Page 46 of The Duke of Kisses
Chapter 8
Though David had said he would make the effort to get to know Miss Stoke, he wasn’t looking forward to it. Which wasn’t at all fair to her. He had to at leasttry.
And so he found himself at the Findlay ball looking for her and trying not to think about his encounter with Fanny that afternoon. He smiled thinking of their laughter over the grebes’ mating dance. But the smile faded as he recalled how it had ended—with them going their separate ways, toward different futures.
He caught sight of Miss Stoke standing with her mother and made his way in their direction. He didn’t particularly want to dance, given his difficulty in mastering the steps, but since she enjoyed it, he’d ask.
She was delighted to see him and eager to dance the cotillion, at which he—mostly—succeeded. When the music finished, he offered his arm and escorted her from the floor. The touch of her hand on his sleeve didn’t ignite anything within him, not like how his body came alive when Fanny did the same thing.
Instead of leading Miss Stoke back to her mother, he escorted her in the opposite direction. “Would you mind if we promenaded around the ballroom before I return you to your mother?”
“Not at all. I’d be delighted to spend more time with you.” She sounded so pleased, soeager.
Which only made him feel like a dastardly prick. “Miss Stoke, I think it’s only fair for me to tell you that I don’t know if I can keep the promise my father made to yours.”
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Is it something I’ve done?” she asked, tipping her head up to look at him. She was quite petite compared to Fanny. Hell, would he always compare them?
“Of course not,” he said. “We’ve barely spent time together.”
Her features softened into a smile. “Yes, and we need to rectify that.”
They could, but David suspected it wouldn’t change his mind. Or his feelings. Particularly the ones he had for Fanny, not her.
She continued before he could speak again. “I do think it’s good that we not rush into anything, but take our time to know each other—our minds and our hearts.”
Time. He wasn’t sure a lifetime would be enough—not to find love with her or to fall out of it with Fanny. Wait, did he love Fanny? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that contemplating the future without her made him ache with emptiness.
Suddenly, he saw her. He could pick her red-gold hair and tall, willowy frame out of the thickest crowd. She stood near the wall with Miss Colton and another young woman. Fanny’s head turned, and their eyes connected. The room grew quiet for that brief moment while he imagined it was just the two of them.
The press of Miss Stoke’s hand on his arm pulled him from the reverie. He spoke without thinking. “I believe I have feelings for someone else.”
Miss Stoke slowed, her hand digging into his sleeve. “Is it Miss Snowden?”
Had she just seen them looking at each other? David kept himself from glancing in Fanny’s direction. “I would rather not say. I’m sure you understand.”
“Not really.” Her voice held a slight edge.
His gaze snapped to hers. The green irises of her eyes darkened to the color of something buried deep in a thick forest.
“I understand you promised your father that you’d marry me,” she said. “And now you’re reneging on that vow.”
The only way she could know that he’d promised his father was if his mother had told her. He was going to have a pointed conversation with her about not disclosing private information.
“I don’t know what you heard, but whatever promises were made—or not—are between me and my family.”
She visibly swallowed but didn’t take her gaze from his. “I didn’t mean to overstep. It’s just—” Now her gaze wavered, moving briefly to the side before finding his once more. “Couldn’t you at leasttryto get to know me?”
Bloody hell.She sounded so small and sad, and he felt like the biggest scoundrel. “Miss Stoke, it’s nothing to do with you, truly. It’s simply that I met someone else, and I am afraid I may not be able to put the feelings I have for her aside. That would not be fair to you.”
“I think marriages have been made in the face of worse,” she said quietly.
Perhaps, but that wasn’t a marriage he wanted. “Let me escort you back to your mother. I am deeply sorry.”
“I think you’ll be sorrier than you could know,” she said without heat. “I will hope you change your mind.”
If she wanted to hold out hope for him, he likely couldn’t dissuade her from it. She seemed rather…dogged in her determination that they be together.
They arrived at her mother, who smiled brightly upon seeing them. Then she saw her daughter’s downcast expression, and her face puckered with concern. “Is everything all right?”
