He's No Prince Charming (Ever After) (25 page)

One week later…

T
he door opened, quickly followed by the slide of the curtains and light streaming into the darkened room.

Danni winced.

“I’ve had enough of this, Danielle Mary Strafford.”

She groaned, rolling in her bed away from the sunlight. “Go away.”

“You have been lying in bed, sulking, since you’ve returned from your little trip. I’m fed up with it. Even a sick Hu is not this bad.”

Danni picked up her pillow and placed it over her head, trying to drown out the sound of Annabel’s ranting. Ever since she’d returned from her kidnapping escapade, the woman and her father hadn’t let her out of their sight. Her father had even hired a maid to trail after her wherever she went and she was forbidden to enter a carriage ever again unless accompanied by him, Annabel, or Hu. After so many years of doing as she pleased, it was incredibly frustrating.

Her father had even sold her business. Well, not sold per se. He’d given the bookshop to Annabel and Hu as a belated wedding gift, explicitly barring Danni from the backroom and any dealings with Gretna Green Bookings.

Her eyes narrowed in the dark. As soon as she could find the motivation to leave her room, she’d develop a plan to get it back. Annabel and Hu wouldn’t mind. They knew how much the business meant to her. Especially now that she had nothing else.

Her balled fist flew to her mouth to hold in the sob. She was miserable. Once he was free, she’d hoped he’d come to her. Hoped he’d call so she would have a chance to speak with him again, reassure him he was exactly what she wanted in a man. In a husband.

When he didn’t come, she’d hoped for a letter. Something acknowledging the gift she, her father, and Ginny had sent him and Caro, and whether he had accepted it or not. The moment her solicitor’s office had opened, she and her father had gone to her man of affairs. Against his frantic council, she’d drafted a bank note for a majority of the fortune from her mother’s estate and sent it to Marcus’s town house. She knew it wouldn’t make up for deceiving him, but she hoped it would help to save Caro, thereby easing his mind.

But nothing arrived. Not him, nor a letter, nor anyone associated with him.

She’d checked every day, and even the money had not yet been transferred. It was as if he had just vanished.

“Stupid man,” she growled into her pillow.

Danni sighed. She just missed him. Ached to be near him, to be held by him.

“Ow!” Danni sat up on her bed, clutching her stinging arm. The smack of Annabel’s newspaper still echoed through the room.

She glared at her longtime friend as Annabel straightened, placing the rolled-up newspaper beneath her arm.

“You are a vicious snipe!”

“Now that you’re up,” Annabel replied, smirking, red hair still wild and brown eyes bright, “I have news.”

A determined smile washed away her humor. Danni had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “We are attending the Hornweatherby Ball tonight.”

She was right.

Slumping back on her bed, Danni repositioned her pillow. “Go home, Annabel. I don’t want anything to do with anyone.”

A huff, followed by stomping feet approaching the head of her bed. Annabel yanked the pillow from Danni’s grasp and threw it across the room. It smacked against the wall with a satisfying thump.

Danni gaped at the redhead, speechless.

“I am not going to allow you to spend the rest of your life wallowing in misery.”

Danni scowled. “Seems to be a family trait. Now go away.”

“Nope,” Annabel announced, her voice so bright it grated on Danni’s ears. “I am going to get you dressed and out of this house, even if it kills me.”

Unbidden, Danni’s eyes watered. “I don’t want to leave. What if he comes while I’m out? I’ll miss him.”

Annabel’s face softened with sympathy. Heedless of her pristine, baby blue morning dress, she climbed into bed next to her. A comforting arm snaked over her shoulders. Danni fought the urge to give in to her tears for the hundredth time. It was utterly ridiculous how much she’d cried over the last few days when she hadn’t shed a tear in years. Perhaps she was making up for lost time.

“I know how terribly heartbroken you are, Danni. You feel like nothing is ever going to be right again, that you’ll end up without the man of your dreams and be alone for the rest of your life.”

Danni nodded, swatting at stray tears. Annabel did understand, except the love of
her
life had married her.

Drawing her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on them. “Hu wanted to marry you. Marcus doesn’t want me.”

“Oh, Danni.” Annabel sighed.

