The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (5 page)

Dominick flashed her a warm smile, just before
leaning closer to whisper, “Don’t look now, my lady, but I do believe the
tongue-waggers are about to sharpen their knives on us.”

Glancing around, Julianna could agree.  Several
of the well-dressed people were gossiping quietly while giving
less-than-discreet stares to the chatting pair.  While this might have once
made her uncomfortable, for some reason, right now she was simply amused.

“They do look a bit like vultures ready to
pounce, don’t they?” she laughed.

“Ready to destroy is more like
it,” he murmured through a grin, glancing up as the sound of lilting ballroom
music filled the air.  “However, if I may offer an easy solution and a means to
repay your kindness, would you care to dance?”

“I’d love to, but I don’t know these dances.” 
Just walking in this attire alone was proving difficult.

“Believe me, my lady, ‘twill be far more
embarrassing if the town decides to print our names in tomorrow’s gossip
columns.  Besides, I’m afraid I have my own selfish reasons for wanting to
dance with you.”

Several indeed
, he thought, silently remembering how she’d mocked him at their last
meeting.

He gave a slight bow, taking her hand to bestow a
gentle kiss.  Only the briefest contact, yet Julianna felt her heart leap, wondering
if she was blushing as his eyes met hers again.  Tightening his grip on her
hand, he began to lead her onto the dance floor.  Sensing more than one pair of
eyes upon them, Julianna shook her head quickly.

“Mr. Westbrooke,” she faltered, “I really don’t
think this is such a good idea.”

Smiling reassuringly, he remained silent as he
led them amidst the other dancing pairs.  Several of whom gave knowing smiles
to the new couple.  Now she
knew
she was blushing!  Amused,
Dominick said nothing, merely squeezing her hand once as he led her through the
steps of a waltz.

“Not so difficult, is it?” he asked, earning a
smile from his companion.

“No, it’s quite pleasant really,” she agreed
brightly, a moment before curiosity surfaced.  “Now then, sir, just what did
you mean earlier when you said you had selfish motives for this dance?”

It was a good thing she couldn’t read his mind at
the moment, Dominick thought privately.  For right now, it kept playing back
their last meeting, and how she’d quite cleverly wounded his pride. 
Especially
over that damned kiss
.  He still remembered how she’d slammed her heel on
his foot when he hadn’t expected it.  After that incident, he’d been adamant in
not wanting to see this particular female again in this lifetime.

Yet in spite of his best intentions, he had not
been able to forget her.  When he’d come here tonight, he hadn’t expected her
to remember his name, much less chase after him.

It was only when he caught her staring that he
remembered her earlier question.  So she wanted his motives for this dance, did
she?  What would she say if he simply kissed her again? he wondered.  He
doubted she’d stomp on his foot this time, as that surely wouldn’t be the
proper etiquette here in the middle of a dance floor!  No, not likely.  But
then again, maybe she
would
toss etiquette out the window and
repeat the incident.  In any case, he doubted she’d be so smug with him after
tonight.  If it was motive she wanted, best not keep her waiting.

“Well, my lady, for one thing, I happen to find you
pleasant company to talk to,” he replied casually, spinning her about.   “For
another, I don’t wish to relinquish you to someone else.”  He smiled at her
look of surprise, a bit surprised himself at the truth in his words.  Pulling
her closer against his chest with a quick tug, ignoring her gasp and what any
onlookers might think, he leaned his mouth closer to hers, adding softly, “And
third of all...”

“Excuse me, sir!” came a voice from behind.

“What the devil?” hissed Dominick, ignoring the
confusion on Julianna’s face as he turned his head quickly to confront the
interruption.  Another gentleman stood there, several years younger than him
and somewhat shorter.

“Despite your ignorance when I patted your back,
may I cut in?”

Dominick gave him a brief look of contemplation,
not masking his annoyance.  “No, you may not,” he said curtly, turning away
from him.

“Sir!  I do believe that this concerns the lady
more than you.”

