by Darcy Burke
“Did you and Lucien ever run up and down the stairs at Evesham House?”
Constantine blinked at the non sequitur. “Why do you ask?”
“When I was there earlier, I imagined the two of you dashing about the stair hall. Not the foyer.”
A chuckle escaped him. “We did in fact race up and down the stairs, and we even ran through the foyer.” He put his finger to his lips—not the hand that was touching hers. He wasn’t sure he’d ever move that one. “Don’t tell the duke. It was one of many things our mother hid from him.”
“I see. Your mother sounds wonderful. Were you close to her?”
His mother’s brilliant green eyes and wide, infectious smile swam before him, her golden blonde hair a halo about her head. She’d been an angel on earth as she must certainly be in Heaven. “She was the best of mothers,” he murmured. “Kind and sweet, never too busy to spend time with us. She was always reading us stories or taking us on walks. I swear she never stopped moving.” Until she did. She’d fallen ill while Constantine was at school, and he’d never seen her again.
“How wonderful. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to meet her.”
His gaze met hers once more, and he could have drowned in the compassion that shone in her eyes. “I am too. She would have liked you. She said it would take a special woman to be my countess, someone with a softness who would dull my harder edges. I’m afraid that even as a child, I was driven.”
“Was that because of your father?”
“I assume so. His expectations of me have always been high. A day didn’t pass when I wasn’t aware of my duty as heir.”
“I wonder why your father was so exacting. Is so exacting,” she amended. “I often try to puzzle why people are the way they are. I suppose that’s because my own parents were so cold, and I never really understood why.”
He clasped her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers. “How were they cold?” When she hesitated and averted her gaze, he gave her a squeeze. “You don’t have to tell me,” he whispered. But he hoped she would.
“I told you before about how I was so anxious about the Season, about going into crowds of people. I have always been nervous. As a child, I was easily startled by loud noises and I very much disliked change. My mother liked to tell the story of the first time they brought me to London. I was ‘inconsolable and unmanageable’ she said.” She looked back at him, her mouth pressed into a sad line.
He stared at her as he suppressed a violent urge to visit her mother and demand she apologize. As if that would help. The pain in Sabrina’s eyes was deep and old. “She liked to tell that story?”
“I think so. She certainly told it enough, and it wasn’t as if my sisters and I weren’t well aware. But I have no memory of that trip at all.”
“Perhaps she fabricated the entire tale.”
Sabrina shook her head. “I did struggle with change. I liked my routine. I do recall when I graduated from my nurse to the governess. I took ill to my chamber for nearly a fortnight. I just couldn’t bear it.”
He stroked the side of her hand with his thumb. “You were only a child. I can’t tell you how sorry I am you were treated that way, that you were misunderstood.”
“Nurse was wonderful. That’s probably why I was so troubled when she left. The governess had less…patience for me. She did care for me and my sisters though.”
Constantine wanted to wipe away all the dreadful memories. Since he could not, he was even more committed to providing her with new ones. “Well, you are going to show all of them how magnificent you are. We will spare no expense and no effort on this ball. Shall we meet with Haddock and Mrs. Haddock after dinner?”
She blushed, and now it was she who squeezed his hand. “You are so kind. I’ve already met with them, and, in fact, we will be working on the guest list and menu later. You are welcome to join us, of course.”
“I shall.” He wouldn’t let her fail. His father, her parents, and anyone else who ever doubted her would be forced to recognize her for what she meant to be—a respected and capable countess. “What about the invitations? I can ensure they are printed tomorrow, and we will deliver them with the utmost haste.”
“That would be brilliant. Do you really wish to make this an extravagant event?”
“I insist upon it.” This was one area in which his father wholly endorsed spending money. It was imperative to demonstrate their primary place in the hierarchy of the ton.
“We may be working very late,” she said, her eyes searching his. “You are welcome to stay the entire time, and then we can go up to bed…” Her invitation was clear even if she appeared to have reverted to her more shy self.
He leaned toward her and put his face next to hers, so that his lips were near her ear. “Lady Aldington, are you proposing I join you in your bedchamber?”
She turned her head slightly so their eyes could meet once more. “I am.”
“There’s my bold minx.” He lightly pressed his lips to her jaw just in front of her ear. “Forgive me for declining, but I think it might be better if we continue to get to know each other, as we have been. I’m enjoying this time we’re spending together. It feels like the courtship we never had.”
Her sharp intake of breath was soft, and he felt it more than heard it. He also felt her pulse thrumming in her throat. “Aldington. You make me want to swoon.”
“Then swoon. I shall catch you.” He kissed her again, his lips lingering against the velvet of her skin.
“I can’t swoon on a settee.”
“Shall we test that theory?” God, how he wanted to seduce her, to see if he could tease her into such a lustful frenzy that she would indeed swoon.
Soon.
He sat back and willed his hungry body to calm itself. His cock did not understand why he was withdrawing.
“Would you care to ride with me tomorrow?” he asked. “Weather permitting, of course.”
“That would be lovely. However, it will depend on what progress we make with the ball. I’m afraid this is rather pressing. Furthermore, I have several commitments this week with your sister. I am pleased to say she does not have anything planned for Wednesday, so I may still accompany you to dinner at the Brightlys.”
