Page 32 of Her Wicked Duke
Anne’s eyes widened as she whipped around to find the Earl heading toward her. Indeed, she had been told he’d asked about her.
“Lady Anne, you are looking beautiful tonight,” he said.
Anne noticed that his hair on the left side was slightly mussed, and she could not help but think of the time she’d seen him with those two women.
Beautiful.The stalker calls me beautiful…Oh, Anne, don’t be a paranoid fool!
She smiled at him and took his proffered hand. “And you, My Lord, are looking rather handsome.”
“I had to dress up for Lady Yore’s event, given she is your sister.”
“Hoping to gain favor?” Anne giggled, hoping Alexander was watching her.
She wasn’t interested in the Earl of Satton the way she had previously been, but she knew that dancing with him would get under Alexander’s skin.
The Earl led her onto the dancefloor, his hands sliding around her waist. With a quick tug, he pulled her flush against him. She made a soft, surprised noise, and then she felt every line and hard muscle of his body and blushed.
“Are you a good dancer, My Lord?” she asked as the music started.
“Oh, quite. I took lessons at Eton.”
“You also attended Eton?”
“You’ll find that many noblemen did.” He gave her a kind smile that, before her mother’s ball, she’d have fallen for like a fool. Now, she noticed the slight signs of disarray on him.
His hair is mussed, and there is a red stain on the inside of his collar. His shirt is slightly rumpled. He is overall put-together, but there are certain aspects of his appearance that I now know to be evidence of his dallying.
The music they danced to was a beautiful, sped-up reel, and Anne found herself genuinely laughing as she hopped and skipped with the Earl, keeping count of her steps in her head.
“Where did you learn to dance, Lady Anne?”
“My mother hired a dancing master when my brother was young,” Anne explained. “They let me sit in on the lessons, and then, when I was old enough, I joined in.”
She frowned, thinking of how her mother had thought dancing might also help her stay slim. Alas, she had gained her mother’s figure, but she did not think it affected her at all.
Anne was smart and knowledgeable. Mary had told her that any man not willing to look past her figure was a fool.
“You are excellent,” the Earl praised. “You know, I sent you a letter after your mother’s ball, following my visit.”
Anne’s steps faltered, and his grip on her tightened, steadying her. Her eyes flicked to Alexander, who had pushed his way through the crowd, his eyes on her as if he thought she was hurt.
But she discreetly shook her head and resumed her steps.
“A letter?” she asked, her voice shaking.
My beautiful Anne…
The calligraphy flashed before her eyes.
“Yes,” the Earl said. “I kept it brief. It was to invite you on a promenade, but I never received a reply.”
Anne’s anxiety lessened as she remembered the short note she had received amid her stalker’s letters. The Earl of Satton had indeed written to her to invite her on a promenade, and shehadmeant to reply.
“I thought you did not like the idea, and that is why you didn’t reply,” the Earl continued. “But, fortunately, you are here now.”
He beamed at her charmingly, but she couldn’t push away the thought of how easily his gaze could wander.
“I am, indeed,” she answered vaguely.