“The lady, you say?  All right then, Lord
Whoever-you-are, hold onto your dinner jacket for just a moment.”  Turning to
Julianna, he began, “This
gentleman
here...”

“Lord Daffordshire,” the man
supplied.

Dominick turned at that.  “You’re not serious,”
he replied, barely concealing a smile.  The man nodded.  “My lady,” he
continued quietly, facing her again, “It would appear you have another admirer
by the name of Lord Daffy-something.  Would you rather end our dance now, to no
doubt
literally
trip over the lights fantastic with Lord Daffy
here... or do you wish to remain with me to continue our dance and our
conversation?”

Julianna’s smile faded into a downcast look. 
“And will this conversation include another public display of you trying to
kiss me?” she asked softly.

For the first time since the awkward ending of
their last meeting, Dominick felt a wave of compassion for her.  True, he
hadn’t been thrilled over what she’d done back then, but since he
had
been a total stranger to her, maybe it wasn’t so difficult to understand.  And
certainly not something he cared to dwell on, since she still sparked his
interest.

“No, my lady,” he replied gently.  “I promise I
won’t attempt to kiss you here on the dance floor again.”

She nearly laughed.  Still, the sincerity in his
eyes looked real, and after giving a swift glance to Lord Daffordshire, she
made her decision.

Turning to the awaiting younger man, she said
sweetly, “Your offer is most kind, sir, but I’m afraid I must decline, since
I’m already having a most enjoyable time with Mr. Westbrooke here.  Perhaps
another time, sir.”

Dominick flashed him a triumphant smile,
attempting to resume the dance.

“This is scandalous, sir!” protested
Daffordshire.  “I hope, madam, that you realize just what ill-breeding this man
must come from.”

“Ill-breeding?” interrupted Dominick, facing him
again with a scowl.  “Look, Sir Daffy!” he began, earning a barely concealed
grin from Julianna, “If you want to dance so much, go find yourself a more
suitable simpering miss. 
My
lady has already made it quite clear
that she isn’t interested in changing partners with a foul-mouthed youngster,
and you can stuff
that
in your local society column for all I
care!”

“I’d put it on page one,” Julianna suggested over
her shoulder as Dominick whirled her away from the gaping man.  As if cued to
match their breakaway from him, the music changed to a faster tune, brightening
the smiles of the other couples on the floor who ignored the flustered young
man still standing there.  “He was foul-mouthed, wasn’t he?” she commented
after a brief silence.

“And ill-mannered,” he agreed.  “I’ll be careful
to make sure that my future sons have a more respectful attitude towards
ladies.”  A furtive smile replaced his somber look as he added, “And especially
towards their mother.”  Julianna found herself blushing at his words, even
though he was obviously speaking in the general sense.  At least she assumed he
was!

They resumed dancing silently until the music
stopped to change again.  Seeing Lord Daffordshire and a few of his friends
approaching from the sideline, Dominick quickly gestured towards a group of
people on the other side.  Nodding once, Julianna followed him to where they
could converse without being bothered, nor bumped into on the dance floor.

“You’re not a bad dancer, Mr. Westbrooke,” she
told him.  “I guess your ill-breeding isn’t as bad as all that.”

“Watch your tongue, fair minx,” he chuckled, “or
I won’t be responsible for what consequences my so-called ill-breeding might
bring forth.”  Seeing several people turn to them again, Dominick shook his
head.  “My lady, I have a better suggestion.  Why don’t we break away to
continue our conversation where there are less people, out in the cool night
air of the garden, beneath the moonlight?”

Julianna knew from the moment she looked into the
warm gaze of his fathomless blue eyes that she was lost.  It was as if they
could make her forget who she was, and she doubted she’d care if she did.

Yet after his attempt to kiss her on the dance
floor, she wasn’t anxious to go anywhere out of public view with him.  Drawing
herself up, she tried again to speak with some modicum of etiquette, partially
for the benefit of those around her who would almost assuredly be listening in.

