Page 16 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
Perhaps she does not like to think of herself as such, even if that is what she is.
“I’m sorry,” he said tentatively, “I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s all right. I suppose you are correct. Iaman outsider, at least where these people are concerned. I know I should make more of an effort, especially for my brother’s sake, but I just can’t. Perhaps that is why I am so drawn to you, My Lord.”
His heart broke with sympathy for her, but it leaped at her final words, that she, too, was drawn by some unknown force. She was finding her transition into her new life difficult, that much was clear. He dearly wished he knew how to help her, but he feared that, by allowing her to associate with him, he would be doing anything but helping her.
“Well,” he said with an exaggerated sigh, hoping to make her laugh, “I guess you will have to sit with me, instead. Such a hardship.”
She did laugh, her chuckle well trained and ladylike, her grin hidden behind her hand, and he smiled to hear such a beautiful sound.
If only I could free the bird within, watch her fly and hear her sing. We could disappear together.
“Indeed,” she said once she had recovered, “a terrible hardship. I really do think you’re the most awful brute for even suggesting it.”
“Me? A brute?” He held his hand to his chest in mock outrage. “I cannot believe you would say such a thing.”
They locked eyes for a long moment, neither sure what to say. Sebastian was confused by the feelings this woman stirred up in him, but he certainly didn’t want them to stop. It was too delightful a thrill. She was beautiful, that he could not deny. She was intriguing, too.
She pulled her eyes away and he cleared his throat, turning to focus on the garden instead. The sky was gloomy, the light from the ball just reaching them so they could make out shapes, but not quite enough to brighten the sky.
The break in their conversation was a perfect one, a comfortable and easy one, their bodies talking silently to one another as they sat side by side. It built in them an excitement, the chemistry between them roiling beneath the surface, the tease of it.
“You are here with your sister?” Miss Jones asked, turning to him, her voice high with inquiry.
“I am,” he said, surprised she had known.
Does that mean she has heard the rumors, too?
He shook his head, determined not to let his bitterness over everything that had happened to him interrupt his conversation with her.
“She seems—”
“Harsh?” he offered, and she laughed again. “She doesn’t mean to be; it’s just her way.”
“I was not going to sayharsh, but determined, perhaps. I haven’t had an opportunity to speak to her, but I watched the resolute way in which she made her way around the room. She has quite the presence.”
“Holding out her dance card.” He chuckled too, then. “Yes, I suppose she is rather determined, but she has had a difficult life up until now. She is of an age when determination is the only thing she has to get what she wants. I dearly wish I could help improve her life, but I don’t think that I can.”
He looked down at his hands with consternation, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips as he remembered all he had put poor Diana through. And all he could not stop himself from doing.
“I’m sorry,” Miss Jones said softly. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s all right.” He looked back at her, raising his head from the images of his past, and he smiled. “I know this is a peculiar thing to say to a lady I have only just met, but it feels somehow easy to talk to you.”
She beamed, clearly appreciating the comment, and she sat a little straighter. Sebastian was pleased to see her so happy, and he liked that it had been him to put a smile on her face.
“I can understand that,” Miss Jones said. “Sometimes, the easiest people to talk to are the people we hardly know.”
“And sometimes,” he said, looking into her eyes, “we meet someone with whom we are meant to talk.”
“Sometimes,” she said, nodding her agreement, “sometimes that’s true, yes.”
Her eyes sparkled with her agreement, wordlessly telling him how much she agreed, and he was tempted—so very tempted—to lean over and kiss her plump lips.
“Well, anyway,” he said, hoping to change the subject and clearing his throat yet again. It was far too soon to even think of kissing. “How are you finding Carrington Hall?”
“It’s beautiful,” Miss Jones said. “The paintings in the ballroom are quite something. I could have just as easily stood staring at them rather than socialize at all. I had never expected to attend an event such as this—not as a guest, at least.”
