Page 74 of The Duke's Return
“You say too much,” she said after a moment. “However, I suppose I do need someone on my arm this evening and no one else will do.”
“What a relief, for I could never let you go. Shall we dance, my dear?”
Although they hadn’t discussed the need to dance this evening, Genevieve supposed that was meant to happen. She just hadn’t thought he would suggest it so soon. Caught by surprise, it took her a minute to find her words.
“Very well, yes. I should like that very much.”
“I live to please.”
As they shifted their direction to veer toward the dancing, Genevieve finally pulled her gaze away from her husband.
He’s right. Everyone really is watching us tonight. What are they thinking, I wonder?
He had picked a waltz. A scandalous dance that still wasn’t performed at Almack’s, which might include the retraction of her ticket there should anyone here tell the staff. But Genevieve decided she didn’t mind.
She'd never cared for Almack’s. Not when she could have a moment in his arms, scandalously close and nearly tender.
Listening to the music as it picked up with a violinist or two, Genevieve fixed her grasp on her husband and realized how close they danced together. She could feel his body heat emanating, warming her. With grace, he moved and led her about the room. It felt like she could forget the dance entirely and yet he would still guide her through it.
“You’ve never danced a waltz before, have you?”
She met Julian’s gaze. “You can tell?”
There was a twitch to his lips. “No. You dance perfectly. Did you practice?”
“Very much so, yes. But then how could you tell?”
Feeling the way his hand trailed gently over her shoulder and down her arm, leaving a tingling sensation through half his body, Genevieve inhaled sharply. He was so terribly gentle. Though she wanted to reassure him that she was unbreakable, she didn’t want him to stop.
“I hoped. I want this waltz with you. I want…” He trailed off. Their eyes met and she blocked out the rest of the world in her mind. It didn’t matter what happened elsewhere so long as she had Julian there with his arms wrapped around her. “You dance beautifully, you know. The practice really does make you perfect.”
He was making her blush again. “Thank you. And you’re an excellent lead. Have you always loved to dance?”
“How did you know I loved it?”
Pushing aside a flicker of doubt, Genevieve clung to what she knew. “It’s what the ton would say about you. That you were such a rake and yet a kind one to dance with many wallflowers for the occasional ball you attended. More than that, however,” she then went on hastily since she didn’t want to think about his past like that, “I can tell in your movements. You want to keep dancing.”
“I have always enjoyed it,” he admitted with a reluctant grin. “Hearing you say that makes me think we should continue dancing until we are pushed out the door.”
“We don’t need that much of a scandal,” she retorted with a short chuckle. She shook her head. “Besides, I don’t want to think about all of the dances when I can enjoy this one.”
Conversation faded between the two of them then for the rest of the dance, allowing them to listen to each other’s movements and gestures along the way.
Still, the dance ended too soon.
They walked off the dance floor and moved to the next room where there was space and refreshments. Now that the two of them had been seen, everyone wished to speak with them.
Genevieve accepted a glass from Julian and stationed herself at his side as they greeted neighbor after neighbor, feeling a bubbly sensation in her stomach just like the bubbles in her drink. She couldn’t help but hope they would last through the evening. Perhaps even longer.
CHAPTER 29
Unable to take his eyes of Genevieve for more than a minute, Julian marveled over the sight of his wife.
She truly looked lovely.
Sapphires were made for her. Those familiar stormy gray eyes glittered like moonlight with the gemstone and pearls around her throat. He had forgotten about the sapphires, but he found relief in knowing he had done something right in the beginning. One day, he hoped to see her in all of the other sapphires as well.
“She really is a dear.” He forced himself to look away as Lady Elena tilted her head up at him with a friendly smile. A friend of Genevieve’s from the Kettering family, he recalled. “How fortunate you are to have one another.”
