Page 23 of The Secrets He Keeps

Chapter Seven

Dinner was called shortlyafter their return to the party and they all moved into the dining room. It was a formal, imposing space with a grand table that could easily seat a dozen or more. More richly scented evergreen formed a simple but festive centerpiece. The winter greenery was accented with red ribbons, glossy apples, and bright oranges.

The children remained with them through dinner. Having Frederick and Claire at the table assisted in lightening and enlivening the tone of the evening, giving it a casual feel despite the obvious care that had gone into the exceptional meal consisting of various roasted meats, seasoned vegetables, mincemeat pies, steamy sweet breads, and Christmas puddings soaked in brandy.

The young Duke of Northmoor was exceptionally intelligent and well-versed in various topics of conversation. He contributed to the adult conversation with as much ease and seriousness as he used when he spoke quietly with young Claire. At one point, Lady Katherine explained that the two of them had grown up under rather unusual circumstances. Their mother had died when they were young and their father had been intensely devoted to his work in the field of herbalism and pharmacology, leaving his children to form their own educations and far from the influence most often forced upon aristocratic children to meet a certain molded expectation.

“And I’m damned grateful, for it brought you stumbling through my door,” Hale added as he took his wife’s hand and brought it to his lips.

“Stumbling?” the lady asked with a haughtily raised brow. “I believe you’ve forgotten that our first encounter involved a set of dueling pistols aimed for your person.”

“On the contrary, it’s one of my favorite memories,” he murmured thickly before giving a quick wink that brought a tint of pink to her cheeks.

Erik glanced to Callista with a lifted brow, wondering if she’d concede his earlier point. But she appeared to have missed the interaction between her brother and his wife as she was busy staring at him instead. Her expression was tense and her gaze narrowed as though she were contemplating something intently.

He suspected he knew exactly what was on her mind.

The kiss they’d shared had been everything he’d known it would be—intense and erotic, but also undeniably emotional. He’d hazard a guess to say it might have been a bit more than she’d expected.

There was no hiding from the passion between them. The potential. Only a fool would deny it existed and the woman was no fool. Despite that, Erik was under no delusion that his campaign had been won with a single kiss.

As her gaze flickered with the shadow of something unnamed, he almost wished he could reassure her. But she’d have to come to her own conclusions about what she was feeling and what it meant for the two of them.

Though he chose not to say anything, he did offer a smile.

Her expression tightened in response before she looked away to sip from her wineglass.

After the meal, the party returned to the drawing room. It wasn’t much longer before Claire’s nurse came to fetch the young girl. Though she pouted about having to leave, it was clear the little girl was ready for bed. The young duke decided to go upstairs as well. Though his sister assured he could stay and visit a bit longer if he liked, he explained that he wished to work on his current project before going to bed. Before they left, Callista stopped the children beside her chair. Leaning toward them, she whispered something and handed each of them a small velvet pouch. Their smiles were bright as they continued from the room.

“That wasn’t necessary, Lissy.”

There was a heavy note in Hale’s voice, but his sister looked at him with an arched brow. “It was just a few sweets and a coin or two. Nothing inappropriate, I assure you.”

“Still a helluva lot more than we ever got,” he muttered gruffly.

“Yes, well, that is the whole point, isn’t it, Mace? To leave the evils of the past in the gin-soaked lanes where they belong.”

A silent communication passed between the siblings before Hale raised his glass. “Hear, hear.” After that, he launched into a tale of one particular holiday in his youth that involved a runaway pig, a gang of street urchins, and a frozen ditch that proved to be not so frozen after all. Erik followed with a story of one year when his acting troupe met up with a caravan of the Rom while traveling through Italy. The two groups all contributed to an elaborate festival of dancing, drinking, and feasting that lasted four days without stop.

The evening continued with more shared stories and bittersweet recollections as laughter flowed as freely as the wine. Eventually, however, the hour grew late and the liveliness of the gathering began to fade. As they all made their way to the entry hall, where the butler waited to hand off their winter coats and cloaks, Hale hauled Lady Katherine in against his side with a thick arm around her waist. Tossing his sister a wide grin, he said, “Not such a bad evening, eh, Lissy?”

The look she gave him was full of amiable annoyance. “It was tolerable, I suppose.”

Lady Katherine, not at all put out by Callista’s sarcastic response, smiled warmly. “I thought it was lovely. Thank you both so much for celebrating the holiday with us. I hope we’ll have an opportunity to repeat the experience soon.”

Erik was in the process of settling Callista’s black fur-lined cloak about her shoulders and he felt the brief, subtle tensing in her body. Smoothing his hands over her shoulders, he replied to their hostess with an easy smile. “It would be a pleasure and an honor, Lady Katherine.”

The night was crisp with cold, but the sky was clear. Moonlight and stars brightened the sky and filtered a silver haze into the atmosphere as they climbed into the carriage, where a warmer had been set on the floor to keep their toes from freezing. Even so, Erik immediately reached for the heavy woolen rugs set in the corner and unfolded them over their legs.

Though they sat close beside each other to share the limited warmth, neither spoke for a while as their breath puffed cold into the air. And when he noticed the woman beside him still shivering with cold even after the vehicle began to warm, he brought his arm up around her shoulders and slowly drew her in closer against his side.

If she had given any sign of resistance to the shift in position, he would have ceased, but she didn’t. In fact, she offered a quiet sigh as she rested her head against his shoulder and curved her body toward his. One of her hands fell to his upper thigh beneath the blanket, causing a swift rise in his internal temperature.

With his cock hardening and his chest aching sweetly, he looked down to see that her eyes had closed and her features were in repose. He wasn’t sure if it was the wine or their shared comfort that encouraged her to claim a moment of rest, but he was grateful for it as he allowed himself the luxury of admiring her beauty at this intimate angle.

The black kohl lining her eyes added a dramatic element to her features but he found himself more mesmerized by the lush fan of her lashes against her smooth skin. The red tint she often added to her generously curved lips had all but faded away throughout the evening, leaving her mouth a dusky rose color that was soft and sensual. Even in repose, there was an element of calculated ambition in the details of her face. It was there in her broad, smooth forehead and in the angled, almost square shape of her jaw and in the slashing arches of her elegant brows.

Such a formidable woman.

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