Time for Love (27 page)

What else could she do? She had never tried to make anyone love her. She’d fought tooth and nail against it, knowing she never stayed in one place long, and it hurt more if she cared about the people she left. So all she had to go on was the attraction between her and Nicholas. She hoped it would be enough.

****

The night of the party, Alex descended the stairs as Nicholas waited. Her heart did a spinning hook kick against her ribs at the sight of him. She thought his everyday clothes were very formal, and compared to what men wore around the house in modern times, they were. Nevertheless, his evening attire was certainly something special.

His jacket was a deep, midnight blue and looked spectacular against the crisp, pure white of his shirt and cravat. His hair was brushed back from his face, but he’d left it free of its usual tie to tuck it behind his ears. It gave him that slightly wild look that made her insides tingle.

And hadn’t she wished at one point he’d wear tighter pants? Well, here they were. And she’d been right about the sight he’d present in them. Yum.

She watched him for a few moments before he realized she was there. He stood at the foot of the stairs talking quietly with Mr. Grayson and Preston. Probably going over security details for the evening.

In addition to the Adonis, several of her former crewmates were stationed throughout the house on guard duty. Alex had overheard Nicholas telling them that someone was to keep an eye on her at all times.

He looked up and stopped speaking mid-sentence. Mr. Grayson followed his gaze and smiled before motioning for the butler to precede him out of the hall.

Alex smiled and attempted to glide down the stairs as her mother did. She doubted her ability to pull it off as she held the hem of her dress up out of the way and watched every step. She’d tripped too many times to be careless walking down a full flight of steps. As she reached the bottom step, Nicholas held a hand out and she grasped it.

“You look lovely, Alex.” Nicholas’s eyes radiated a heat that scorched her where she stood.

“Thank you.”

They stood still, his hold on her hand warm and inviting. Slowly a slight frown marred his features. “There’s something missing.” He smiled suddenly and put a hand to his pocket, withdrawing a gold chain. “I have just the thing. Turn around, please.”

Alex turned and soaked up Nicholas’s heat along the length of her back. His arms encircled her shoulders and a small weight dropped onto her chest. She looked down in surprise. Her locket. Her eyes misted, thrilled to have it back. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. “I thought this was going to some woman you know,” she quipped, trying to mask the tears in her voice.

He snorted. “You thought no such thing. I only wanted to have something of yours to hold onto until I was able to convince you to end your charade and join me in my bed.”

Alex swung around and stared, lips twitching. “I don’t know whether to be outraged or flattered.”

“Let’s choose flattered, shall we? Outrage does not suit the mood tonight.”

Alex laughed. “Only you would think you can command my emotions to your liking.”

He grinned back. “Only I could do it,” he said, and then laughed. “Are you ready for a night of dancing and merriment?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“You overwhelm me with your enthusiasm,” Nicholas said, a touch of concern in his voice. “Are you worried for your safety? I have taken precautions in that respect. Mr. Grayson is overseeing security for the evening. You should have no fear; I will not permit any harm to come to you.”

“Oh, I know that.” Her heart fluttered at his reassurances. Surely he cared more for her than just as a sex toy, or he wouldn’t be going to all this trouble to make sure she not only was safe, but felt safe too.

“Alexandra?” called a voice from above, and her mother appeared at the top of the steps. “There you are, dear. Would you please come to my room for a moment? We need to select your jewelry for the evening.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Nicholas returned my necklace, and I think it goes nicely, don’t you?” She held the necklace up to catch the light. She looked back up quickly when she heard her mother’s gasp. “Are you all right?”

“The necklace! You still have it.”

It suddenly came back to Alex why the necklace was so special to her—the only thing she had left from her parents. “Oh.” She rushed up the stairs to where her mother seemed frozen on the landing. “Yeah, I still have it. It’s always been such a great comfort to me, knowing that once upon a time, I had parents who loved me.”

Tears glistened in her mother’s eyes as she stared at the necklace. Alex barely heard her whisper. “We gave them to you and your sister on your tenth birthday, the day you disappeared. Your sister’s pendant has an emerald. Your favorite colors.” She looked up and met Alex’s eyes. “It brought you comfort when you were a child?”

