Page 96 of His Forsaken Duchess
Lord Heathersfield chuckled, his cravat quivering against his chest. “It’s true. The best thing that ever happened to me.”
Lilianna’s face softened into a genuine smile, and Audrey’s heart swelled.
“Thank you,” Audrey said warmly, exchanging a glance with her sister before squeezing Cedric’s arm in silent gratitude.
As they moved further into the ballroom, Lilianna was quickly spotted by her friends, Miss Sarah Abbot and Lady Margaret McLeod. The young women descended upon her with wide smiles and affectionate greetings, their presence a balm to any lingering insecurity.
Audrey stepped back, her heart soaring as she watched her sister laughing softly, her shoulders no longer weighed down with shame.
Thisis how it should be.
Before she could turn to Cedric, a familiar voice rang out from the edge of the ballroom.
“Lady Lilianna!”
Lord Belleville approached with easy grace, a smile on his handsome face and an undeniable sparkle in his eyes. He was dressed impeccably in midnight blue, his cravat tied in a fashion that was just shy of fashionable, which somehow made him all the more dashing.
He bowed low before Lilianna, who looked startled but pleased by his sudden appearance.
“Forgive me for intruding so boldly,” he said with a grin, straightening. “But I must insist on claiming the first dance before any other scoundrel manages to do so.”
Lilianna’s eyes widened slightly, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks. “I-I would be honored, My Lord.”
Belleville extended his hand. “Then allow me to escort you, Lady Lilianna.”
Audrey’s heart swelled with gratitude as she watched her sister take his hand.
Lilianna looked beautiful—more than that, she lookedhopeful. Belleville led her toward the center of the ballroom with an easy confidence that seemed to wrap around her like a protective shield. The sight of her smiling—truly smiling—filled Audrey with relief.
“Belleville,” Cedric murmured drily, though Audrey thought she caught the faintest hint of approval. “Ever the opportunist.”
“Perhaps,” she replied softly, her eyes lingering on her sister. “But tonight, I am glad for it.”
She turned to tell Cedric as much, but the words died on her lips.
He stood slightly back, half of his face cloaked in shadow as he observed Lilianna and Belleville begin the first steps of the dance. His posture was straight, his expression carefully neutral, but there was something in his eyes—something broken and haunted—that made Audrey’s chest tighten.
“Cedric,” she said softly, stepping closer to him.
He blinked, as though shaking off whatever memory had gripped him, and looked down at her. The mask returned—an easy, unreadable smile that never touched his eyes. “You’ve done well, Audrey. Your sister looks happy.”
“Because of you,” she said before she could stop herself.
Cedric’s gaze flickered, the faintest trace of surprise crossing his features. “Hardly.”
“You don’t see it, do you?” Audrey murmured, her voice low. “What your presence means—to me, to Lilianna, to all of us. We could not have done this without you.”
For a long moment, he said nothing, his gaze holding hers with a quiet intensity that sent warmth through her chest. Then, sosoftly that she almost didn’t hear it, he said, “It should not have been necessary.”
Audrey opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment, the music swelled, and Lilianna’s laughter rang out across the ballroom once more. Cedric turned his attention toward the sound, and Audrey saw it again—that flicker of grief, of guilt, so raw and so carefully hidden.
What happened to you, Cedric?
With deliberate boldness, she nudged his elbow with her own. “Would you care to dance, Cedric?”
Cedric blinked, clearly startled, and turned to her with a faint, self-deprecating smile. “Dance?” He sounded as though she’d suggested he fly.
“Yes,” she said, lifting her chin. “The quadrille. You do remember how to dance it, I hope?”
