Page 60 of A Duke's Temptation Poetess
Lord Creshire left, taking a position on the opposite side of the ballroom. Colin noticed that Aunt Matilda followed his path with her eyes. Had Deborah noticed that the man was present yet? Colin inwardly cursed himself for not speaking to her about his desire to tell Lady Clarissa about the dangers which Lord Creshire presented.
“I did not agree to dance the first set with you, Your Grace,” Lady Clarissa said, “and I am not certain how I feel about your presumption.”
It would not matter what danger Lord Creshire presented, if Lady Clarissa would only forgive him and love him again.
“You could have disagreed with Lord Creshire,” Colin pointed out. “There was no reason that you could not have.”
“That would have embarrassed you,” Lady Clarissa said.
Her face was difficult to read, anxious but not unkind. Colin stared deeply into her hazel-green eyes, as if he could force her to believe his sincerity with the force of his will.
“I believe that we need to talk,” Colin said.
Clarissa laughed softly. Her hands twitched at her sides, as if she were fighting the impulse to curl them in her skirts. “I believe you are correct.”
Colin glanced around them. The ton seemed to be absorbed in the dance. Even the villainous Earl of Creshire no longer watched Colin and Lady Clarissa; instead, he had become involved in a conversation with Lady Bentley.
“Would you find speaking on the terrace to be acceptable?” Colin asked.
Lady Clarissa’s eyes darted towards the doors leading to the terrace. They were open, letting in the night air and the sweet fragrance of flowers. “I would not be opposed to speaking there. Do you think we could slip away unnoticed?”
“As long as we are not obvious about it,” Colin replied.
She smiled gently. “I will leave first. If you follow a few moments later, we are less likely to be caught.”
“Agreed.”
Lady Clarissa offered him a curtsey, which was a little uneasy. Colin swallowed hard, watching as she crossed the ballroom and slipped through the doorway. His heart hammered against his ribs. Was her anxiety because she feared him now?
Or did she not have any affection for him? Maybe he had misunderstood her feelings. Perhaps she was anxious because she intended to reject him. Colin’s chest ached. The ballroom felt too hot and small, and there was not enough air in his lungs.
If he did not pursue Lady Clarissa, he certainly would not win her affections, so even if he had doubts, he must put them aside for her. He took a steadying breath and followed her from the ballroom.
Lady Clarissa stood by the terrace, framed in the moonlight. She turned her head towards him at her approach. “Your Grace,” she said.
“Lady Clarissa,” Colin replied, inclining his head respectfully. “I promise I shall not delay you for long.”
“I would not be vexed if you did,” Lady Clarissa said.
That was a good sign. She did not want to be away from him, and she had not rejected him.
“I have something important that I wish to tell you,” Colin said.
His heart hammered against his ribs, and it seemed unseasonably warm out on the terrace. He could scarcely believe he was doing this. After a lifetime of promising he would never wed, Colin was truly going to admit his love for a woman. She was not just any woman, though. She was Lady Clarissa.
“I do not think I can wait for a moment longer,” Colin added, reaching for her hand.
“I have something that I must tell you first.”
Colin grasped her hand, rubbing his thumb over the silken glove and imagining how it would feel to instead trace his fingers over her knuckles. “Yes?”
Lady Clarissa bit her lip and gazed at him from beneath her eyelashes. “It might take me a moment to find the words.”
“That is fine. I shall wait all night if that is what you need.”
“You are too kind to me.”
“What are you doing with mydaughter?” A shrill voice cut through the air, and Lady Clarissa gasped. Colin snapped his head in the direction of the shout. It was Lady Bentley who had spoken.
