by Brianna York
Cecily opened her mouth to say something, then shut it right away. Rosy saw the sudden look of self-awareness and play-acting drop into place that she had seen the other girl use many a time to charm men. She followed Cecily’s flirtatious gaze and felt a sudden shock when she saw Rob standing in the foyer. He had as yet not noticed them since he was greeting Rosy’s mother.
“It appears that your worries about him choosing not to attend were ill-founded,” Cecily said quietly to Rosy. She turned her small chin to the side a bit and simpered with practiced ease, her blue eyes very bright and her figure displayed to full advantage. Rosy watched this performance and could not decide if she was jealous or impressed.
Rob finished exchanging greetings with the Duchess Norwood and turned. He could see them now and he drew to an abrupt halt, his expression inscrutable at first. Rosy felt a flash of pain when his eyes passed over her face and alighted on Cecily’s. He smiled with appreciation at Cecily’s little act, then glanced briefly again at Rosy.
“A good evening to you both,” he said quietly, his eyes so darkly blue that they almost appeared violet in the candlelight. His gaze lingered on Rosy’s face and she saw a flash of confusion in the glance and something else that she could not name. He sketched a formal bow to them both, his perfectly tailored evening clothes accentuating the elegant slimness of his waist and the bunch and release of muscles beneath the sleeves of his coat as he shifted his shoulders. Rosy felt a thrill of desire that was very different than the reaction that the Viscount caused in her. This thrill of wanting was accompanied by a wish to be kept safe by his strong arms and to make it known to all that she had been the woman who was worthy enough of his regard to belong on his arm forever. She did not long for Rob only in the physical sense. She longed for his soul along with his body.
Rosy dipped a curtsy but could not find any words to say. She felt totally frozen in place, hating that she felt paralyzed by his presence but so keenly aware of him that she simply could not think straight. Cecily however, was in full possession of herself. She dipped into a pert and adorable curtsy.
“It is our pleasure, of course, My Lord,” she simpered.
Rosy felt true physical pain as Rob looked away from her and regarded Cecily with interest. She was not unrealistic enough to deny that the other girl was very beautiful, but a small and petty part of her heart wished that Rob would not look at her with such obvious approval. She watched them exchange a long glance, Cecily maintaining the perfect balance of forward interest and maidenly reserve before Rob turned away and climbed the stairs to partake of the dinner that was waiting for the guests.
Rosy watched his slim form as he climbed the stairs energetically. Her heart felt bruised and she dared not look at Cecily for fear that the tears standing in her eyes would be obvious to the other young woman.
“Oh he is more handsome than I remembered,” Cecily tittered, her eyes following Rob up the stairs with calculation. “It would not be hard being married for money if that is the man you are sharing a bed with each night!”
Rosy glanced at the other girl with some amazement. It was not very socially polite to acknowledge such things to other members of polite society. Rosy was hardly one to cast stones, but she was surprised to hear the other girl be so blunt.
“Oh don’t look at me like that!” Cecily chastised her. “You were thinking it too.” She tilted her head to the side and looked at Rosy thoughtfully. “You know, I did not realize it before, but you are quite in love with the Earl, aren’t you?”
“Hush!” Rosy hissed at Cecily, her eyes flashing with anger. She felt dizzy for a moment with the whirl of emotions that Cecily’s words caused. She felt ashamed that she should be so easy to read, angry that the other girl should mention such a thing to her so rudely, and frightened that Rob would marry the beautiful and calculating Cecily simply because she was so much better at flirting.
Cecily’s timbre of flippancy receded somewhat and an expression of contrition flitted across her flawless face. “I am sorry. I had not wished to hurt your feelings. I shall go up to dinner with you if you wish to have company on the walk?”
