Page 33 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
There was just one problem for him. She would never allow him to do so. No matter how long or how hard he tried to push her, she would not allow him to push her over the precipice.
I live my life for myself and nobody else!She declared inwardly, picking herself up off the ground. It was only as she bent to retrieve her mask that she realised she could hear footsteps coming up behind her.
Not daring to move or even breathe, she held entirely still, listening to the viscount's footsteps as he wandered right past her hiding place. She closed her eyes, praying desperately that he would not notice her. And the moment he slipped out of the stairwell, likely on his way back to the festivities, she felt a gnawing of regret in her stomach.
Chapter 11
Lord Frost’s ball was most definitely the most exquisite and surprising that Lionel had ever been to. Filled with theatrics and artwork and even a treasure hunt, it was a feast for the senses as well as the stomach. And it went on and on until Lionel thought that it might never end.
After his time in the library with Miss Lloyd, he was in no mood for partying. The way that she had run from him lingered like a sting in his heart and he cursed himself all over again, forever coming up with the wager they had set between them. He couldn’t help but feel that it was the very thing keeping them from each other, and it was more than a little infuriating to know that he had done it to himself.
By the time the party finally ended in the early hours of the morning, Lionel was so exhausted from trying to avoid everybody all night, that when he clambered into the carriage to ride home with Max, he was practically half-asleep.
“Where have you been all evening?” Max asked almost the moment that the footman closed the door behind them. Lionel groaned under his breath. He had hoped to avoid any questions, at least until the morning.
“Around,” he responded with a shrug. Relieved that he was still wearing his mask and that Max could not see the frustrated expression on his face.
“Lady Caroline said she wasn’t even aware that you were in attendance,” Max grumbled, scowling back at him from behind his own mask. The thing did nothing to hide his cousin’s disappointment in him and Lionel’s stomach clenched. Lady Caroline was a kind and understanding woman. Though he had other things to worry about, he did not like the thought of upsetting her.
“I do hope that she was not too disappointed in me,” Lionel sighed and shook his head. “I did not feel up to socialising this evening.”
“Then it is a good thing that I was able to keep Lady Caroline entertained for most of the evening,” Max stated, and it was clear from the tone of his voice that it had been no hardship for him. Lionel did not need to guess why. He had seen the way that Max looked at Lady Caroline whenever he thought that nobody was watching.
“I apologise for making things so difficult for you tonight,” Lionel said, though he could not stop from smirking because deep down he knew his cousin was only doing as he was supposed to do, trying to keep him in line for their family’s sake.
And yet he hadn’t been able to stop Lionel from sneaking away to the library. He hadn’t been able to stop the way that Miss Lloyd had looked at Lionel or the way that Lionel had stupidly kissed her. Their argument, or perhaps was it only a disagreement, still rang in his ears now hours later.
“Lady Caroline is a fine woman and great company,” Max responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “It was no hardship, truly. I just fear that with your families wishing to make a match between the two of you, you might end up causing her some emotional damage if you do not at least appear to be making an effort.”
Lionel’s heart swelled with happiness to hear Max talk in such a way. It was abundantly clear that his cousin was speaking out of more than just sympathy for Lady Caroline. No, there had to be something far deeper going on there. But he decided it best not to push the subject right now, not when he himself was feeling quite so off.
Instead, he found himself wondering about Miss Lloyd’s feelings and how she might be thinking now after all that had happened between them. Would she be headed home in her own carriage thinking of him in the same way that he was thinking of her?
He barely heard his cousin when he asked, “What has gotten into you tonight?”
It was only when he sensed his cousin watching him that he really even heard the words. Clearing his throat and adjusting his jacket, he breathed an exasperated sigh and finally removed the mask he had been wearing for the entirety of the night. Dashing it onto the seat beside him, he grumbled, “I find myself in a conundrum.”
At that, Max raised an eyebrow. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your earlier disappearance, would it?”
Lionel immediately gritted his teeth. At least one person had noticed his disappearing from the party even while everyone appeared to have been having so much fun. He had hoped that he might get away with it entirely. All he could hope now was that the wrong person hadn’t noticed him sneaking away, or worse, that they had noticed that Miss Lloyd had snuck away, too.
We can’t have been the only couple sneaking away to be alone tonight,Lionel thought. There had been enough dark corners throughout the house and the gardens for people to share a moment alone together.
For just a second, Lionel thought to lie and try to change the subject, but the feeling in his gut was telling him that if he didn’t speak to somebody, this was going to eat him up inside. The look on Miss Lloyd’s face as she had run from him in the library had been enough to haunt his dreams for days, if not weeks, and he did not like the insane feeling that he was beginning to experience thanks to his own stupid mess.
“Truly, cousin, what is the matter?” Max demanded, his voice filled with concern as though Lionel was really starting to worry him now. He leaned forward on the carriage bench opposite Lionel and clapped a hand upon his shoulder. “You know that you can talk to me about anything. What are cousins for?”
Lionel gulped. It was a struggle past the sudden lump in his throat. Closing his eyes for just a moment, he tried his hardest to steady himself before he met his cousin’s gaze and said, “You know the wagers you say have been set between some of the gentlemen of thetonregarding Miss Lloyd?”
Max’s expression became a mix of intrigue and suspicion. He simply stared at Lionel waiting for more, looking as though he did not dare speak for fear that he might put his cousin off from speaking at all.
“Well, I went one step further,” he admitted, gritting his teeth against the urge to scream with frustration. Just talking about the wager he had made with Miss Lloyd made him feel like he wanted to punch something. “I made a wager with the woman herself.”
At that, Max’s eyes widened so far that they looked like they were going to pop right out of his head. “You did what?” he exclaimed, sounding so disbelieving that Lionel thought he should just leave the conversation there.
“You made a bet with the ice-queen?” Max continued to question, “Are you entirely mad?”
“I wasn’t, but I fear that I soon will be, thanks to the predicament I now find myself in,” Lionel admitted. He glanced down at his hand where his thumb and forefinger had found a loose thread on the seam of his coat. “I find Miss Lloyd to be quite intoxicating.”
