Page 10 of The Duke's Concealed Vow
Serena sighed, taking the drink from her friend.
“Thank you, Olivia,” she said, raising the glass. “But I just learned that not every handsome face has a personality of something more than linen.”
Olivia laughed loudly, gaining them glances from nearby couples. But when she saw that Serena was not laughing, her smile fell.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “Was he crass with you? Did he say something offensive to you?”
Serena shook her head, glancing out at the crowd and feeling no surprise when she saw no sign of the duke.
“He did not say anything at all,” she said. “He was as cold as a dead fish from the instant we were introduced, and he was impossible to engage in conversation.”
Olivia’s brow furrowed.
“Perhaps, he is simply nervous,” she said.
Serena shook her head.
“His eyes looked as though he detested every second he had to be in my presence,” she said. “And that’s not even the worst part.”
Olivia blinked in surprised disbelief.
“Oh, heavens,” she said. “What happened?”
Serena recounted the mishap when the duke had stomped on her foot and had not even tried to apologize. Olivia’s mouth fell open and she shook her head.
“Who would have thought that a duke could be so uncouth?” she asked. “And if he is so unhappy to be here, why did he attend?”
Serena shrugged and sighed.
“My thoughts exactly,” she said.
As she sipped her lemonade, she glanced around the ballroom. All the other guests appeared to be thrilled to be there, laughing and talking amongst one another. Serena even made the briefest of eye contact with a few gentlemen who were looking right at her, smiling the instant they noticed her looking in their direction. She could guess that they were each hoping for an opportunity to speak with her, or perhaps to ask her to dance. Yet she couldn’t stop thinking about the duke. No matter how many wonderful dances she had that evening, she was sure she would never forget the time she spent with the Duke of Dalenwood.
As though drawn by a magnet, her eyes drifted directly to the strange duke, who had so far evaded her searching eyes. But he was not alone. He seemed to be engaged in a tense and troubled conversation with someone. When the guest blocking the view of the person to whom the duke was speaking, moved away, her own mouth gaped. It was her father, and he looked just as nervous as he had the past couple of days. As much so as his Grace did.
Intrigued by the unexpected exchange, Serena observed them for a few moments. The men were standing closely together, too far away from her for her to be able to try to read their lips. But they seemed to be speaking urgently, and the few glimpses she got of her father’s eyes were because they darted anxiously around the ballroom. But the most unsettling thing to her was when she returned her focus to the duke. He was looking right at her.
The instant their eyes met, she saw a flicker of something unreadable. A current, like a lightening bolt, passed between them, jolting her to her core with its power. It was something she could not identify. However, she did understand that it was not good. As if to confirm her suspicion, the duke quickly looked away to address her father once more. Then, the two menquickly disappeared out onto the terrace.
Unease swallowed Serena as she watched them leave the ballroom. There was something unnerving about the duke of Dalenwood, and it was only magnified after witnessing the strange interaction between her father and him. He was a perplexing mix of mystery and a palpable unhappiness that surrounded him like a nasty storm cloud. It was as if anyone who got too close to him would be covered in the hail that threatened to burst the cloud that followed him. Her curiosity was piqued, but not in any pleasant sense. The same apprehension that had been flirting with her conscious mind engulfed her senses, and the urge to flee her own ball became almost overwhelming.
“Dearest debutante,” said a familiar, welcomed voice from behind her. Serena turned to see a smiling Julian, holding out his arm to his sister. “Might I steal you away for a dance?”
Serena smiled gratefully at the playful glint in her brother’s eyes. She had never been gladder to see Julian than she was right then, and she practically melted into him, relieved for the comfort and distraction that a dance with him would afford her.
“I would be more delighted than you can imagine, Brother,” she said.
