Page 44 of A Duke's Temptation Poetess
He offered his arm, and Aunt Matilda smiled at the other two ladies. “If you will excuse me.”
Lady Bentley rose. “Of course. I think I shall watch the dance, though. My back is still somewhat sore from the long ride to Bath, although I am sure that the ducal carriage helped considerably. I think I ought to stand.”
“Oh, yes!” Mrs. Spencer exclaimed, her face bright. “I want to watch Jane dance with Lord Watford. We so seldom have dances here in Bath.”
Colin gestured for the two ladies to go ahead of himself and his aunt. He suspected that Aunt Matilda wished to talk with him in private. Colin slowed his pace, and once there was a small distance between themselves and Lady Bentley, Mrs. Spencer hurried her pace, leaving them.
Aunt Matilda sighed softly. “Deborah would not want you to do anything reckless. You know that.”
“Am I not showing remarkable restraint?”
“Restraint, yes,” his aunt said. “I am not certain if I would call itremarkable. You do seem as though you are trying, but you must be vigilant. Regardless of his motivations, I am sure that Lord Creshire wishes, at least, to vex you. He wants you to make a scene, and you must not play into his hand.”
“That is not so easy.”
Especiallywhen Lord Creshire had taken Lady Clarissa as his dancing partner. Colin knew, rationally, that he had no particular claim to the lady. And in truth, it was likely for the best that he not be so eager to dance with her. Every time he gazed in Lady Clarissa’s direction, a sharp and heated longing rose within him.
He imagined that delicate flush across her cheeks flowering into full, red bloom, as she tossed her head back and screamed his name. It was so simple to undo the fastenings of a lady’s gown and touch the creamy skin beneath the fine fabric. And yet—
He knew he ought not touch Lady Clarissa or think about her, but Colin could not stop himself from desiring her and wanting to rip Lord Creshire’s filthy hands away from her.
“Deborah has you, and she has Russell,” Aunt Matilda said. “At worst, this will be an irritation. A bothersome guest at a party, which we have dealt with many times before.”
His aunt assumed he was so much nobler than he was, that this was all because he wanted to protect Deborah and defend her honour. He did want to protect his sister, but he could not honestly claim that all his intentions were pure. He wanted to protect Lady Clarissa; that was true. But part of his zealousness to defend her was because he desperately wanted her for himself.
“All will be well,” Aunt Matilda continued.
“I just wish everyone could know what a snake he is,” Colin said.
Aunt Matilda sighed. “As do I, but these are sensitive matters. We should respect your sister’s wishes until she feels ready for everyone to know.”
His aunt was so reasonable. Colin knew something about why his sister refused to tell anyone the truth of what happened with Lord Creshire. Even while many of the ton would rightfully consider the Earl a villain, there would inevitably be some who did not.
Deborah feared that, and she did not wish to have everyone gossiping about the matter, viciously trying to pry answers from her about it. With his reputation, Colin understood all too well his sister’s desire not to speak of the matter.
“I just wish she would,” Colin said, feeling a little petulant. “And I—I do not like that he…”
“That he what?”
The music ended just as Colin and his aunt joined the dancers. They kept their position, waiting for the next one to begin. “He seems interested in spending time with Lady Clarissa. She is a good and innocent young woman.”
“I am sure that she will be fine,” Aunt Matilda said. “Even if she does not know it, we know the truth of Lord Creshire’s character. He will not dare do anything untoward when he knows that we are watching him so closely. Lord Creshire is a coward, like most villains. He will try to vex and torment us, but he will not do anything truly harmful. We will not give him the opportunity.”
“Right.”
His aunt Matilda made everything sound far simpler than it was.
“But if you are so concerned,” Aunt Matilda said, “perhaps you ought to speak with Deborah and see if she will consent to you revealing the truth solely to Lady Clarissa.”
Colin nodded. It was a reasonable thought, and although he knew Deborah would be hesitant to agree, Colin was certain Lady Clarissa would never reveal his sister’s secret. He would only have to persuade his sister of that.
Chapter 22
“I am dreadfully sorry that we have seldom spoken to one another much,” Lord Creshire said, as the second dance began.
Clarissa hummed in agreement with the Earl and fought to keep her eyes fixed on his handsome face. She wanted to seek out His Grace. He kept appearing in the corner of her eye, dancing with Lady Matilda. Clarissa remembered a poem she had written once.
It was entitled “The Waltz” and described a lady’s dance with a gentleman. Had the Duke of Hartingdale read it? If so, what had he thought of it? The thought that the Duke might be thinking of her poetry during this dance sent a delighted shiver racing up Clarissa’s spine.