“Oh yes. I never took it off. So many of the other kids I ran into were taken from their homes because they were abused or neglected. I couldn’t remember being loved, but I would hold the pendant and know that I had been at one time. So many never even had that.”

Alex wanted to give the woman a hug, but she just didn’t know if it would be okay. None of her foster parents had ever encouraged any kind of physical contact; they were too afraid of lawsuits. The few that had encouraged it, needed to be sued.

Nicholas whispered in her ear, “Alex.” She’d been so focused on her mother she hadn’t realized he’d followed her up the stairs. “I think Lady Downing would welcome a hug from her daughter.”

Alex looked into her mother’s eyes and seeing the longing there, leapt forward and flung her arms around her. They held each other tightly for several minutes until Alex pulled back in horror. “Oh my God, your dress! I’m so sorry, did I wrinkle it?” She looked her mother up and down, but she looked stately and elegant, not a hair out of place.

“My dear, don’t you worry about my dress. I would risk a thousand wrinkles for a hug from you.” Her smile was radiant, if a bit watery. “Now. You have a necklace, but you could still use a few other accessories.” She turned to Nicholas, “If you will please excuse us?”

“Of course, my lady.” Nicholas bowed and left Alex to her mother’s loving care.

****

The lights of hundreds of candles dazzled Alex as she entered the ballroom on Nicholas’s arm shortly before guests were expected to arrive. Flowers covered every surface, and the floor gleamed with reflected light. She could imagine how the room would look with people crowding the dance floor, twirling and swaying to the music of the orchestra set up in the far corner.

Nicholas turned to her and bowed. “Would you care to dance, my lady?”

Alex laughed. “We might as well do it now, because there’s no way I’ll be dancing when there’s anyone around to watch.” She stepped into his arms, and he immediately swung her around into a waltz. He held her tighter than they had practiced and she nearly—
swooned
—she guessed was the word someone would use in this time. In Nicholas’s arms, she could dance the night away, light as a feather and floating on air.

“I have missed holding you. We must either be married soon or run away together on
The Reliant
.” His arms tightened around her so she could scarcely breathe, but he relaxed quickly, and she took a deep breath. Well, as deep as possible. Evelyn had been a little overzealous in tying up her corset this evening.

“I’ve missed you, too,” Alex replied, a trifle breathlessly as they twirled around the dance floor, the only two people in the world.

Clapping brought the dance to an abrupt halt. She blushed as she turned to the door to see Mary and Gregory standing there, applauding. They made a pretty sight. Mary shone in her long, cream and pink gown with her hair piled high atop her head, and Gregory suited up to perfection.

“You look beautiful, Alexandra!” Mary exclaimed. “Your dancing has improved tremendously. You will be the hit of the party.”

“Absolutely stunning,” Gregory added. “Mother said you had chosen an unusual color for your gown, but it certainly does suit you. No one will be able to take their eyes off you.”

Blushing even more furiously now, Alex returned the kind words. “You both look amazing, too. I doubt anyone will even notice me with you in the room, Mary, that dress is gorgeous. You’ll have all the men standing in line for a chance to dance with you. And Gregory, you certainly are very dashing this evening.”
I’m beginning to get a hang of the way everyone talks around here.

Gregory bowed in acknowledgement of the compliment. “We should go receive our guests,” Gregory said.

A knot formed in the pit of her stomach at the clatter of a carriage drawing up in front of the house. She held her head high and dismissed it. “Of course. That way we can make sure everyone gets a good look. If our kidnapper is among the guests, we want to make sure he notices me.”

Alex ignored Nicholas’s frown.

****

All eyes were indeed on Alex and Nicholas, but no one seemed hostile or shocked, just curious. Everyone wanted to be in on the latest gossip, and they were the most likely subjects. Alex inspected everyone, hoping for a spark of recognition, but it was no use. No one seemed familiar or showed any sign of alarm at her presence.

She got her fair share of interest, particularly from the young men, but nothing compared to the intense interest Nicholas garnered. He grabbed the ladies’ attention and held onto it.

