Page 23 of The Duke of Ice
He stared at her a moment, long enough that discomfort snaked beneath her skin. “No, I do not. I find it tedious.”
There was the Duke of Ice—how she hated that name!—who’d disappointed Hannah. “Then why did you come?”
“As a favor to Simon—Romsey.”
“So you don’t wish to be here?”
“Not at all. In fact, I plan to leave tomorrow.”
Hannah would be crushed. As horribly as he was behaving, she would take his departure as a mark of failure. “I wish you wouldn’t. My friend Mrs. Linford has planned a marvelous party. Perhaps if you let down your guard, or whatever it is you’ve erected over the past eight years, you might enjoy yourself.”
They stood perhaps a foot apart, but he leaned slightly closer. She caught his scent of leather and clove. “Don’t speak to me as if we are friends. Don’t even speak to me as if we are acquainted.”
Her heart beat faster in response to his ire. “But we are.”
“The man you knew doesn’t exist anymore.”
Anger and sadness coiled inside her and fought for release. “I’m beginning to see that. When I saw thatyouwere the Duke of Ice, I was astonished. But now I see how cold you are.” She edged closer, her yearning for him overtaking the other emotions he’d wrought. “What happened to you, Nick?”
He flinched when she said his name. His jaw clenched, but he said nothing.
It was agony to see him like this, but maybe he was right. Maybe the man she lovedwasgone, and she’d have to accept that. Except Simon had said he needed people who cared about him and that he’d maybe forgotten how to live. Perhaps coming here had been the first step in living again—whether he knew that or not.
Violet withdrew slightly and stiffened her spine. She looked him square in the eye. “You’ve come here for a reason. Whether it’s to support your friend or something else, it doesn’t matter. You’re here, and you made a commitment to attend the party. If you leave, you’ll devastate my dear friend Mrs. Linford. She doesn’t deserve that. I don’t want you leaving on my account. I’ll stay away from you if you promise to stay.” It was the opposite of what Simon had asked her to do, but Nick had just told her they couldn’t be friends.
His gaze flickered with something, but she couldn’t say what it was. Shecouldsay what itwasn’t. Since his arrival yesterday, he’d had a dark, frigid, rather practiced stare. This was something else.
“I’ll think about it,” he said at last. Then he pivoted and stalked from the room.
Violet realized she’d been holding her breath and let it out in a rush. A moment later, Simon joined her.
“That looked rather tense,” he said quietly. “Are you all right?”
She appreciated his concern and again wondered how anyone could think he’d purposely killed his wife. “I’m fine. Your friend, on the other hand, is awful. How do you continue to stand by him?”
Simon shrugged. “Because he needs me. And I need him. In some ways, we’re all each other has.”
“Well, you have me now—as a friend.”
A smile settled over his face, lighting his entire expression. “I am fortunate indeed. Thank you.”
Irritated over her encounter with Nick, Violet was pleased to talk of something else. She glanced out toward the various groupings about the room. “I daresay your fortunes have changed, and I’m delighted to see it. Hannah has planned dancing for this evening. Will you stay?”
“Certainly, though I wonder if I ought to persuade Nick to return. He’s leaving tomorrow, so he should come dance before he retreats into self-banishment once more.”
“He may not be leaving,” Violet said. “I am optimistic I convinced him to stay. After I promised I’d leave him alone.” She turned her gaze sharply to Simon. “What do you mean, ‘self-banishment’?”
Simon barely winced, but Violet caught it. “He just prefers his solitude, that’s all.” He cocked his head to the side and regarded her intently for a moment. “I’m pleased to see that you convinced him to stay. I know you said you’d leave him alone, but again I would encourage you not to do so. The fact that you changed his mind is a massive shift.”
“He was quite clear in his animosity. He said we weren’t friends. Or acquaintances even.”
Simon waved his hand. “He’s just being beastly.”
“I don’t know him as well as you.” That admission pained her, but it was true. She ought to know him better than anyone, but she’d relinquished that opportunity long ago. “He does seem to enjoy his solitude and frigidity. We can’t help him if he doesn’t want to be helped.”
“And that’s what I’m saying. I think hedoeswant to be helped, even if he doesn’t know it yet. I’ve been trying to persuade him to reengage in Society with me for years. He’s always refused me.” Simon’s eyes gleamed with purpose. “Until now.”
Violet looked at him intently, hoping they could help Nick. “What do you think changed?”
