Page 49 of A Duke's Lustful Riddle
She headed upstairs to her bed chamber with a huff, throwing herself down on her bed.
How could she have been so dull?
Gabriel obviously had no interest in her from the start. He had only kissed her on a whim, two whims to be exact. He didn’t want to be with her romantically.
What a complete and utter fool she had been, allowing the romantic inclinations of Gabriel to be satisfied in any way! The man could not make up his mind, clearly.
It was now her time to find a way to move on from Gabriel in order to save her own heart. This was all too clear, and Gemma knew that she could not delay.
Chapter 21
The carriage ride to the opera house was silent. Neither Gemma nor Gabriel uttered a single word. Both kept their gazes on the windows except for when they would sneak glances at one another, sometimes catching the other’s eyes before they would look away quickly. It was as if they were playing a game to see who would break first.
Once they arrived at the opera house, Gabriel exited first and as he extended his hand to Gemma, she ignored it. The chill coming from her was very powerful, and Gabriel pulled his waistcoat tighter to him to combat the chill that continued to linger long after entering the theater.
Gabriel’s heart ached in his chest at the thought that Gemma was through with him. With Gemma ignoring him, Gabriel realized his one shot with her might be over. All of his back and forth was coming to an end, where the decision was going to ultimately be made for him by Gemma, if he wasn’t more careful. If it hadn’t been made for him already.
Why would she want a gentleman who showed her no interest or who kept changing his mind? He could hardly blame Gemma for how she was responding to him.
Gabriel understood why Gemma was being so cold, but it still hurt.
“Lady Gemma. Your Grace. Over here,” Alastair’s voice echoed from near the front of the opera house.
Gabriel grimaced at the smile that overtook Gemma’s face. It really was unnerving to see how quickly Alastair could put a positive look upon Gemma’s face. If he himself behaved better, he would not be forced to watch this all night.
“Lord Langley, how lovely to see you this evening. I have been looking forward to this all day. Thank you for the invite,” Gemma said with a small bow of her head.
Gabriel hated how friendly Gemma and Alastair had grown but he was acting as chaperone, so he had to act neutral. He had told Gemma he only volunteered to see if there was a connection between Gemma and Alastair so at least he had an excuse for watching them all night long.
The fact that all of this was his fault ate at him. He managed to confuse himself and Gemma all at the same time. Indeed, he did not know if the word “fool” was a strong enough sentiment.
“Lady Gemma. I am so happy that you were able to join me,” Alastair held out his arm. “Shall we head inside?” Gabriel caught the sidelong glare Alastair threw his way and determined that he would watch him as closely as possible.
Gemma nodded and the two walked ahead of Gabriel who was very clearly displaying a pout on his face. There was not even an attempt to hide it. He couldn’t be bothered to care.
As the trio entered the opera, Gabriel’s breath was taken away. Gabriel had never been to this opera house. The inside had marble as far as the eye could see, with high ceilings that were higher than Ashbourne Estates ballroom.
Gold accents were everywhere, and heavy red drapes hung across the stage. The plush carpet muted steps and muffled conversation. It was quite a magical place, to be sure. He was immediately glad he had come. He had never seen such a grand theater before,
“Your Grace, is that you?” A feminine voice called out from the group’s left.
Turning, Gabriel saw the Earl and Countess of Sagewood along with Lady Vivienne.
“Lady Sagewood, what a pleasure it is to see you,” Gabriel said through his teeth.
While Cressida, Thomas, and Vivienne approached, Gabriel kept his eyes trained on Gemma and Alastair who were a step to his right.
“Where are your seats?” Thomas asked, with no introduction.
“We are in the orchestra,” Alastair said with a wide grin.
Gabriel could tell the man was impressed with himself and their seats, but Gabriel knew he could have secured a box if he wanted.
“That will not do,” the countess said, grabbing her husband’s arm. “You must join us in our box.”
“Thank you for the offer but we must get to our seats…” Alastair started.
“We would love to,” Gabriel spoke up. He would agree to anything that would affect the night in his favor.
