?”
“You,” William responded without hesitation.
Alice sighed. “As I expected.” Her gaze filled with wariness. “What exactly was being said?”
William didn’t say anything for a moment, growing just the slightest bit more serious. “I asked His Grace about the reason you are always so distant with others and I believe he was about to tell me something right when you arrived.”
Anger rushed through her at his words. Book now completely forgotten, Alice narrowed her eyes at William, trying to tamper the feeling before she let it consume her. “Why are you asking him such a thing?”
“I was curious,” William responded. “Can you blame me?”
No, she couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t blame anyone for wondering why she was so uninterested in courting and marrying and why she never gave other gentlemen the time of day. In fact, she knew such a question would come up sooner rather than later.
But for some reason, hearing that they had been discussing her behind her back, hearing that he’d tried to get more information on her through someone else, sent her thoughts into a frenzy. Alice struggled to contain it but, knowing that she was being a little irrational.
“It is good he did not say anything then,” she said slowly.
“Will you tell me yourself then?” William asked. The humor had fled from his eyes and his cross-armed stance looked far more rigid than before. “Why don’t you want to be married, Alice?”
“That, William, is none of your concern.”
“It may not concern me but I would still like if you explained it,” he kept going.
“If I say it is none of your concern, William, then that means you should stop asking me about it.”
“I will.” His response was quick, but not yielding. Her guard instantly shot up, sensing that more was to come. “But I hope you know that there is no reason to keep everyone at arm’s length all the time, Alice. Especially not me.”
“On the contrary, it looks as if I did not keep you far enough since you clearly do not know your place.”
Her harsh words, though they were said with some measure of calmness, cut straight through what was left of the amicable atmosphere around them. Anger sparked in William’s eyes, smoldering in her own. She didn’t let it cow her, even though the force of it overtook all his features until he seemed to be trembling within.
“Forgive me,” he pushed out, straightening. “It appears I must have overstayed my welcome.”
“You have,” she agreed, not looking away from him.
“I shall take my leave then. Heaven forbid, I let my concern for you get in the way of this cold wall you are determined to keep around yourself.”
“That isn’t fair,” she blurted out as he began to walk away. He stopped, but he didn’t turn. “You can’t make it seem as if I have no reason to be upset when you are meddling in something you shouldn’t be.”
William didn’t say anything and for a few moments, she was forced to stare into his broad back and watch his hands turn into fists at his sides. “Someday, Alice, you’ll learn that if you constantly push people away from you, they will eventually push back.”
Then, he left, leaving her with those words she didn’t completely understand. It only ignited the anger once again and she was tempted to throw the book at his retreating back. Instead, Alice kept herself as still as she could, watching as he slipped through the door and closed it behind him. Then, she sank back into the armchair and let out a long, frustrated breath.
Deep down, she knew her anger had been a little irrational. And she knew that, once it went away, remorse would creep in to take its place. But in the meantime, Alice held on to the burning feeling because, with it there, she was finally beginning to feel more like she did before Lord Erlington came into her life.
Chapter 13
William didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day. He didn’t even look in her direction. And Alice could not feel more terrible about it.
At dinner that night, she tried her best to get his attention, ignoring the voice in her head that pointed out how foolish she was acting. She was quite vocal during dinner, taking charge of the conversation and hoping William would join in. He never did, only speaking whenever someone spoke directly to him. Alice found she didn’t have the courage to do that.
The day ended with the tension between them increasing, and her mood worsening as it did. She’d hoped to catch him alone after dinner, even though Alice didn’t know what she wanted to say just yet, but he went ahead with Lord Christopher and her father for after-dinner drinks. She’d lost her chance and the thought going to bed knowing that he was angry with her made her uneasy.