Rosy glanced behind her and saw that her mother was waving her up the stairs. Feeling a bit nauseous with emotion and heartache, Rosy nodded mutely at Cecily. She allowed Cecily to slip her arm through hers and tried to collect herself. It would not do to spend the rest of the evening in a fog of lovesickness. Curse you Robert Kensington, she thought angrily as the carpet beneath her feet blurred due to the tears in her eyes. Why can you not see that I love you so?
Chapter Nine
Rob took another sip of claret and sighed internally. He had been seated next to the Countess of Pleasant, which was never an inconvenience as she was an excellent conversationalist as well as a beautiful woman. Sadly though, his other dinner companion was Longford, who seemed determined to drive him mad with talk of things better left alone.
“I do wonder sometimes if marriage might be just the thing for me to undertake at this age,” the Viscount was saying. “I have been too long focused on horse racing, cards and the company of my friends. Perhaps it is time to become more serious about carrying on the family line.”
Rob cringed a bit at the topic of conversation. The last thing he wished to discuss was the getting of heirs. He thought for a moment about the state of his own finances and his need to produce a daughter so that he might ensure the future of his title. The wave of worry that thought carried with it induced him to ignore Longford and take yet another sip of claret. He was worried that he might be getting drunk but found that he almost did not care.
The Countess of Pleasant eyed Rob briefly. He looked wan and pale to her and she sensed an uncharacteristic depression hovering about his person. She shot a warning glance at the Viscount who merely shrugged and turned to his other dining companion. The Countess placed a hand softly on Rob’s sleeve. He glanced around at her, covering the haunted look in his eyes a moment too late.
“You seem a bit distracted, My Lord,” she said softly. “I hope that all is well with you?”
Rob smiled a bit at her concern. She had been a lovely romp in his younger years and he had remained some species of friends with the older woman. She might be a bit brash and extravagant, but she had a kind heart. “I have been contemplating marriage as well these past weeks,” he said by way of a reply. “I suppose the responsibility of my title is beginning to creep up on me a bit.”
The Countess smiled at that. “I cannot imagine you taking anything too seriously, Rob,” she said. “If marriage appeals so little to you, why not remain a bachelor?”
Rob glanced at her for a moment, one dark eyebrow cocked in amusement. “Easy words for a woman who married for practicality. You of all people should know that sometimes practicality with regards to matrimony has benefits which outweigh those of remaining singular.”
The Countess thought for a moment about the doddering old man she had married when she was barely nineteen. He had been smelly, infirm and deaf but he had been kind to her and had left her with enough money and security to live out her life as she chose. “Indeed, I suppose I should advise anyone against the institution if they have thought through their reasons,” she replied. “I just wish to see you be your usual gay and light-hearted self.”
Rob smiled wanly at her. “I have some decisions to make, but I do believe that once they are made I shall feel much more like my former self.” The Countess did not miss the small glance that Rob directed at Rosy as he said this. She thought she saw a species of sadness surrounding the look her gave her that did not bode well for whatever decisions he was speaking about.
“I shall think some happy thoughts for you in that case, my Lord,” she said kindly, patting his sleeve again.
Rob grinned at her then with a ghost of his usual carefree manner. “You are too kind,” he told her.
Down the length of the table, Rosy saw Rob talking with the Countess of Pleasant. Her heart flip flopped when she saw him gri
n at the older woman. She knew through gossip that he had frequented the Countess’s bed for a Season some years ago. While she was not afraid of Rob taking back up with the Countess, it still made her heart ache to see him bestow that intimate smile on another woman. She felt her vision blur with tears again and wrestled her gaze away from Rob. She spooned soup into her mouth and attempted to gain control over her emotions again.
“You are very quiet tonight,” Alex said quietly to Rosy as the soup dish was cleared away in preparation for another course. She waved away the footman offering her more wine.
Rosy exhaled loudly and closed her eyes for a moment. “I hate to see him in charity with others when he is not pleased with me,” she blurted out, her gaze trained down into her lap at her clasped hands.
