Page 28 of Winning the Wallflower's Heart
“I don’t believe anyone has ever called me that before, Hester.”
“Always a first for everything, my dear.”
She gently nudged Georgiana forward, urging her down as the warm sound of Ellis’s chuckle filled the otherwise empty stairwell.
Try as she might, she couldn’t look him in the eye as she paused a few steps above him. Couldn’t swallow past the nerves that exploded in her chest. Couldn’t fight back the desire that chased down her spine at his soft sigh.
He held out his hand for hers. She settled her gloved hand into his palm, grinning at the way they fit so perfectly together.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked.
She scoffed. “Hardly.”
“Georgiana?”
Finally, she glanced up, licking her lips at the sight of him so spectacularly turned out for an evening in London.
“Hello.” His thumb swept a reassuring circle on the back of her hand.
“Hello.”
He shook his head, bending closer to whisper, “You are absolutely breathtaking. And here I foolishly thought it couldn’t get better than yesterday.”
“Silly goose,” she whispered back, a strange warmth washing over her at his beautiful and kind smile.
“Indeed.” He straightened, then glanced up the stairs. “Good evening, ladies.”
“Stay out late and make bad decisions,” Hester called back.
All evening,Ellis couldn’t take his eyes off his wife.
The ballroom in the Duke of Abinger’s Mayfair home was a glittering, chaotic sea of bodies, voices, and silks—lavish in every way. Crystal chandeliers spilled soft light over the guests, casting everything in a golden hue, while towering arrangements of hothouse flowers filled the air with a heavy, intoxicating scent. And yet, despite the splendor of the room, Georgiana was the only thing that held his attention.
Ellis didn’t miss the stares or the hushed whispers as he and Georgiana made their entrance earlier in the evening, nor the ones that followed when he left her to fetch some lemonade. She didn’t care for champagne.
He had watched her from a distance, lingering at the edge of the room, a beautiful wallflower among the fashionable London set. To her credit, Georgiana appeared at ease, but he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers worried at the lace of her skirts.
He understood.
For a time, everyone in attendance tonight had been his schoolmates, peers, and friends. But after he proposed to Dinah and his parents cut him off—financially and socially—for becoming engaged to an East End shop girl, those friendships dried up.
Now, however, he stood on the opposite side of that equation. A fair amount of men in this room owed him more than coin; they owed him their reputations. Now he owned a healthy portfolio of country estates, London properties, racinghorses, and carriages. Too much, honestly, to ever enjoy but the dangerous secrets—those were useful.
Revenge didn’t taste as sweet now that his wife’s reception this evening was less than welcoming. He hated the way Georgiana seemed to shrink whenever anyone addressed her directly.
His jaw clenched. He was proud to call her his wife. And if he were honest, perhaps more than a little infatuated. After yesterday’s encounter, he couldn’t think of anything but her. Georgiana had a hold on him, and it tightened with every second she stood alone, vulnerable to this room as the rest of London circled around her, waiting to pounce.
As he crossed the room, the Duchess of Abinger took Georgiana aside, and was whispering something when he approached.
“Your Grace.” Ellis stretched the glass of lemonade out toward his wife, who smiled stiffly before accepting the glass.
“Lord Linfield, so pleased you could attend this evening. I was just offering your wife my congratulations on your marriage.”
He glanced at Georgiana, her face suddenly flush. “Thank you, and thank you for the invitation. My wife was eager to attend.”
She spluttered.
“Georgie, really?” The duchess smirked. “Please, go dance,” she urged the couple. “I know you love the ballroom wall as much as I do, but you’re too beautiful to be hiding away, dear.”
