My Fair Duchess (A Once Upon A Rogue Novel Book 1) (21 page)

Amelia’s nerves were twisted into one big tangled knot that sat in the center of her stomach. Lively music swirled around her, along with the oppressive heat from all the eager bodies crammed into the Stanhope’s ballroom for the annual country-dance that kicked off the departure of everyone going to London for the Season. She was going, therefore she should be ecstatic, but she was not. Far from it.

This night should have been perfect―a fairy tale beginning to her very own happily ever after. She had on a beautiful gown, thanks to a generous gift from the wicked, or was that wickedly handsome, duke.

Couples cavorted down the line of dancers with happy smiles on their faces. Amelia forced that same expression to her lips, though she was positive it had to look false. She tapped her foot in time to the music to appear as if she were having a grand time, standing there absolutely alone. Well, throngs of acquaintances surrounded her, but the only person that mattered might as well not have been there, given he had not exchanged a single word with her yet tonight. What was wrong with her fairy tale?

A tittering of especially grating female laughter came from her right. She cast her glance toward the punch bowl where it landed on her blue-gowned rival for her knight in shining armor. Georgiana batted her eyelashes at Charles as he led her to the parquet dance floor.

Oh yes, now she remembered what was wrong with her story. Her knight had failed to notice her. Well, that was not entirely true. She had seen Charles gape at her when she had come into the ball on her brother’s arm. Despite the gloomy mood that had pervaded because of her mother’s earlier refusal to talk to her, excitement had bubbled in her chest when Amelia had entered the ballroom and her sadness had vanished with Charles’s look. She had been sure by the raised eyebrows and appreciative smiles of men who had known her all her life that her moment had finally arrived. That was, until Georgiana had swept up to Charles’s side and
poof
Amelia’s chance had disappeared before her eyes. No magic involved there. Georgiana was simply more beautiful and apparently more interesting.

Amelia steeled herself against the unhelpful thoughts. She was not ready to give up quite yet. She just was not sure what to do now. Across the ballroom, Constance and her husband appeared in the doorway, and Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe her friend would have an idea of how to get Charles to notice her. She raised her hand to wave Constance over, but before she got it halfway in the air, a hand clamped on her elbow and pulled her arm down.

Jerking her head around, she blinked at the sight of Colin standing directly behind her. He looked… She struggled to find the words to match what she thought… He looked stunning. Could one use that word to describe a man? No matter. It fit.

His black coat and trousers molded to his powerful body in a way that displayed his muscles to perfection. His crimson cravat, tied in the most exquisite knot she had ever seen, should have made him look foreboding, but he appeared tamed by societal rules temporarily, which she was sure was not accurate. He simply knew how to play the game.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, a knowing smile spreading across his lips. “Has my appearance rendered you speechless?”

She caught herself about to nod and instead shook her head. “Don’t be silly. I’m just surprised to see you here.” He had been languishing in the study with a book when she and Philip had left.

“Excellent.” He grinned. “I do so love the upper hand the element of surprise can offer.”

She returned his infectious grin. “That,
Your
Grace
, does not surprise me.”

“Already you know me so well,” he said huskily.

Heavens, but she was suddenly hot. He seemed to have a way of doing that to her. She swallowed, wishing for a fan. “If you were intending to come tonight, why didn’t you ride with Philip and me?”

“Because it would not do for everyone to realize I was staying at your house. As I said before, if you end up as my wife, I want no hint of rumor attached to your name.”

She pressed her lips together. “You should have remained home with your book. I’ll never end up your duchess.”

He regarded her quizzically for a moment before slowly smiling. “I do so like your strong mind. However, you should know I plan to be at every social function you attend from here on out.”

“Whatever for?” she managed to ask in a steady voice, though her pulse had begun to gallop at his words.

He moved to stand beside her. “Why to help make you an Incomparable, of course, so Worthington will realize he simply must have you as his wife or so you will realize that you simply must have a duke. That cannot happen if you are standing all alone on the side of the dance floor with the other wallflowers.” He gave her a cheeky grin.

She scowled at him. Blasted man. He thought he knew women so well. She was going to show him. “I’m not standing with the other wallflowers.”

He looked over his shoulder and back at her. “I beg to differ.”

Darting a quick look behind her, she sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of five women loitering near the plotted plants and looking decidedly abysmal. Wretched man. He was right but she’d die before admitting it.

“I’m strategizing on how to get Lord Worthington’s attention.”

“How is that going?” he asked, a smirk pulling at his lips. Her chest tightened as she followed the direction of his gaze to where Charles and Georgiana were still twirling on the dance floor.

“Not very well,” she begrudgingly admitted. She could have lied, but what was the point? The truth was too apparent to deny.

Colin turned his head toward her, his gaze softening and the smirk disappearing. “Worthington is a fool.”

“Be that as it may, he is a fool who stole my heart long ago,”

A strange glint came into Colin’s eyes but was gone before she could place it. His fingers grazed momentarily over the bare skin of her arm before disappearing. Gooseflesh covered the surface where he had touched her. Automatically, she ran her hand against her skin to rub away the bumps.

He leaned near her. “I have an idea. Do you trust me?”

His husky voice vibrated in her ear, and the sensitive skin of her lobe tingled from his warm breath against her tender flesh. “No,” she said, irritated with the way her pulse sped every time he drew close to her.

A deep chuckle rumbled from him. “It’s good to be guarded, especially with a man that has a reputation like mine, but you
can
trust me.”

She glanced sideways at him, and he grinned, showing his gleaming white teeth, much like a wolf. “I can trust you?”

His smile widened. “For tonight anyway.”