“I just want what you and Hu have, what my parents had. You glow every time you look at each other. A perfect love.”

Humor pinched Annabel’s lips to a thin line. “Glow? Perfect? What world are you living in?”

Danni glared at her friend. “I’m talking about the perfect marriage. You love each other so much and you’re always so happy.”

Her redheaded friend snorted. “Are you forgetting all the times Hu and I fight? The man drives me insane. And I’m almost certain the same happened with your parents. You probably just don’t remember. Your head has always been in the clouds when it came to love, Danni.”

“Excuse me?”

“Love and marriage are work. Hu and I were very fortunate to have married for love, but it’s not easy. He’s stubborn and constantly wants to do things his way when I want to do them my way. He hates the city and I love it. He loves books and I’ve never willingly opened one in my life.”

Danni was stunned. “But you’re both so happy.”

“Of course. Happiness is not a magical state that comes hand in hand with love and never ends. We have rules. We never go to sleep angry with each other and we always start the day with a reminder of how much we love each other.” She paused, her face becoming serious. “I’ve heard a lot about Fleetwood from you and your father. While I think I’d like him, I also think he’ll never be completely free from the horrors he’s lived through. With time and the right support, he can probably live with them, perhaps they will even fade, but it will be the commitment of love that will see him through. Hard work and commitment to each other makes a marriage last, Danni. Love makes it stronger. Happiness is only a result of the joy you have of building a life together.”

Danni stared blankly at her friend, her mind in a whirl. She’d never thought of marriage from that angle before. She knew she loved Marcus and wanted to make it work, but she’d had some reservations. Hearing Annabel’s thoughts erased the final doubts she might have had.

Shaking her head with a rueful smile, she nudged her friend with her shoulder. “How did you get so wise?”

Annabel laughed, sliding off the bed. “I actually picked up one of those books Hu’s been pestering me to read.”

Her friend moved to the bell pull near her armoire.

“Do I really have to go to this ball?” Danni whined.

“Yes. Your father even managed to convince me to go to the ball with you. That only proves how much you need to get out.”

Danni winced. Her father’s negotiating skills were second to none. Since her elopement, Annabel was adamant in her avoidance of society where matrons openly shunned her for marrying beneath her station.

Tugging the rope to call for a dressing maid, her friend began to rummage about in her closet. “I have nothing suitable anymore. Let me borrow something?”

Danni shrugged, plucking at her sheets, still searching for an excuse to beg off.

“Oh, Danni, I’ve never seen this before.”

Danni knew exactly which dress Annabel was about to pull from the rack. She was off her bed in a blink, carefully removing the pink muslin dress from her friend’s grasp.

Instantly, tears pricked her eyes. “Marcus gave me this.”

“Really?” Annabel blinked in surprise. “I’ve never known a man to go dress shopping for a woman.”

A soft smile slipped across her lips as she traced one scarlet, embroidered rose. “I complained how uncomfortable I felt without proper clothes. I only needed a large shawl, or a cloak to cover me. He went out early the next day and bought this. Isn’t it wonderfully sweet?”

Annabel sighed, eyes wispy. “If only Hu were that romantic. The most I’ve gotten was a ribbon I begged just ages for.”

Danni laughed, tracing the delicate white lace under the bust and bordering the neckline. She remembered how embarrassed he was at her profuse gratitude. She gulped, her eyes stinging. She missed him. So much.

“You should wear it tonight.”

“What?” Danni asked, startled. “I couldn’t. It reminds me so much of him.”

Annabel pushed the dress towards her with a secret smile. “Wear it. It may bring you luck.”

Staring at the dress, Danni slowly nodded. Maybe she would feel closer to him.

Suddenly, the door opened and her maid hustled in. Soon, a flurry of cloth and happy chatter erupted in Danni’s room. Perhaps tonight wouldn’t be so horrible.

“Did you hear about the dairy heiress?”

“Yes!” exclaimed a woman waving an ornate fan. “She ran off with a Frenchman from Hamburg.”

“I heard she was carrying his child!”

Danni rolled her eyes. Hamburg was in Germany, not France.