His bloody father. Constantine ought to pay him a visit tomorrow and instruct him to leave his wife alone. He shoved his irritation with the duke away. “Splendid. You must tell me of the other events so I can meet you there. I assume you’ll be going to them with Cassandra.”
“Yes, and with her delightful companion, Miss Lancaster.”
Haddock entered then and informed them that dinner was ready. He wore an odd expression as he regarded them together on the settee. It was almost as if he were pleased and was trying very much not to show it. His lips were pulled rather unnaturally tight, perhaps to avoid smiling.
Constantine found that rather nice.
With reluctance, he stood. However, he didn’t release Sabrina’s hand. He held her fast as he guided her to her feet. “Shall we?”
“I am happy to go wherever you lead, my lord.” She smiled up at him.
How he longed to hear her say Constantine instead of “my lord” or “Aldington.” Hopefully that would come soon. After all, they were still only courting.
Chapter 15
The previous two days had passed as if Sabrina had ridden through them at breakneck speed. Which of course she would never do. While she was a decent horsewoman, she did not enjoy racing.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to ride with Constantine on Monday, nor had she seen him much at all. They had dined together last night, but he’d had to rush off for another meeting. It was a busy time in the House of Commons.
In the meantime, she lay in bed at night, knowing he was right next door and imagining the pleasure they could share. She’d found satisfaction on her own, but where it had been a wonder a week ago, it was now a disappointment when she knew what she was missing with her husband. She longed to chastise her mother
for filling her head with lies and nonsense. However, Sabrina was not that bold.
Besides, it didn’t matter. What had gone before was in the past, and she must focus on the future. As well as the present. She couldn’t stop thinking of what Constantine had said the other night, that this was the courtship they’d never had. Her heart still flipped over every time she recalled not just the words, but also the way he’d touched her…kissed her. She’d been certain he would come to her bed, but she understood why he did not. Yet. And blast it all if she wasn’t falling in love with him for it.
“We’re here,” Cassandra said, looking past Sabrina out the window of the coach toward Mr. and Mrs. Markwith’s house. “I must be honest. I find musicales dreadfully boring. What is your position on them, Sabrina?”
“I haven’t attended a great many.” Because she’d done her best to avoid these kinds of events and, more importantly, the people who attended them. She had to admit she was feeling much less agitated than in the past.
“Probably more than me since this is my first Season.”
“I think I’ve been to three,” Sabrina said.
“This is my third! You are clearly the expert then.” Cassandra grinned. “In favor or against? We’re not leaving the coach until you give your opinion.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth.
“Mildly against,” Sabrina murmured as she suppressed a laugh. Cassandra had such a warm and charming personality. She could improve anyone’s disposition.
“Ha! That makes three of us.” She glanced at Miss Lancaster who sat across from them on the rear-facing seat. “Pru won’t reveal her opinion, but I know.”
Miss Lancaster sat stone-faced, but there was a telltale twinkle in her eye.
They exited the coach and made their way inside between other guests. After exchanging greetings with their hosts, they climbed the stairs to the large drawing room where the musicale would be held.
“This is a great number of people for a musicale,” Cassandra noted, glancing about the crowded room as people milled around the rows of chairs. The windows were thrown open, inviting the cool evening breeze, a welcome balm for the stuffiness of the air.
“Perhaps the musicians are particularly skilled.” Sabrina surveyed the room and instantly wished she was anywhere else. The throng of people was overwhelming enough, but to add to her unease, her mother was coming straight for her. Thankfully, her oldest sister was with her. Peggy’s presence should soften the encounter.
Before they arrived, however, Cassandra spotted someone across the room with whom she wished to speak. “Can I go alone, or do you both want to come with me?”
“I’ll come,” Miss Lancaster said. “That is my entire purpose, in fact.”
“It’s not your entire purpose,” Cassandra said with a laugh. “Sabrina?”
“Er, my mother is coming this way.” She would have much rather gone with Cass and Miss Lancaster. Indeed, she would have much rather jumped onto the dais and burst into song. That was how much she dreaded the coming encounter. She’d rather face her greatest fear—being the center of attention—than suffer her mother’s company. No longer having to do so had been the brightest part of marrying a stranger.
Cass linked her arm through Miss Lancaster’s as Sabrina’s mother arrived. Shorter than Sabrina, she still had the ability to make Sabrina feel small.
“Good evening, Mother, Peggy.” Sabrina pivoted toward Miss Lancaster. “Allow me to present Lady Cassandra’s companion, Miss Lancaster.”
Sabrina’s mother and sister curtsied to Cass, from which Sabrina took a regrettable, perverse pleasure. Her sister-in-law outranked them, but then so did Sabrina. Her sisters’ marriages might look more successful from the outside, given the fact that they’d produced offspring, but Sabrina had married the best of any of them since she would one day be a duchess. That still seemed unbelievable to Lady Tarleton, who never failed to seize an opportunity to comment on the fortune that had allowed Sabrina, of all her daughters, to marry so well.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lancaster.” Peggy gave her a bright smile before turning her attention to Sabrina. “You look well, Sabrina.”