Apparently, society had awaited his homecoming for some time, ever since his brother’s death. No one could remember ever meeting him; he had been so young when his father died and he joined the navy. All they knew was he had inherited a title, land, a fortune, and was single.

The mothers of the
ton
were obsessed with him, according to Lady Downing. They all hoped for the triumph of gaining such a son-in-law and were eager to make his acquaintance.

This proved accurate from what Alex observed, and she had a hard time keeping her temper with many of them. She could have happily executed a back-hand strike on a number of people as they openly stared at him like he was a museum exhibit. Some, mostly the marriageable daughters, even went so far as to gasp at the sight of his scars and shrink back from him. He took their reaction well, though the tension in his arm whenever he brushed against her, sent her nerves jangling.

That he was annoyed with her didn’t help. Every time he glanced her way, she could feel his disappointment. He wanted her introduced as his fiancée, but Alex had refused. She won her argument by saying they needed to keep her real identity a secret. Their plan hinged on the kidnapper being shocked into revealing himself. If he were forewarned, he would have time to come up with a plan, and they’d be screwed.

But she had another reason for keeping the engagement to themselves. She didn’t want to put him in the position of having to face the scandal of a broken engagement if things didn’t work out. If she’d learned anything from hanging out with the Creswells, they took scandals seriously around here.

Lady Oakleigh was no exception. Alex had met Nicholas’s mother on more than one occasion over the past few weeks, and they hadn’t exactly hit it off. But at least Alex had one ally in her desire to keep her engagement a secret. Lady Oakleigh didn’t particularly like the match.

Alex couldn’t blame her. Nicholas had told her a little about how Lucius had barely provided Lady Oakleigh and Meghan with enough to eat, let alone the clothes and all the other trappings necessary for venturing out into society. They’d lived like hermits, barely getting by. Now the lady’s beloved son had returned to take care of her, and some scheming hussy had already trapped him into marriage.

At least Alex didn’t have to face another chilly greeting from the Dowager Marchioness or her bitchy daughter that evening. Nicholas had asked them to stay home, given all that could happen.

After what seemed like forever, she was released from greeting duty, and Nicholas escorted her into the ballroom to watch the dancing. As it was Mary’s ball, she led the first dance, so they didn’t miss much.

A swirling rainbow of color greeted her eyes, and she watched in awe as dancers practically flew in and out amongst each other in an intricate country dance.

“Wow.” Alex mouthed the word, staring in amazement. “It’s like watching a movie being filmed right in front of my eyes. People just aren’t this coordinated as a group without rehearsing. I’d have bumped into at least a dozen people by now.”

Nicholas laughed. “It’s not as difficult as it seems. Besides, these people have practiced these dances since they were in the schoolroom. They could dance blindfolded.” He looked down at Alex and placed his hand over the one she had curled around his arm. “Care to join them?”

Alex took the invitation to mean he was no longer annoyed with her, and a little of her tension eased. “Uh, no thanks.” Alex smiled up at him and chuckled. “Believe me. You should be happy I’m refusing. Your toes would never survive.” She looked around the room and pointed toward doors leading out into the garden. “Why don’t we stand over there and watch the dancing. We’ll be pretty noticeable from the door in case our kidnapper comes in late.”

“I do not like using you in this manner,” his voice gruff, as they made their way across the room.

She patted his hand. “Don’t worry so much. What could happen? Besides, I can take care of myself, you know.”

“Yes, I know.” He smiled down at her. “But I
like
taking care of you.”

Alex blushed and looked down, unsure how to respond as warmth seeped through her at his words. Surely, that was love in his voice? She looked away and spotted a gentleman bringing a drink to a young woman. She cleared her throat. “I could use a drink; how about you?”

He seemed caught off guard but quickly came to himself. “Certainly, I will fetch you some lemonade. Or would you prefer champagne?”

“A little champagne would be lovely, thank you.” She started to follow him, but he put a hand out to stop her.

“I will get it. You stay here and enjoy the dancing.” He made his way across to the refreshment room, on the way signaling a footman to keep an eye on her.