Page 27 of Celestes Forever Marquess
He nodded. “We are glad you are here.”
“I am sad to see Lady Eloise couldn’t make it,” his mother said.
Caleb could have sworn a snort escaped Courtney, but when he glanced her way, she seemed perfectly composed.Burrows smirked. “She has grown tired of all the events of the Season. She sends her regards.”
“Tell her thank you,” Caleb said.
A few more people entered, and finally, they were free to wander. He made his way to Celeste, needing to see her. She stood with Devons and his wife. As if Celeste could sense his gaze on her, she looked towards him, and the connection that existed between them hummed.
He reached them and said, “I hope you all are enjoying the ball.”
Devons’ wife smiled. “We are, my lord.”
“Please call me Caleb.”
“Then I insist you use my given name Diana.”
He nodded in agreement. The first waltz of the night was about to begin. Caleb held out his arm to Celeste. “Miss Hathaway, may I have this dance?”
She blushed, and it took everything in him not to lean down and kiss her. Celeste nodded and took his arm. Whispers and murmurs traveled through the room. They took their positions, and he said, “Focus on me—on us. That is all that matters.”
Some of the stiffness left her, and Celeste nodded. They slid across the floor, and unable to keep it contained any longer, he whispered, “I love you, Celeste Hathaway.”
Her eyes widened, but she quietly said, “And I, you, Caleb.”
Once, long ago, his father had told him that leaving England to have a life with his mother wasn’t a choice but the only path. Caleb, at the time, had thought it was an overly romantic sentiment, but now, he knew exactly what he meant. Marrying Celeste wasn’t a choice. It was something that would make him whole.
The song ended, and he escorted her off the dance floor. The room was filled with so many people that they had to weave their way through the crowd to find a place to stop. Once they did, Celeste’s eyes widened in alarm. He followed her stare and saw she was looking at Lord Burrows, his wife, and his mother. “Is something amiss, Celeste?”
She shook her head and smiled, but Caleb sensed something was off. He frowned at where she was looking, and Burrows and his family were no longer there. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
***
Later that evening, after Celeste returned to her apartment, she contemplated the ball. It had gone rather well. She suspected that all of London was gossiping about her dance with Caleb, but that was inevitable.
The only disconcerting part of the night was the fact that Burrows had been there. She needed to tell Caleb who he was to her. He seemed to like the man, which shocked her. Still, she wasn’t concerned about telling him the truth. Caleb loved her for who she was, no matter her past.
A knock on the door took her away from her thoughts. She said, “Enter.”
The butler of the Den, Donahue, stepped in. “Miss Hathaway, a woman is requesting to speak with you. She is in a carriage. I can send her away.”
It was late, but Celeste didn’t want to ignore someone if they needed help. She shook her head. “I will see what they need.”
The Den was closed tonight, so the building was eerily quiet, except for the guards positioned everywhere. She stepped out the front door and frowned. An elegant carriage sat there. ADen staff member opened the carriage door, and the Dowager Lady Burrows peered out at her. Her face filled with contempt.
“If possible, Miss Hathaway, I would like a moment of your time for a carriage ride.”
The Den staff member frowned at the exchange, but Celeste held her hand out to him for assistance getting into the vehicle. She should have probably refused, but not once in her entire life had this woman ever spoken to her. The lady tapped on the roof of the carriage, and it ambled on.
“What is it you need, Lady Burrows?”
The woman’s expression became pinched. “Lord Haven was interested in wooing my granddaughter until recently.”
Celeste flushed. She wondered if Lady Burrows knew who she was. The woman's expression became more severe. “He seems rather enamored with you.”
What was this woman after? “Lady Burrows, I’m not sure what you want, but I don’t have any information to provide you.”
