Page 82 of Duke of Bronze
Roderick's lips twitched, though it was not quite amusement. "I appreciate the sentiment," he said, "but this is farewell, Copperton."
He gave a curt bow, turned on his heel, and strode from the study without another word.
CHAPTER 31
The evening of the closing ball arrived, and Colin found himself scanning the crowd with a restless sort of purpose.
Anna was nowhere to be seen.
A slight frown tugged at the corner of his mouth. She was not ordinarily one to arrive too early to such affairs, but the first dance was soon to begin, and still, she was absent. An odd sense of unease settled in his chest.
His gaze roved over the assembled guests, seeking a familiar face. A shimmer of silk caught his eye, and he turned, finding Lady Fiona standing nearby.
Anna was not with her.
His disappointment was swift and unexpected.
At that precise moment, the first strings of the waltz drifted through the ballroom, filling the air with lilting elegance.
Curious gazes turned toward him. He felt them like a weight, pressing in from all sides.
A gentleman in his position did not stand idle at the opening of a ball. He had been cornered by expectation, and he knew it.
With a breath of resignation, he stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Fiona. Offering a polite bow, he extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"
A gracious smile curved her lips. "It would be my pleasure, Your Grace."
He led her to the dance floor, their movements precise, measured. He had barely settled into the rhythm of the waltz when his gaze drifted once more—this time, to the entrance.
And there she was.
Anna.
Their eyes met across the ballroom, and something within him braced, tightened. A peculiar weight sank into his chest, though he could not name its cause.
Fiona said something then—something he did not quite catch.
Colin forced his attention away from the doorway. Away from the one he had hoped to dance with.
"I beg your pardon," he said, refocusing on Fiona. "Did you say something?"
Fiona let out a quiet chuckle, tilting her head as she regarded him with knowing amusement. "You are quite distracted this evening, Your Grace."
Colin's jaw tightened, but he forced a polite smile. "Am I?"
Her eyes sparkled with something dangerously close to mischief. "Indeed."
He did not reply. Instead, he glanced back toward the entrance, where moments ago, Anna had stood. But now?—
She was gone.
A strange unease settled in his chest, and though he continued the waltz with the precision expected of a gentleman, his mind was elsewhere. His eyes searched the crowd, scanning every corner of the ballroom in quiet desperation.
But she had vanished.
By the time the music faded and the waltz drew to its inevitable end, Colin had already made his decision.
The moment Fiona offered him a final curtsy, he inclined his head in brief acknowledgment and stepped away, offering some mumbled excuse that he did not bother to recall. His legs carried him with uncharacteristic haste as he maneuvered through the ballroom, his gaze sweeping over the assembled guests.
