Page 36 of Taming a Beastly Duke
Lord Thomas dispelled the awkward tension by rising from his chair. He smiled dotingly at Edith, offering his hand.
“Would you share a dance with me, my lady?” he asked.
Edith brightened at once. She put her hand in his, allowing him to help her stand.
“I would be delighted,” she said.
Adelaide watched as Lord Thomas led Edith onto the floor, where other couples gathered for the upcoming dance set. There was a careful propriety in their movements, though Adelaide could still see their apparent connection. She smiled softly, thrilled for her friend and the happiness she shared with Lord Thomas.
The dowager duchess turned to her eldest grandson with a knowing smile.
“Marcus, darling,” she said, glancing at Adelaide. “I am sure that Miss Barrett would enjoy a dance, as well.”
Adelaide’s heart skipped a beat at the suggestion. She should not have been surprised after seeing the Duchess and her aunt exchanging glances before. However, the public encouragement of a match between them was something she had not expected.
The duke looked at his grandmother with uncomfortable surprise.
“Grandmother, I am unwell,” he said pointedly. “Right now, I have a terrible megrim.”
The dowager duchess gave the duke a firm look.
“I am sure that you can manage one dance set, darling,” she said in the tone they all knew well.
Marcus knew the tone, as well. He sighed, leaving his seat to approach Adelaide. No formal offer was made for a dance, though he offered his hand gently and his expression softened. Adelaide took his hand, frowning when she noticed how it trembled over hers. He tried to hide it by quickly tucking her arm through his. But the visage he presented showed Adelaide how unwell he felt. She wanted to lean in and offer to terminate the dance of her own accord. But when he looked at her again, he gave her a warm, almost sheepish smile.
“I apologise that our dance will not be more graceful,” he said softly.
Adelaide blushed as the heat returned to his eyes and her lower part of her body.
“There is no need to apologise, Your Grace,” she said.
The dance began with a proper distance between them. However, Adelaide could not help noticing that the duke was, indeed, not graceful. His steps were unsteady and uncertain, and it was clear that he was suffering from more than a mere megrim. Perspiration beaded on his forehead despite the comfortable temperature of the room.
“Are you all right?” Adelaide asked. Her worry from earlier returned, and she glanced around, hoping to see Edith and Lord Thomas.
The Duke nodded, though he closed his eyes to do so.
“I am well enough,” he said through clenched teeth. “Let us continue the dance.”
Adelaide grimaced as she looked up at him.
“I have no reservations about ending the dance early with you unwell,” she said.
The duke glared at her, but Adelaide did not see anger in his features. Instead, she saw a man who felt most unwell and now grew increasingly frightened by it. His condition distressed Adelaide and it took all her concentration to keep herself moving in time with the music.
“I am well enough,” the duke repeated, even as more of the color drained from his face. “Please, let us concentrate on the dance. You need not worry yourself about my condition.”
Adelaide bit her lip, looking up at him with hurt and confusion.
Does he truly not know that I care for him? She wondered as she watched him grow paler still right before her. Does he believe that seeing him so ill has no effect on me?
The Duke reclaimed the lead of the dance, and they continued twirling around the floor. Adelaide remained quiet, even as the sweat on his brow slowly rolled down his face. She tried to think of a way that she could make the dowager duchess understand the necessity of her grandson receiving immediate assistance. She looked around once more, noticing Lord Thomas and Edith dancing on the other side of the floor. She silently vowed to speak with him as soon as the dance finished.
When the Duke began struggling with the most basic steps of the dance, however, she knew it was too late to discreetly request help. She tried to maneuver inconspicuously so that she could wrap a sturdy arm around him from behind and slowly help him off the floor. However, just as she began to enact her plan, his large frame swayed dangerously, and she was sure he would collapse.
She abandoned caution and discreetness, wrapping both her arms around one of his, which felt as round as her entire body. The action drew concerned glances from nearby dancers, but she had no time to entertain them. The Duke was trembling violently, and his body was slowly going limp. If she did not get him to safety, he could fall unconscious on the ground where dancers would surely trample him.
“Allow me, Miss Barrett,” Lord Edwin said, appearing with a suddenness that frightened Adelaide. “I shall help him.”