“Thank you.”
“Please excuse us,” Cass said. “I must speak with someone.” She leaned toward Sabrina and whispered, “I’ll find you again soon. Or you find me.”
Sabrina nodded, and the two women left. Summoning the courage that was becoming easier to find, Sabrina faced her mother and sister with a serene expression, her hands clasped before her. “You also look well, Peggy.”
Peggy always looked more than well. She possessed a vibrancy that had never failed to make Sabrina feel lacking, not that her sister had ever sought to do so. In fact, when they were young, Peggy had tried to coax Sabrina to relax and feel less anxious. Though Sabrina had tried, she could never come close to her charming and dazzling eldest sister. Her dark blonde hair was perfectly styled, and she wore a stunning gown of several hues of blue.
Sabrina caught sight of herself in one of the mirrors hanging around the room. Her hair looked elegant and pretty—Charity had done her usual brilliant work. And Sabrina’s gown, another new confection of peacock blue and gold, made her look like the countess she was trying to be. The countess she was.
“Thank you.” Peggy took a small step forward, her blue eyes alight. “I received your invitation to the ball. I’m eagerly anticipating it.”
“If you invited Alicia, I doubt she will attend, since the new babe is barely two months in the world.” The viscountess’s gaze dipped to Sabrina’s belly. “I don’t suppose you are expecting.” It wasn’t even a question.
Sabrina fluttered her hand briefly in front of herself. “It’s certainly possible.” In that moment, she realized it was. She and Constantine had lain together that one night last week. However, while possible, it was unlikely. They’d shared a bed on many occasions, and so far, she had nothing to show for it, unlike her sisters, Peggy and Alicia.
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Well, that would be a miracle.”
“Mother,” Peggy murmured as she cast a frown in her direction.
Their mother clucked her tongue. “So late for your invitations to go out, Sabrina. You’ll be lucky if even a fraction of who you’ve invited will attend.” She paused a moment, likely for her words to land with their intended distress upon Sabrina. In response, Sabrina kept her features placid and worked not to squeeze her hands together.
The internal wobble that had been so much a part of Sabrina’s youth and that made her feel as if she could crack into a hundred pieces at any given moment returned. Gritting her teeth, both against the unsettling sensation and her mother’s obnoxiousness, she surprised herself by asking, “And how will you respond, Mother?”
The viscountess’s eyes rounded, and a victorious surge beat down Sabrina’s anxiety. “I haven’t yet decided, to be honest. I can’t imagine it will be well executed since you seem to be rushing to host it.”
“Mother, you must come,” Peggy pleaded. “Sabrina is going to be a duchess.” That her sister had to use that argument to persuade her mother to attend her own daughter’s first ball was incredibly sad.
Sabrina gave her mother a smile that should have peeled the paint from the drawing room walls. “By all means, if you anticipate that the ball—that I—will be a failure, it’s best if you don’t come. When the duke asks where my parents are, I will explain they were too busy to attend.”
Her mother’s gasp was the most satisfying sound Sabrina had ever heard.
“There you are, my dear.”
Sabrina pivoted to see her husband moving to her side. He set his hand against her back, eliciting a shiver along her spine. Had he ever touched her like that? Let alone in a social setting?
“Good evening, Lady Tarleton.” Constantine inclined his head toward Sabrina’s mother and then toward her sister. “Lady Stinton. How delightful to encounter you. It’s so rare that we see you both, especially you, Lady Tarleton.”
“Good evening, Lord Aldington,” Sabrina’s mother said stiffly. “I’m not sure I recall the last time I saw you and my daughter in the same company.”
“Well, it certainly wasn’t at your house for dinner or even a visit.” Constantine flashed her a smile that Sabrina hadn’t even realized he possessed. Spectacularly handsome and deliciously taunting at the same time. Oh, yes, she was going to hug him at the earliest possible opportunity.
He presented his arm to Sabrina. “Come, lady wife, let us take a turn. Good evening, ladies.”
The moment Sabrina put her hand on his arm, he steered her to the other side of the drawing room and into an adjoining room with tables of refreshments. He didn’t pause to offer her anything. Instead, he guided her to a door and pushed it open. They stepped onto a small balcony, and he closed the door behind him.
Sabrina immediately chilled as gooseflesh rippled across her bare shoulders. She suddenly realized they were alone. The balcony was small—perhaps one other couple could fit—and it overlooked the rear garden. Without pause, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “Thank you,” she said against his collar.
He clasped her back, his hands warm against her. “Are you all right?”
“I am now. What you did inside… What you said to my mother…” She drew back so she could look up into his eyes. The faint gold flecks seemed more brilliant tonight, despite the darkness on the balcony. “Thank you. No one has ever…rescued me like that.”
A smile teased his lips. “I heard what you said before I interrupted. I’m not sure you needed rescuing, but I’m afraid I couldn’t resist contributing.” His fingertips stroked her spine, trailing upward until his glove met her flesh.
“It was marvelous,” she whispered, leaning into him so her breasts pressed against his chest. The night air was cold, but he was so warm. Safe. Arousing.