Page 30 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
Samantha watched as Nox looked embarrassed. She could tell that he hated all this fuss and that he would much rather be at the bow of a ship, sailing the Caribbean on some fresh adventure. It was her dream, too. She had no wish for society, with its obsession for idle gossip and delight in scandal. She would happily provide that scandal if it meant escaping from the likes of Regina and her father.
The evening was drawing to a close and there was to be one final dance – a waltz – before the ball was declared at an end. Samantha was sitting with Rebecca and Catherine, and she knew that in a moment Reginald would stride across the room and insist on taking her hand. But just as he did so, Nox himself stepped forward from the throng and offered Samantha his hand.
“May I have the pleasure of a dance with you?” he asked, as Samantha rose to her feet.
“You may, My Lord,” she said, curtsying to him and smiling.
“I think not,” Reginald said, stepping in between them, “you are my betrothed and I shall have the pleasure.”
“I wish to dance with the Earl of Brimsey, Reginald. You have filled my dance card this night, it is only fair that another has the chance to do so,” she replied, feeling emboldened by Nox’s presence.
“Yes, let the lady decide who she dances with,” Nox said, taking Samantha by the hand.
Reginald blustered, but he had no choice but to step back, as Nox led Samantha into the throng and the music took up.
“He will be so very cross,” she whispered, as others began to look, fans flapping and whispers exchanged.
“Let him be,” Nox replied.
Samantha could see her father and Regina, each looking at her incredulously, as Nox now took her in his arms and whirled her amid the throng of dancers.
“You dance ever so well for a pirate,” she said, and he laughed.
“But you forget, I was raised to be an Earl and a gentleman. It is not that hard, rather like sword fighting, a cut and thrust, a sidestep here, a twist of the feet there. You too dance exquisitely,” he said, as he pulled her close to him, their lips almost meeting.
Samantha was breathless, caught up in the delight of the moment they now shared. She forgot about everyone else around her. All that mattered was Nox and the dance they now shared. She knew Reginald would be seething, that her father would be angry, that Regina would judge her, that the Thompson twins would breathe threats against her, and that all the room would be scandalized.
But none of this mattered, and as the music reached its climax, she put her arms around Nox’s neck, as he lifted her up into the air and brought her down with a flourish, his lips meeting hers in a kiss.
A gasp went up from the crowd which had now parted so that Samantha and Nox were the only remaining dancers. The entire room was watching them, and Nox kissed her again, smiling at her as their lips parted. She had not expected such a brazen act, but it delighted her, and now she knew there could be no going back.
“Nox,” she gasped, shocked by this forwardness, her lips tingling as her face flushed.
And yet, despite the scandal of what had just occurred, she could not help but feel a delight at sharing such a moment before the gathered crowd, of knowing the shock they had caused, a clear message to her father of what her intentions had always been. A declaration had been made, an act which could not be forgotten, a moment which they would remember forever. Now, he stepped back and bowed to her as she curtsied to him, breathless and filled with ecstatic delight.
“What is the meaning of this?” Reginald demanded, catching hold of Samantha’s arm and dragging her backward.
“Unhand the lady,” Nox demanded, stepping forward, as Reginald turned to him angrily.
“She is my betrothed, Sir, and you have taken a liberty far beyond anything a gentleman should do,” he cried, and Nox smiled.
“Then it is to my advantage that I am also a pirate,” he said, and with a swift, sharp motion, he planted a punch squarely between Reginald’s eyes.
Samantha clutched her hands to her mouth as a gasp went up around the assembly. Reginald crumpled to the ground like a swatted insect, lying on his back and groaning.
“I think the evening has come to an end, Ladies and Gentleman,” Nox’s uncle said, as Reginald struggled to his feet.
“You–” he began, pointing to Samantha, who turned and rolled her eyes.
“He barely struck you,” she said, and with his pride irrevocably wounded, Reginald staggered from the ballroom.
“Samantha, what is the meaning of this?” her father demanded, striding through the crowd, and taking her by the arm.
“Your daughter has been appallingly treated by that man, Your Grace. But I am not what you think I am,” Nox began.
But Samantha’s father did not give him an opportunity to finish, and he dragged Samantha away, cursing her for her stupidity, as the other guests muttered and tutted behind their fans. She was dragged from the ballroom and her father summoned a footman to have a carriage brought round. They were to leave at once. Regina followed, a smug expression upon her face, and it was only when they were all bundled into the first available carriage that she spoke.
“Well, you have made quite the spectacle of yourself tonight, Samantha,” she said, and Samantha scowled at her through the gloom.
