Page 21 of The Missing Book
“As do I,” Leopold answered, truthfully. “But so does the thought of having my wife discuss my stocks and investments, or having more knowledge about a certain subject than I.”
Lord Huggan’s smile fell. He leaned closer and tapped one finger on Leopold’s chest, his eyes holding fast to his. “I am afraid that is arrogance then, my friend. Nothing more than that.”
Leopold could not answer, his face falling into a frown. He did not want to be accused of pride, for that was not at all suitable for a gentleman! To have such a characteristic was very displeasing, he knew, though it was typical of a rogue – andhe certainly did not want to be considered anything like one of them!
“You are too harsh with your judgments,” Lord Huggan continued, though he spoke quietly now, no severity in his voice. “Do you not think?”
Wanting to defend himself, Leopold opened his mouth to say no, he thought he was only doing what any gentleman ought, only to catch Anna’s gaze. She was laughing at something only for that laughter to instantly fade when her eyes snagged on his. She was waiting, it seemed, for him to march across towards her and pull her from the present conversation, given that there were bluestockings with her. Was that the only thing she expected of him, then? She did not exactly seem pleased to know he was near.
“Are you to dance this evening?” Lord Huggan asked, as Leopold shook his head. “No? Why not?”
“Because of what happened with Lady Gwendoline,” Leopold answered, honestly. “I shall not risk shaming myself again.”
“Nonsense!” Lord Huggan exclaimed, setting one hand to Leopold’s shoulder. “You cannot hide from that. To refuse to dance because of one mistake is foolishness. I tell you this, my friend, you will draw more attention to yourself by staying back from it all rather than stepping out again.”
Leopold snorted. “I highly doubt that.”
“Oh, it is quite so,” Lord Huggan murmured, making his way from Leopold and going towards Anna and her companions. “I have heard the word, ‘coward’ being spoken already.”
Fear lurched in Leopold’s heart. Could that be true? He did not know whether to believe Lord Huggan or not, for if that was being said of him, then it was a very harsh judgment indeed and not one that Leopold thought he deserved. That fear drove him directly towards his sister and the others with him, that fearpushed him to open his mouth and that fear had him looking directly into Lady Amelia’s face.
“Should you like to dance this evening?”
9
“It is time for our dance, Lady Amelia.”
Her heart quickened as she nodded, seeing the look of surprise on Lady Isobella’s face as she took Lord Broughton’s arm. Nothing was said between them as they made their way to the center of the ballroom, though Amelia’s chest tightened at the thought of being held in his arms.
Amelia had never known such astonishment at Lord Broughton’s question only an hour earlier. To have him approach in the way that he had – with swift steps and an expression contorted with what she presumed to be anger – only to then ask her if she would like to dance with him had almost knocked her backward. The shock had been so great, but she had somehow managed to accept his offer without truly thinking about whether or not she desired such a thing, handing him her dance card as the other bluestockings looked on. True, he had then managed to secure a dance with Lady Rosalyn and Miss Trentworth but both of them had been secondary to his attention towards her. She had not been quite sure what to do thereafter, feeling almost numb as she had looked down at the card and saw his name presented for her waltz.
“I must confess to being surprised that you asked me to dance with you, Lord Broughton,” she said when the silence between them became too great for her to bear. “You insist that your sister stays back from my company and yet here you are, seeking to further our acquaintance!”
Something flickered in his eyes. “I do not want to be called a coward, Lady Amelia.”
“A coward?” Her chin lifted, irritation stabbing at her. “I certainly did not call you such a thing and I never would do so.”
“I did not mean you had said it,” he answered, glancing at her and then looking away. “I will not have society think of me as weak. Yes, I have ruined my reputation when it comes to dancing after what occurred with Lady Gwendoline but I must attempt to improve it, yes?”
A small wisp of sympathy passed through her heart. “It was an accident only, Lord Broughton. You need not punish yourself over it.”
“Society will punish me with harsh judgments and the like if I donotdance again,” he gritted out, his brows furrowed. “I have already been spoken about enough.”
“You are afraid of what society will say of you?” she asked, as the music began and he bowed towards her. “Why would that be?”
Lord Broughton did not answer at first. Instead, he put one hand on her waist and then clasped the other, beginning the first steps of the dance. Amelia moved through the steps with ease, though the way his eyes fastened to hers surprised her. Suddenly, she forgot all about what she had asked him, forgot the question that had been left unanswered. Looking up into his brown eyes, she saw the flecks of gold there and found her heart softening towards him. Warmth began to seep into her frame, making her face grow hot but still, she could not look away.
Whatever was happening?
The rest of the room began to fade away, leaving only the music of the orchestra in her ears. His hand seemed to tighten on hers as though he knew that she was held captive by his gaze and Amelia, for the very first time in her life, found herself completely lost in the moment. She could not speak, could not even think of what to say. Her mind was clouded and yet clear at the same time, holding only Lord Broughton in her vision. Her heart was pounding but there was a slow-growing delight there as if something about this was the most wonderful experience of her life.
And then, it came to a crashing halt as the dance ended.
Lord Broughton released her hand and stepped back and Amelia swayed for a moment, fighting hard to regain her sense of composure. When he frowned, she forced a smile and closed her eyes for only a moment, breaking the contact between them. That seemed to set her to rights as she curtsied, relieved that, when she looked back at him, all that she had felt faded into nothingness.
“You dance well, Lady Amelia.” He offered his arm, as any gentleman would but Amelia hesitated. The way his eyebrows rose just a fraction told her of his surprise, though she was quick then to grasp his arm, for fear that she would insult him.
“I thank you.” Her hand settled on his arm and fire ripped up through her, making her catch her breath. Lord Broughton looked down at her just as she glanced up at him, afraid that he had noticed her gasp and, in that single moment, her heart decided to catapult itself across her chest, leaving her mortified at her reaction to looking into his eyes.I must not look at him,she thought, realizing too late that her fingers were now gripping tightly to his arm.This only seems to happen whenever his eyes meet mine.
