Page 16 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
Determined not to allow her aunt the chance, she sucked in a deep breath through gritted teeth and placed her palm in his. “Of course, my lord.”
Though she heard the shocked gasps of several ladies close by, Priscilla could not take her eyes off the viscount, nor did she want to. She knew all too well what she would see on the faces of those they passed by. The last thing she wanted was to be the object of anyone’s jealousy.
“Do not look now, my lady,” Lord Sinclair whispered when his mouth came close enough to her ear for only a moment, “But I do believe you have caught the eye of many admirers tonight.”
Priscilla bit the inside of her cheek to stop from responding too rudely, guessing from his already amused expression that he would only take it as a strange compliment towards his humour.
“I do believe it is you who has the admirers, my lord,” she responded carefully after some consideration, though she guessed he did not need his ego stroking any more than it already had been since his arrival in London. “Do not pretend as though you did not choose me to dance first for that very reason, my lord.”
You could have chosen anyone and yet you chose the one woman who did not flock to your side the moment you entered the room,she thought, looking at him pointedly to let him know that she had already gotten the measure of him well enough.
It was just then that they made it to a spare spot on the dancefloor ready for the next dance to begin. The moment that the viscount came to stand before her, placing his hand upon her waist, she felt an odd tingling sensation run down the length of her spine.
Her breath caught in her throat as she found herself face-to-face with the nobleman. And not for the first time, she could not bring herself to deny just how attractive he truly was. Up close, she could see that his eyes were not quite as dark and seemingly soulless as they at first appeared. In his almost black irises danced flecks of gold and amber that captivated her far more than she would ever care to admit.
She did not blink, and neither did he. Their gazes locked to one and other with such intensity that for several seconds Priscilla forgot entirely where they were.
And then the music began so suddenly that it took her breath away all over again, causing her to blink in shock. In the next second, the viscount was guiding her around the dancefloor, leading with such confidence and grace that for once she believed she might actually enjoy being forced to dance.
As they danced, Priscilla couldn't help but feel as though there was something that the viscount wished to say, and before long she could not stop herself from asking, "My lord, is there something on your mind?"
Her eyebrow raised and she could not look away from him, glad that he was a fine dancer and able to keep them steady as they moved, leading her as capably as if they had danced together a thousand times before.
Lord Sinclair gazed back at her, amusement and indecision playing in his eyes. The corner of his lip twitched upwards in a smile and he shook his head slightly, a blink separating their gazes for only a few seconds. “It is nothing.”
“It does not appear to be nothing, my lord,” Priscilla said, her tone hard. She scowled at him deeply, quite certain that there was something behind his expression.
She saw more than heard him take in a deep breath, unable to stop herself from admiring the way the muscles in his strong jawline clenched as he did so.
"In truth, Miss Lloyd, I have heard a great deal about you since last we met." Lord Sinclair met her gaze confidently, making Priscilla even more determined to try to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. He continued to look at her in that way that he had the first they met, when she had accidentally stumbled into him, as though he was looking right into her very soul.
And though the thought of that scared her a little, it also thrilled her, too. She had never experienced such a thing before, never quite been so intrigued by a nobleman as she was by him.
He is just as all the others are.She reminded herself firmly, feeling the eyes of said others watching them as they danced. No doubt they were wondering as much as she was why she was so enjoying the viscount's company. Determined not to show them just how much, she was careful to keep her expression well-guarded.
"All bad, I suppose," she stated, her hand trembling a little upon his shoulder.Why should I care what he or anyone else thinks of me?
"I suppose that is subjective, Miss Lloyd," Lord Sinclair announced with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Then what is it that they say that is so subjective?" She asked, glancing sideways and catching the eye of her friend, Miss Lyttleton, who finally appeared to have given the dance floor a rest. The encouraging and excitable expression on Sophie's face made Priscilla quickly look away. She could only hope that nobody else had witnessed it passing between them.
"It can't be nearly as funny as their calling me an Ice Queen."
At that, she allowed the corners of her lips to twitch upwards in a smile. It lasted only a moment before she reined it back in again.
"That had certainly been made clear to me, Miss Lloyd, though I have also been made aware that it is impossible to even attempt to court or seduce you," Lord Sinclair explained and his words caused a shiver to run down the entire length of Priscilla's spine, stopping right where his warm hand held her just above her buttocks.
She chuckled at his words, unable to keep the amusement from her face. After all, it was quite refreshing for a nobleman to actually speak about what was truly on his mind. "And I suppose you have an argument against such a thing, my lord?"
It was clear from the look on his face that he thought so. She need not have even asked, as she could see it so plainly written in his gaze.
"Well," Lord Sinclair said, exhaling a slow and seemingly preparing breath before he leaned his mouth close to her ear and said, "I think I might have a chance of seducing you, were I to try."
Priscilla's body threatened to betray her, knees growing weak and breath catching in her throat. Though, for the most part, she was pleased to be able to keep it all from her expression.
"If that were true, my lord," Priscilla pointed out firmly, keeping her expression as neutral as she was able. "Then it would not be impossible, would it?"
At first, Lord Sinclair did not appear to deem her question worthy of an answer. He merely gazed at her, intrigue and amusement evident on his face. Then, the corners of his lips twitched again and Priscilla's heart skipped a beat at the confidence in his tone as he said, "I would be tempted to try and find out."
