Page 34 of The Lord's Icy Temptress
“Looking for someone?” Reginald Blackwood interrupted her focus. His unwelcome presence lingered despite her obvious unwillingness to engage with him. His smirking countenance sent a shiver down her spine. His presence in the room sent a jolt of unease through her, and she could not shake the feeling that he was up to something, that his intentions were far from innocent.
It had always been that way between them. Even during their brief, unwanted courtship, he tried to make her do things he wanted, whether she found them distasteful or not.
“Yes, actually,” Seraphina answered, hoping it would discourage him from lingering long.
Lord Blackwood’s gaze drifted down to her lips, the neckline of her dress, and seemed to linger, so much so that she felt the need to cover herself in a way that was not presently possible.
“In search of Lord Ashford, perhaps?” he continued, not meeting her eye as he spoke. Seraphina whipped her fan open to block her upper torso from his view. Her lips pulled into a tight line of dissatisfaction.
“I do not think that it is any of your business whom I am waiting for, but yes, if you must know. I am to meet him here. He will be along any moment, so I do not require you to stay by my side.”
Seraphina tried to keep her voice neutral so it would not have any reason to spark his ire. But something bitter flashed across Lord Blackwood’s features as she spoke.
“There was a time when I was supposed to accompany you in everything.” He took a slow, noisy sip of his wine. “How strange to hear you say such things to me now. I would say you were attempting to get rid of me.”
How preceptive.
Seraphina’s thin smile widened, her discomfort growing.
“Such a pity. I would have hoped that our time apart would have allowed you to come to your senses,” Lord Blackwood continued ominously. Seraphina was shocked — he could not honestly have thought that after breaking off their engagement that she would have wished to spend more time with him or that their arrangement could have been picked up. She had more than moved on. She had never truly liked the idea of him in the first place.
“But it seems you are making even poorer judgement calls now than you were then.”
“I beg your pardon?” Seraphina could not believe what she was hearing. Who did he think that he was?
“You should,” Lord Blackwood agreed. “I believe that in the future, you will wish you had begged my pardon back while you still had a chance.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Lord Blackwood smirked, leering at her as if he knew something that she did not. “Dance with me, and I shall tell you.”
It felt like blackmail. It felt like a mistake waiting to happen. Seraphina shook her head softly. “I am afraid that would not be a wise thing to do, Lord Blackwood.”
Seraphina glanced around, desperate for any reason to flee from this conversation as quickly as possible. As she had not yet managed to locate Tristan, the growing sense of panic in her stomach urged her to go anywhere to get out of this conversation.
There, in the corner of the room, hidden away from most prying eyes, were Elizabeth and Lord Thorne, seemingly engaged in private hushed conversation. It was the sort of thing that normally, Seraphina would not dare to intrude on, but she was desperate. She lifted her hand as if Elizabeth summoned her over and she needed to accept the invitation and dipped into an awkward bow to remove herself from Lord Blackwood’s uncomfortable company. “If you will excuse me.”
Lord Blackwood seemed as if he were reluctant to allow her to leave his company. For a moment, Seraphina feared that he would reach out and physically bar her. She hurried away as quickly as she could, never looking back despite the feeling of his eyes boring into her as she retreated.
“I am so sorry to interrupt,” Seraphina muttered as a greeting as she practically wedged herself between Lord Thorne and Elizabeth. She hoped they would take note of her wide-eyed expression and understand that her intrusion was not for fun.
“It is all right, my mother was moments away from interrupting us if you had not beaten her to it,” Elizabeth muttered. She cast an errant gaze towards her every watchful mother for good measure before focusing more properly on Seraphina. “You look a state! What happened?”
“Nothing,” Seraphina answered automatically and then sighed. She folded her arms across her torso, almost hesitant to bring further attention to the issue. “Lord Blackwood … he just made me uncomfortable.”
“That rogue?” Lord Thorne answered. “Point him in my direction next time, Lady Seraphina; I shall gladly assist you in any way you desire.”
Seraphina smiled at him warmly, happy to have his assistance. “I think he simply holds a grudge. He is discontent to see me interested in somebody else besides him. I think it was easier for his ego when I was not interested in anyone as then he did not have to perceive some sort of fault within himself.”
“That man is full of fault.” Elizabeth scoffed, then turned to make moon eyes at Lord Thorne. “Not like my Michael.”
Seraphina smiled. It warmed her heart to see them so happy together. She would have hoped that Elizabeth’s mother would have been happier about the prospect, but no doubt it was just the overly brazen way the new couple seemed to prefer only one another’s company to those around them.
“Ah, see, there he is.” Lord Thorne lifted his arm to gesture to where Tristan had just arrived, more than a little fashionably late. From where the three of them stood, it almost appeared as if Tristan were looking for her, at least, Seraphina hoped he was searching for her. “Oh, well, drat.”
“What is it?” Seraphina asked Lord Thorne as he chuckled to himself.
“It appears that dear Aunt Susannah has intercepted him before you shall have a chance to. Unfortunate, that. She is bound to keep his hooks in her for quite some time.” Lord Thorne mused with a heavy sigh. “Fortunately for you, there is something that she likes better than her nephew.”
