Page 47 of A Lady of Means
At the word title, his heart almost gave a little somersault, thinking she knew of the other title that was just as much his.But there was so much admiration swimming in her eyes, so he answered, “I’d risk my last breath for you,” into her ear and stole her lips into a fierce kiss with raucous, drunk cheers and her heartbeat filling his ears.
ChapterTwenty-One
A new performancemakes its debut tonight.Who will be the hero ofA Lady of Meansand who will be the villain?
- Scandalous Lives of London, July, 1841
* * *
“The courtship of your dreams,”he’d said, standing on her doorstep after walking her home from his apartments in time for dinner.“Before I have to ship out.What do you say?”
Standing from a step above him and still not quite eye level, Moria placed her hands on his lapels.
“A ball and a masquerade, a piano, a formal introduction to my family in my ancestral home, and now risking your neck for me,” she tugged on his lapels, and his heart.“I’d say the courtship of any girl’s dreamsfailsin comparison to the courtship we’ve already started.”
“A proper one, the kind we won’t have to lie about when our grandchildren ask.Isn’t that what you want?”
I want you.
“To be worth the trouble.”
One large hand wrapped around hers and removed it from his jacket, bringing it close enough to kiss.“Get yourself inside before I show youjustthe amount of trouble I think you’re worth,” he whispered, his lips gallantly hovering over her hand in full view of London’s elite.
The door to her London house was pulled open, to both Olivia and Miss Kelley’s curious faces.
“Captain,” both of them fell over themselves to greet him at once.Moria nearly rolled her eyes but caught herself at the last moment.
“Keep better eyes on this one,” Devyn said, tipping his hat as he let go of Moria and turned to leave.
“You don’t want to stay for dinner?”Olivia asked as Moria turned castigating eyes on her.
“I’m not dressed,” Devyn answered.
“See, he’s not dressed,” Moria said with a helpless shrug.
He lifted a brow up at her from the sidewalk.“I will be.Tomorrow,” he called.“Clear your busy social calendar, I’m taking you to the opera.”
“The opera?”she said, a laugh in her voice.
“My brother has a box,” he pointed to her chaperone and her sister, “You can come with her.”
“I already have plans, but this sounds highly entertaining, so on second thought, maybe I’ll cancel,” Olivia said animatedly.
“No,” Moria ground out, then sighed.“Pick me up, tomorrow then, soldier,” and lifted her skirts as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
* * *
As all thewomen in her household surrounded her, Moria thought it should be noted that she’d been courted by a Duke for over a year and hadn’t garnered near this much fanfare.She could point out that they all just wanted a look at the Captain, and she’d probably be right.There was somethingmorethan attractiveness to Devyn.He was the kind of man you noticed, and you didn’t just move along.
“So…The opera?”Gretchen asked.
“His brother is the Earl of Clairville, he has a box apparently,” Noelle supplied.
“For a soldier in Her Majesty’s Army, he is extremely well connected,” Lady Carina said, tying one of the straps of Moria’s gown.
“I agree.Not a duke though,” Gretchen added, fluffing the dark blue skirt of Moria’s dress.It was so dark blue it was nearly black, embroidered with stars and crescents and Moria thought it was almost as captivating as Devyn’s eyes.
“Will His Grace be in attendance tonight?”Olivia said, that tell-tale storm of mischief in her eyes.