She snorted. “Do you know you have a predatory look in your eyes?”

“Do I? Some habits are hard to break.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Enough about me. Listen to my plan.”

“Yes, all right,” she said, trying and failing to wipe the grin off her face. Colin’s humor and willingness to joke about himself surprised her and, she realized, put her at ease. “What’s your plan?”

“We are going to make Worthington jealous.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“Simple, my dear,” he said in the silkiest voice she had ever heard. Colin took the dance card she had been fidgeting with and read it with narrowing eyes.

“Bunch of fools,” he muttered under his breath, yet she heard him.

“Who?”

He glanced up sharply then swept his gaze across the dance floor. Raising his hand, he pointed to Lord Belford. “He’s a fool. And there.” He jabbed his finger in Lord Cooper’s direction. “Definitely lacking wits.” He jerked his head toward Lord Herbert who walked in front of them and smiled at her but did not stop. “He may be the biggest idiot of them all,” Colin practically snarled and none too quiet. Lord Herbert glanced back at them, his forehead creased in puzzlement.

“Lower your voice,” she hissed. “Whatever is the matter with you?”

His gaze, now dark and dazzling with fury, pierced her. This time her pulse did not simply speed up, it raced ahead, so that she felt as if catching her breath might be impossible.

“There is nothing the matter with me. It is the lot of men here who have dull wits or else your dance card would be full.”

A sudden ache blossomed in her chest as she gazed at him. “You are angry on my behalf? Because my dance card is empty?”

“I’m more than angry. I’m livid.” He glanced down the length of her dress and then slowly inched back up to her face. “You look ravishing, and I know personally that you have more intelligence in you than any other woman I’ve ever met.”

The warmth that had been building rapidly in her chest exploded and flowed through her. He thought her ravishing and intelligent. It took only a second to realize she was grinning like a ninny and that his words had made her incredibly happy. But why? She did not love him. Why would she care what he thought? But he was handsome. And interesting. And titled. And― She gasped.

The wager had barely started and she was already allowing her gaze to stray away from Charles to another man. And worst of all, she was ogling a man who so happened to believe all women wanted nothing more than to marry the gentleman with the greatest title. She swallowed hard. If she did find herself interested in him, it certainly would not be because of his status, but he would never believe that.

“Thank you for the compliments,” she finally said. “Are you trying to bolster my confidence?”

His brows came together. “No. I mean, yes.” He swiped a hand across his face. “Do you know you confound me, and I’ve never met a woman that does that?”

Her cheeks quivered with her smile. She was grinning again, blast him. “You confuse me, as well, but frankly, all men confuse me.”

He threw his head back and laughed. Once the rich sound died away, he glanced at her, a sober expression on his face. “Either you are the most truthful woman I have ever met or you are the best actress I have ever come across.”

She shrugged, dismayed and alternately amazed at how much she was enjoying bantering with him. “I’m quite sure it’s the first, but I don’t suppose you can simply tell someone you are truthful and expect that person to believe it.”

“No, I don’t suppose you can,” he murmured. “I do believe my plan is working,” he said, looking over her shoulder at the dance floor.

She blinked. His plan? Oh, yes! She started to twist in the direction she had last seen Charles, but Colin put a staying hand on her arm. “Never search out the object of your affection.”

“Never?”

He shook his head.

“Is this part of my lessons on how to become an Incomparable?”

“But of course. By my account, we are on lesson number three.”

“What was one and two?” She hated to ask, but her wits felt absolutely addled tonight, and she wanted to remember everything she was and was not to do.

“Number one was dancing and number two was conversing.”

“Well, at the rate this night is progressing,
teacher
, I’m afraid this pupil will not have a need for either of your previous excellent lessons.”

“Ah, my dear,” he murmured in a velvet voice. “Never underestimate yourself…or me. Your prey has been watching us for the last five minutes.”

She arched her brows. “He has?”

Colin nodded. “Yes. And now we are going to teach
him
a lesson.”

“We are?” Her stomach tightened, whether from excitement or apprehension she was not sure. “What sort of lesson?”

He gave her an exaggerated wink. “That he will lose you if he does not pay you the attention you deserve.”

That sounded good to her. The attention part, that was. Not the loss part. Though, what if Charles turned out to be the sort of man who could never truly see into her heart and appreciate her mind, as well as the outer picture? She did not want a life filled with games played out day after tedious day to keep her husband’s interest. She wanted a man who felt he could not breathe without her. Like in the novels she read. Before she could contemplate it further, Colin grasped her hand and drew her close.

“He’s coming this way. Throw your head back and laugh, and when he requests a dance, tell him you do not have one left.”

She tried to jerk away, but Colin’s hand came to her back and kept her near him. “But none of my dances are taken,” she whispered.

“They will be.” His words came out clipped, urgent and unbending.

“But I want to dance with Lord Worthington. How else will I make him fall in love with me?”

Colin blew out a sigh that tickled her neck. “By not dancing with him, my dear. Allow the master to show you.”

Giggling in earnest, she glanced at his face and was startled by the way his gaze seemed to caress her. She blinked, and the moment was gone. “All right. I’ll do as you say, but what if no one asks me to dance? I’ll look the fool.”

“I will never allow you to look the fool. Trust me.” His gaze, as well as his voice, lowered. “Once I’m finished, the gentlemen will be climbing over each other to request a dance with you.”

She nodded, unable to speak since her heartbeat had taken up residence in her throat. She really didn’t want to be the star in this play, but it seemed she had no choice, unless she wanted to lose Charles. Behind her, something rustled, and then Charles sidled up to them, his gaze trained on her and not sparing a greeting or even a glance for Colin.