Page 27 of A Duchess Bound
“I see that you are keeping your sister closely guarded,” Gerard said.
He did not particularly care about Lady Bridget. Gerard mentioned Lady Dorothy’s sister only because she was standing there.
“I must,” Lady Dorothy said. “There are too many rakes in the tonwho are eager to take advantage of a young, innocent woman.”
“Are there?” Gerard asked, glancing at Pontoun. “I will have you know that my friend is entirely respectable.”
“I find it difficult to believe that.”
An unfamiliar gentleman approached Lady Bridget, and they swept onto the dance floor together. “Would you like to dance?” Gerard asked, tilting his head toward Lady Bridget.
The spinster inhaled sharply. “With you?”
“Who else? While I must confess that you are a lovely wallflower, I imagine that you must enjoy the odd dance. I will release you once it is ended, so you may return to your sister’s side and protect her from men like me.”
“Men like you and worse than you,” she said.
He grinned devilishly. “There is no one worse than me. It is very selfless of you to occupy my attentions, my lady, so I do not turn them to some innocent, young miss.”
He offered his arm. Her eyes darted to Lady Bridget, as if she anticipated the gentleman taking liberties in the middle of a waltz with the entire tonwatching. After a moment, she accepted his arm.
“We shall dance near my sister and Lord Hamilton.”
Gerard smiled wryly. “You are determined to turn even our dance into something for your sister’s benefit.”
“It is my duty. I am her sister.”
At last, she let him lead her to the dancefloor. “You make me feel as though I am a mere tool to achieve your own ends. Or perhaps, a decoration.”
“Then, you understand what it is like to be a woman. I applaud you on your insight.”
They moved together through the first steps of the dance, and a fissure of delight jolted through Gerard as he put his hand on her waist. “Women’s lives cannot possibly be so dismal,” he said.
“How would you know? Have you ever asked them about their lives following your…” she trailed off, her face flushing with color.
Gerard raised a brow. When the dance drew them together, he leaned in just a little more than necessary. “Following my amorous encounters?” he whispered.
Her breath hitched.
Gerard drew away, feeling victorious. “Tell me about your life. I have not gotten the sense that you are either a tool or a decoration, my lady.”
She said nothing. Did that mean she had no rebuttal, or was she thinking the question should not even be dignified with a response? At last, the dance came to an end. Lady Dorothy curtsied, and he bowed.
The room seemed much colder when he wasn’t touching her, and his fingers twitched at his sides. He could not ask her for a second dance. That would be too scandalous, and he doubted that Lady Dorothy would even consent to such a request.
If Lady Dorothy longed for his presence still, she did not show it. Already, he saw that her attention had turned to Lady Bridget.
Gerard sighed. “She is not going to be disgraced if you lose sight of her for only a minute.”
Lady Dorothy’s eyes snapped to his face. “She might.”
“It is highly unlikely.”
“Highly unlikelyis insufficient.”
Lady Dorothy began to weave through the crowd, drawing nearer to her sister, who had ended the dance with Lord Hamilton. He lingered by her, nodding as Lady Bridget regaled him with what seemed to be some animated tale.
“I could dance with her.”