“Whom do you…” Alex began to say, then realized what Rosy was talking about. She reached out and placed a hand over Rosy’s clenched fists. “I see. I am sorry that you two have still not mended the breach. Is there anything that I can do?”
Rosy shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She attempted a smile. “I simply need to try and think about happier things. I cannot make him forgive me for what happened in the park if he does not feel inclined to do so.”
“That is a very wise attitude,” Alex said quietly to the younger woman.
“Besides, he shall be ever so jealous when he sees me dancing with the Viscount later tonight.” Rosy tilted her head toward Longford who was regarding her from a few seats away with obvious interest on his face. He noticed their attention and raised his wine glass to the two women in salute. Rosy felt her spirits lift a little as she nodded in reply to his gesture.
After revealing her hurt feelings to Alex, Rosy felt her spirits improve enough to allow her to enjoy dinner more. The rest of the meal passed more quickly and it seemed a moment later that they were excused to go downstairs and begin dancing. Cecily caught up to Rosy almost immediately upon entering the ball room, chattering about frivolous things. Rosy let the other woman’s prattling wash over her but heard none of it. She was scanning the room for Rob, but had not seen him yet. Knowing that he would likely be wherever Matthew was, she sought out the bright blonde, curly hair of Duke Dunsaney. Being so tall, he was easy to locate in the mass of people moving into the ball room. The press of guests was filing along walls so that they might regard the artistic chalking of the floor which had been done in preparation for the feet of the dancers. Rosy noted with pleasure that her mother had taken her advice and had an ornate unicorn chalked onto the floor by the artist. It looked medieval and fantastic. Rosy almost hated to see it swept away by dancing feet but shrugged a bit as the first couples took the floor. All things had their season, she supposed.
She was still contemplating this thought when the Viscount arrived in her orbit. He swept her a courtly bow, his hazel eyes twinkling at her with mischief. “Will you consent to dance with me, My Lady?”
Rosy dropped him a curtsy. “Of course, Viscount. I shall be honored.” She offered him her hand and he whirled her immediately into the figures of the dance which was just beginning. She laughed aloud, pleased with the pressure of his fingers on her hands and the expertise of his dancing. She felt the worry of the past hour dropping off her shoulders as she gave herself over to the fun of dancing with an excellent partner.
“Look how jealous you have made the other women,” Longford said to her as he twirled her quickly about the room.
Rosy glanced around the room and saw that there were indeed some women along the walls regarding her with outright irritation and jealousy. She laughed again, unused to being the center of such attention and enjoying it. “They are only jealous because it is you who is dancing with me,” she retorted. “I should not occasion such feelings for myself alone.”
“You do not do yourself enough credit,” Longford told her as he swept her easily along in the figures of the dance. “Many men wish to court you but they simply do not know how to approach you. You are ever so enigmatic sometimes.”
Rosy glanced at him in some consternation. “Me? I am not enigmatic!”
He cocked his head at her. “Well if you are not meaning to seem so, then you might wish to attempt to stop presenting that face to the world. I am brash enough not to care if you seem disinterested in me, but others who are less forward may not be brave enough to make the attempt.” She saw his gaze travel over her head and realized that he was looking at Rob who was a few couples away dancing with Cecily Beaumont. Rosy tried to ignore the way her heart clenched when she saw the pair together. Apparently her father had made the required introductions so that Cecily could dance with Rob.
“Do you suppose that I seem sometimes as though I do not wish to speak to others?” Rosy asked the Viscount with interest. “I am only ever shy if I am not being friendly. I would hate to seem forbidding.”
The Viscount smiled kindly at her, his usual air of flirtation replaced with the air of a confidant. “I believe that it would be hard to interpret what your wishes are when you do not make them plain. I myself am sometimes uncertain what you shall do. That might make a more conservative man very nervous.” He saw her eyes find Rob again and smiled down at her. “I should state that I do believe that your ability to do the unexpected is one of my favorite things about you.”
