Page 37 of The Duke's Accidental Wallflower
Her chest tightened as the dance turned them toward each other again, their bodies momentarily closer than before. She glared at him, though the warmth of his hand on hers sent a jolt of something she refused to acknowledge. “Hardly.”
“You slight me,” Evan said with mock offense, though his smile never faltered. “But really, Lady Minerva, you could do better than Lord Gillies. A man like him... well, let’s just say he lacks a certain... flair.”
Minerva had no time to fire back a retort before the dance turned them apart once more. She found herself once again with Lord Gillies, who had been attempting to engage her in small talk about the summer season.
“I was just saying,” Lord Gillies began, “it would be wonderful to see you at our next gathering in the country. I am sure you would enjoy the tranquility.”
“Oh, I am sure,” Minerva replied absentmindedly, her mind still swirling with Evan’s words.Flair?she thought.What a ridiculous thing to say!And then she was pulled back to Evan, her hand once again in his as they turned. “Flair? Is that what you think I need in a suitor?” Her words were laced with sarcasm, though her heart pounded in her chest. “A man who parades himself about, attempting to charm every woman in the room?”
Evan’s smirk grew. “I am not saying you should settle for the first respectable man who asks. But you must admit, you have refused better offers in the past.” He arched an eyebrow, his meaning all too clear.
Minerva’s frustration bubbled over. “Lord Gillies, as it happens, has shown more than an interest in dancing. He intends to call on me tomorrow.”
At that moment, the dance shifted them apart again, but not before Minerva caught the flicker in Evan’s expression—the brief tightening of his jaw, the subtle shift in his gaze.
Back in Lord Gillies’s presence, Minerva forced herself to focus. He had been nothing but polite, and yet...
“I hope you will consider my offer, Lady Minerva,” Lord Gillies said as they moved gracefully through the next figure. His voice was gentle, almost hopeful.
“Yes, my lord,” she replied, trying to summon the enthusiasm she knew she should feel.
The music swelled, and suddenly Evan was back, his hand resting on hers, his smile tight and controlled. “Congratulations are in order, then,” he said, though his tone had lost its lightness.
Minerva lifted her chin, refusing to let his words affect her. “Yes, I believe they are,” she replied with a tight smile.
The dance ended, but Evan’s eyes lingered on her longer than necessary. Something darkened in his gaze—something guarded and unsettling. And as they parted, she returned to Lord Gillies’s side, her heart pounding with frustration.
Why did it matter to her that Evan’s demeanor had shifted? Why did his reaction weigh on her mind far more than Lord Gillies’s offer?
Lord Gillies, oblivious to the tension swirling around her, smiled warmly. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Lady Minerva.”
Minerva forced a smile in return, but her thoughts remained elsewhere, tangled with the memory of Evan’s heated gaze.
Fifteen
“It is unfathomable that you are sitting here, waiting for a suitor,” Chastity teased, flopping onto the settee across from her sister. “I mean, Lord Gillies of all people, who would have thought?” She winked mischievously.
“Chastity!” Minerva hissed, her face warming. “He is a gentleman, and he is coming to call on me. That is all you need to know.”
“Sucha gentleman,” Samantha chimed in, draping herself over the arm of the chair.
“Why are you here again?” Minerva demanded, glaring at her friend.
“We thought you needed moral support,” Samantha teased, plopping down next to Chastity. “Or at least coaching, so you do not make a mess of it.”
It was calling hour, and today she was expecting Lord Gillies to arrive. She had prepared herself for this moment, going over everything in her mind—what she would say, how she would react. Lord Gillies was a suitable match, after all. He was steady, respectful, and his intentions were clear.This is exactly what you want,she reminded herself.
Yet, no matter how much she told herself that, there was an unsettling flicker of doubt that she couldn’t shake. Her mind kept drifting to the night before—the tension on the dance floor, the way Evan’s smirk had faltered when she mentioned Lord Gillies calling on her. And now, she was left with the gnawing feeling that something about this arrangement wasn’t quite as simple as she had hoped.
Minerva gave them both a sharp look, but before she could scold them further, the doorbell jingled. Her heart gave a small leap, and she rose to her feet, smoothing her skirts. “He has here,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
Samantha stifled a giggle, but Chastity did not bother hiding her grin. “Oh, this will be fun.”
But when the maid entered the drawing room, she wasn’t followed by Lord Gillies.
“Lady Minerva,” the maid said softly, “a delivery has just arrived for you.”
Minerva blinked in surprise. “A delivery?”