She had forgotten how much she truly hated society. It had seemed such a grand time a few years ago, attending balls and flirting with eligible bachelors. But she now saw it all as so silly and frivolous.

She shot a lethal look in her father’s direction across the ballroom. He was standing with a group of his friends from Parliament, pretending he wasn’t watching her like a hawk. Gritting her teeth, Danni counted to ten. She’d been doing it quite often lately. Either when she was angry or when she thought about
him
.

She blinked rapidly as Annabel tugged at her arm. She was more than thankful her friend was accompanying her tonight. Her company made the ball tolerable. Danni could not have faced this alone. Already she’d had to avoid several offers to dance and escape to a secluded corner to avoid suitors.

“Helloooo? Is anyone in there?”

Danni blinked, pulling back from the hand being waved in her face. “What?”

“Finally! I’ve been calling your name for an age.” Annabel’s face was the picture of annoyance.

She arched her brow. “Most assuredly not true.”

“Well, I have. And now that I have your attention, look over there.”

Danni scanned the heads, trying to see through the various turbans and plumes. “What am I looking for?”

“Damn.” Annabel cursed with unladylike fierceness. They ignored the outraged gasp from a group of fluttering matrons behind them. Serves them right for eavesdropping. “I can’t see him anymore. Where’d he go?”

“See who?”

Annabel simply smiled. Danni would not have minded her friend’s secretiveness if it were not for the devilish glint in her brown eyes. Annabel caught her hand and dragged her around the edge of the room. They ignored dancers and throngs of debutantes, weaving through tiny spaces that opened in the crush.

Annabel stopped short behind a potted palm positioned at the doors leading onto a balcony. If Danni hadn’t been paying attention, she would have crashed into her and sent the palm rolling to the floor. Her friend’s arm pushed her back into the shadows of the foliage. Danni frowned as Annabel leaned forward, her head cocked to the side.

“What are we doing?”

“Shh!” Her friend waved her to silence.

Sighing, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “What the devil are you doing?”

“Spying.”

Danni opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it. Clamping it shut, she leaned forward to listen through the leaves as well.

An unfamiliar female voice reached them. “I thought you’d sworn never to attend a ball again after what that Newport girl did to you. Did your time behind bars change your outlook?”

“Cease the prattle, Caroline.”

Danni stiffened. He was not supposed to be here. He hated attending these events. Suddenly, her friend’s insistence and her father’s manipulations made sense. They’d planned for their paths to cross. Her stomach flipped into an angry knot. He had not contacted her in days, even after she had pleaded for his release from jail and donated her fortune to aiding his sister. He could not call on her at home, yet he could attend a ball? Fury shot through her.

But she also needed to see him like she needed air to breathe.

“I thought it was him. He would be hard put to blend in with a crowd,” Annabel whispered, her face dancing with mischievous glee.

Danni’s heart sank. Oh no.

Before Danni could escape, Annabel grabbed her arm and pushed her onto the balcony.

She froze as Marcus and his companion swirled in her direction. She fought the urge to blush. “H-hello, Marcus.”

He looked well, although faint purple bruises shadowed his jaw. He seemed to have recovered from most of his injuries. Her eyes skimmed over him, following the exceptional cut of his hunter green jacket and the fit of his silver striped waistcoat. Her gaze dipped to his trousers, heating briefly before she looked at his face. She felt the familiar tug of pride as she looked at him. His strength amazed her.

He stood tall, his shoulders back. His demeanor oozed his scorn of being in this place. To anyone else, he appeared arrogant, aggressive, and frightening. But she could see through his armor now, and knew only sheer will and determination kept him there. To anyone else, he appeared hard and cruel, his eyes shuttered, but she could see the uncertainty in his posture. To anyone else, he appeared a hideous beast, his scars making him difficult to look upon, but she knew the scars were integral parts of his being. To her, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. And she’d missed him so very much.

He gave her the same perusal. His eyes widened. Self-consciously, she fiddled with her lace gloves, feeling his gaze touch about the lace and embroidered roses of the pink dress and linger on her most intimate places. She hoped his heart beat harder, as was hers. She hoped his breath caught in his throat, just like hers. But most of all, she hoped he’d missed her, too.