“Mr. Westbrooke, you must have mistaken me for
someone else entirely.  I assure you I didn’t mean to give you the impression that
I was a lightskirt.”  Dominick gave a deep laugh at her words.

“I didn’t believe that for a moment,” he told
her, with a grin.  “And may I reassure you in return, my lady, that I am not
some rake who is planning to ravish you.”  She blushed at his words, but
remained silent.  “I merely thought it would be more pleasant to go outside and
avoid the local gossips.  We should then be able to elude their loose tongues
which will no doubt be wagging about us otherwise.”

Despite any attempt to remain serious, Julianna
felt a bubble of amusement well up within her, which finally escaped as a soft
laugh.  As he extended his arm to her with a smile, she took it gratefully and
followed where he led.  Part of her wondered if there was in fact any exit at
all.  Yet it soon became clear that Dominick was familiar with this place,
since after leading her around one mirrored corner, they found an open doorway
leading to the aforementioned garden.

Julianna was relieved to see several other
couples outside watching the stars, comforted that at least they wouldn’t be
all alone.  Releasing her arm, Dominick leaned nonchalantly against the waist-high
stone wall where the flowers curled over it, and turned to face his quiet
companion.

He wondered for a moment whether or not she was
aware that he knew exactly who she was from before.  After all, while she’d
remembered his name, he hadn’t heard any mention of their last meeting
together.  For that matter, she didn’t seem entirely convinced that he was the
same Dominick she’d met before.

Perhaps, he considered, it might be interesting
to see how she’d react as if
this
was their first meeting.  As
such, it would have the advantage that she hadn’t stomped on his foot... at
least not yet anyway!

And this time, he would find out who she was.

“Now then, my lady,” he said smiling, choosing
his words carefully, “Although you seem to have the psychic gift of knowing the
names of new people, I find myself a bit more hard pressed to do the same. 
Would your name be Rose perhaps?”

“No,” she laughed, “though I shall take that as a
compliment.  My name is Julianna Sherborne.”

“Julianna,” he whispered, the tones echoing
lightly. 
Ah
, he thought triumphantly. 
At last I finally have your
name, o’ fiery one who has haunted my thoughts relentlessly for the past few
months!
  But almost immediately, his soft expression that hid these
thoughts soon reached deeper within to become something more. 
Julianna. 
He’d
never met a woman by that name before, and it seemed in a way like her…
unique.  “So tell me, Miss Sherborne, do you make it a habit to race after your
suitors, or do I have the rare privilege of such an honor?”

She blushed slightly through a smile.  “If you
please, I’d prefer it if we could simply get past that awkward introduction.”

“Not awkward at all,” said Dominick, grinning. 
“As a matter of fact, I feel some thanks are due for your giving me a reason to
escape that endless hall of mirrors.  Not that you would have any such
difficulty I’m certain, Miss Sherborne, since any man with half a brain would
gladly chase after you to partake of your company for an evening.”  Leaning
against one elbow on the wall, he caught her gaze and saw her blush again.  “I
couldn’t help noticing that you were alone earlier when I first saw you.  So
tell me, did some clumsy oaf foolishly leave you to mingle about on your own,
or did he simply disappear to drink several glasses of port in the back room
with the local tavern barmaid?”

Having merely spoken the last in jest, he was
totally unprepared for her reaction.  Julianna’s face grew pale, and moments
later, she burst into uncontrollable tears.  At this sudden change, Dominick’s
leisurely expression turned serious with concern. 

“Dear heaven, Julianna, I’m sorry,” he whispered
honestly.  For all that had happened during their first meeting, the last thing
he’d wanted was to make her cry!  Quickly reaching for his handkerchief, he
stepped forward to gently dab the tears from her eyes.  As her sobs continued,
he muttered an oath to himself.  “It would seem we share the trait of awkward
actions.”

“I-It’s not you,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes
with her hand.  “I did come here all alone.” 
Although I’m not sure quite
how,
she thought, giving him a forced rueful smile.  “I’m sorry that this
fact seems to have reduced me to nothing less than a blubbering fool.”