Page 68 of Enticing the Devil

“Oh, Anne,” Lily breathed.

“Here. Have another,” Portia said, offering the bottle again.

Anne accepted it gratefully.

Chapter Twenty-four

Though he searched for more than an hour, Beynon could not catch a glimpse of Anne anywhere in or around the ballroom after briefly spotting her in the refreshment room. He’d been on his way to her when he’d been unceremoniously intercepted by Emma’s brazen youngest sister, who’d thought it a good time to question him on how he was enjoying his stay in England. By the time he’d extricated himself from the conversation, Anne had slipped away unseen.

Frustrated but also slightly relieved, he’d realized quickly he had no idea what to say to her anyway. But it didn’t stop him from scanning the crowd every five minutes for her return.

He just wanted to see her. To look into her eyes and confirm the haunted pain he’d seen last night was gone. He needed to ensure she was all right.

But how could she be?

He wasn’t all right. And apparently, it showed.

Even his brothers were giving him a wide berth, though the nearly identical blue eyes they’d inherited from their arsehole father followed him about with careful scrutiny, as if they feared his next move. Their concern only fueled his temper, which was firmly rooted in self-disgust at the moment.

As yet another young lady cast a sharp and wary glance past his position in a corner of the ballroom, he decided he’d made enough of an impression for the evening. But as he started to wend his way toward the main exit, he finally caught sight of Anne’s pale hair through the shifting crowd.

He immediately altered direction but didn’t make it far before a ringing bell drew everyone’s attention toward Lord and Lady Harte, who stood together on a raised dais at the far end of the room.

“Good evening, everyone,” the countess said, addressing the room. “The time has come for the long-awaited final results of this year’s games. Lord Harte and I would like to thank everyone who participated...”

Beynon only half listened as he peered through the crowd in hopes of getting another glimpse of Lady Anne. He finally saw her again across the room where she stood with her friends.

A frown furrowed his brow as he noticed something a bit off about her. It wasn’t terribly obvious and he likely only noticed it because he’d observed her so intently in various situations over the last week, but it seemed to him that she appeared unusually...relaxed. Her spine wasn’t quite so stiff as usual and her shoulders displayed a gentle curve.

Perhaps she was faring better than he’d expected. And why did that possibility only make him more anxious?

“The scores have been tallied and the winning pair of this year’s games is...Lady Anne Humphries and Mr. Beynon Thomas!”

The gathered crowd erupted with applause and smiles as everyone glanced about in search of the winners.

“I’d like to ask our winners to lead us all in a waltz,” Lady Harte announced.

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