“Oh la,” Rosy said with a chuckle, her eyes returning to the Viscount’s face. “I was ever being criticized for being a hoyden when I was younger. I have not totally lost those desires, but I do try and cover them up with better behavior now that I am older.”
“Perhaps you should not do so any longer,” Longford said to her softly. She looked up into his gaze and was surprised to see that there was none of his usual flippant arrogance in the expression. He seemed genuinely interested in the conversation and his gaze was almost fatherly. “I cannot speculate as to his feelings, but he did come to the club after the first morning that we spoke in the park just to tell me to leave you alone. When I asked why I should not court you myself he did not say that he wished I would not, but his desire for me not to do so was very evident.”
“Indeed?” Rosy asked, a small curl of hope unfurling in her chest. “Why did he feel the need to warn you off though? Surely he could have made himself known to me if he wished me not to pay attention to other men.”
The Viscount chuckled at her. “Oh, I imagine that he has not really admitted to himself how he feels. The Earl prefers things to go smoothly and is ever at odds with any situation that does not rub along pleasantly. You likely worry him with your impulsive actions from time to time.”
Rosy sighed. She supposed that she could see the logic in that line of thought. She watched Rob and Cecily pass by again, Cecily’s golden hair glowing beneath the candles lighting the room and her small white hand placed neatly atop Rob’s broad shoulder. “Why must they look so lovely together?” she breathed out sadly.
Longford watched the other couple pass by, holding his silence for a moment. “I will admit that my cousin is quite a beauty,” he said in a level voice. “She is also frivolous, young and very desperate for a husband who will elevate her from her current station. I do not believe that she is at all the kind of woman that Kensington would wish to shackle himself to for the rest of his life.”
“You truly think that?” Rosy asked, her voice breathless. Then she frowned a bit at him. “Why are you offering all this advice about how I should seek to get the Earl’s attention? Are you trying to play a trick on me?”
Longford laughed out loud at this. The dance came to a close and he offered her a formal bow. “I am ever at your service, my lady.” He watched her curtsy, then collected her hand and placed it on his arm as he led her off the dance floor. “I am only sorry for myself that I am not the marrying sort. You will make someone a truly wonderful companion and wife.”
Rosy knew she should have felt more overset by the Viscount’s sudden change of heart but she had to admit to herself that what she felt for him was only a physical attraction. She enjo
yed the Viscount but could never love him as she loved Rob. It meant the world to her to hear Longford’s advice regarding Rob’s feelings. It gave her hope that things between them might work out.
Finding herself alone at the edge of the dancefloor for a moment after the Viscount had made himself scarce, she quickly located Rob a few feet away, engaged in conversation with Cecily. She made for them quickly before she lost her nerve.
“My Lord,” she said as she arrived alongside them, “Might I borrow you for a moment?” She saw Cecily’s sudden scowl from the corner of her eye and heard the girl make a noise in protest. She did not spare the other woman a moment’s attention, her eyes trained on Rob’s face expectantly.
Rob regarded Rosy for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. That flare of anger which he had found so attractive the other morning when they had first argued over the Viscount speaking to her was back in her eyes. Her dark eyes shone with command and emotion. Her full mouth was parted enticingly as she stared up at him expectantly. He felt a tightening in his groin that he tried to ignore so that he might think rationally. His instinct was to tell her that he could not join her but he could not think of any reason to refuse her and if he was being honest with himself, he did not wish to. Finally, he simply gestured with one hand and said, “Of course. Lead on, My Lady.”
Rosy turned on her heel and marched through the doorway into the foyer. Once they were clear of most of the prying eyes in the room, she snatched Rob’s hand and nearly drug him after her down the hall. Reaching the door of the library, she wrenched the door open and hurried inside. “Close the door,” she ordered as she strode into the room ahead of Rob. He did as she bade and turned toward her, a question on his lips which was cut short by her mouth crushing against his as she flung her arms around him.