Page 28 of The Seduction of Lord Sin
Flora sighed. “Why are you looking for every opportunity to push Lord Sinclair away?”
Charlotte waited for the maid to depart. “He is not here looking for a wife. He has his Mrs. Mason. Lord Sinclair believes I’m barren, so whatever he is up to, it’s not going to end in a proposal—not to me, anyway.”
Flora lay down and uttered under her breath, “He might if you told him the truth.”
Those same words raced around her head. She could tell him tonight. What would he think? Would he suddenly stop pushing her at Devlin, or would the need to help his friend prevent him from entering the race for her hand?
“The timid don’t inherit the earth,” Flora said. “You will never know what could be unless you make yourself vulnerable. Both James and I realized that when we both took a risk. He risked everything by professing his love for me. I took a risk opening my heart after loss. And the rewards for opening my heart again are immeasurable.”
“I don’t think he’s ready to open his heart, even if I took a risk. His wife’s betrayal, with his brother…” She shuddered.
“He’s ready. I see the way he looks at you. He might try to pretend he isn’t, or even still thinks he isn’t, but he’s interested in you. Why else does he stay and don’t say for Lord Devlin? Lord Devlin needs no help. He knows Lord Devlin only has to ask, and you’d agree.”
Charlotte stood and looked at herself in the cheval mirror. Her gown of deep blue gave her confidence. She looked, if not beautiful, passably pretty if she said so herself. “Whatever happens tonight, I’m going to enjoy myself. I have a liaison with a handsome duke, and you know how much I love music.”
“So, will you tell him?”
She walked to the door and, before slipping out into the corridor, answered her friend with a smile. “Let’s see if we make beautiful music together first.”
Still smiling, she stepped lightly down the corridor and as she drew closer to the music room, she could hear a piano sonata by Pleyel, one of her favorites. He’d asked Flora once again. For a man who wasn’t interested in winning her hand in marriage, he went out of his way to ensure he turned her head. And he did.
When she walked into the room and saw him at the piano, she turned to stone. She couldn’t take another step, so engrossed in watching him. His eyes were closed, his head back, and it was like he was making love to the piano. He played beautifully.
His high cheek bones sculpted his face, making it a true thing of beauty. His parted lips spoke of heat and pleasure, while his long black eyelashes caressed his cheek and she wished she could look into his eyes. He must have heard her wish, for his eyes flew open on the climatic note and they darkened with heat the minute he saw her standing there.
She didn’t move until he finished playing. He sat back and flicked his fringe out of his eyes. “That was… That is, you are very accomplished.”
He slowly rose to his feet and swept around the piano. “For a duke, you were about to say.” She nodded, but still couldn’t move. Smiling, he self-deprecatingly admitted, “My mother employed a tutor for my sisters, and I may have snuck a few lessons. I love music. It lifts my soul.”
Her hand moved to her stomach. That is how she felt listening to his playing, as if her soul had lightened.
“Come,” he beckoned with his fingers and finally her feet moved as if she was his to command. “You must be hungry as you missed supper. Come and eat and tell me more about yourself.”
They sat on two winged-chairs set by the roaring fire. Her stomach twisted in knots, making her appetite flee. She took a piece of cheese and a glass of wine and sat staring into the flames—could she tell him?
They sat comfortably in the silence, both of them lost in their private thoughts. She wondered what was on his mind.
“When my uncle died several months ago, it made me the only living heir. His wife never gave him children. It made me hate my brother George even more, because his death and my uncles’ makes marriage an imperative for me and quickly. The two people closest to me, stole the luxury of choice as their final parting gift.”
She looked at him. What was he trying to say?
He looked back at the flames. “I selected Mrs. Mason because she already has two children. I can’t afford to end up like my uncle—childless.”
Charlotte understood. “You know she can provide you with a son.”
He nodded. “Sometimes I wish I had been born the second son. Arianna would have married George and they would both be alive today.”
“And you’d have your life back.” She could understand his wishing life was different. She wished it every day since her marriage. “I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had denied my father’s wishes. But I suspect I’d be a spinster with no money and no prospects of every marrying. At least Clayton provided for my future.”
“There is little choice for women of your breeding. We men do not skill young ladies with traits to make a living. Would you have found something else to do with your life?”
She thought about his question. “I would have liked to have traveled to Italy, to the opera, but I would not have had the money. I don’t really have any skills that I could use to make a living. Governess perhaps, or a nanny, as I love children.”
“I had planned to take Arianna to Italy. She’d always wanted to explore the world, never content with what she had, it seemed. I promised her a trip to Italy once our child was a few years old. I suppose I could always take my duchess to Italy after I wed.”
She laughed. “You make it sound like a chore rather than an exciting trip.”
He didn’t respond for a moment. Then he looked at her and said, “I might have been content if I had not come to this house party. If I were a selfish man, I would suggest something inappropriate.” When she said nothing, he continued, “Since you can’t have children, I may have suggested that you remain a widow, but become my mistress. Life has taught me to be more practical. You wouldn’t have a life alone—well, for most of the year, and we suit each other very well.”
