Page 33 of The Marquess's Imperfect Brid
“I would like that, please,” he said with a warm smile.
The man nodded, turning to fetch a dark blue embroidered handkerchief. He placed it gently into Gareth’s hands, after which he promptly turned to Lady Grace.
“This is for you, my lady,” he said, giving her an exaggerated bow.
Lady Grace gasped softly, taking the prize with her delicate fingers, smiling up at him with affection.
“Thank you, Lord Hayewood,” she said. “Your thoughtfulness is the most wonderful thing I have witnessed today.”
Gareth bowed, searching for his words. And your smile and laugh is the most wonderful thing I have witnessed in my entire life, he thought. And he meant the words, even though he did not speak them. In truth, he would have pulled down the sun and the moon from the sky if it meant the slightest chance that he would see her smile or hear her laugh again.
Chapter Eighteen
Gareth thought he would never be able to pull his eyes away from Lady Grace as she smiled sweetly at him, clutching the dark blue handkerchief with its silver leaf gently in her porcelain hands. It was strange, but he felt as though he had to strain his eyes to see the scarring that he knew existed on the left side of her face. When he looked at her, he could see nothing of the sort.
To him, both her cheeks were perfectly smooth, both her ears were small and flawless and peeked delicately from beneath her bonnet and her eyes, though undeniably two different colors, were both so beautiful and perfect that it was impossible to not get lost in them. He lost track of time each time he looked at her for longer than a moment. And he found that he did not mind.
He only realized that he had been staring when he saw that she was blushing and looking up at him shyly through her lashes. He realized that he must have made her feel self-conscious and he cursed himself for his thoughtlessness.
“Forgive me,” he said, fumbling for an excuse. “I was just hoping that you liked your handkerchief.”
Lady Grace’s brow flickered into a furrow for a brief minute. She looked down at her hands, chuckling nervously and nodding.
“Oh, yes, the handkerchief,” she said. “Yes, I adore it. It is very beautiful, and something that I shall treasure always.”
Gareth smiled, nodding.
“Wonderful,” he said, trying not to let himself get caught up in staring at her and making her feel uneasy again. “Would you like to see what we can find at the sweetmeat stalls?”
Lady Grace’s face lit up, and she started to nod. But then, her expression fell and she shook her head.
“I would love to,” she said. “But I must hurry home to change for the charity ball this evening. I am sure that Mother will be wondering where Anne and I are by now.”
Gareth nodded. He had been having such a wonderful time with Lady Grace that he had almost forgotten about the charity ball. He was almost able to allow himself to be excited about another chance to see Lady Grace. But a quick, accidental glance to his left showed Lady Cecilia, who was watching him coquettishly from behind a hand fan and made his heart sink. He was certain that she and her family would be in attendance, as well. And he knew what their respective families expected of him.
Determined not to let Lady Grace see his displeasure, he smiled and bowed.
“I supposed that I should ready myself, as well,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you there.”
Lady Grace blushed, looking at him with light surprise. She hesitated as though thinking about what she wanted to say. But she eventually just curtseyed and nodded with a sweet smile.
“As do I, my lord,” she said.
Gareth watched as Lady Grace departed with her lady’s maid. He knew that Lady Cecilia was still nearby, so he slipped back into the crowd to return to his guest chambers to quickly dress once he was sure he had lost Lady Cecilia. He did not wish to find himself stuck escorting her back to Farenley Manor. Would he ever be able to escape his parents’ expectation for him to make a marriage match with her?
***
“Milady, surely you noticed,” Juliet gushed as soon as they had returned to her chambers for her to change into her evening gown.
Grace looked at Juliet, fighting a smile.
“I know what you are going to say,” she said. “But I am sure there is some explanation…”
“Yes, milady, there is,” Juliet said, interrupting her mistress for the first time in her career. “And forgive me for being so direct and speaking out of turn. But Lord Hayewood is very taken with you. Even men with two eye patches can see it.”
Grace laughed. That was a reference to a story Juliet had made up and recited to her while she was recovering from her accident; the first thing that had made Grace laugh since the fateful day which had left her face and neck ruined. Despite it being a jest about blindness, Grace had giggled until she could not breathe. Just as she was right then. Only, it was not just the funny callback that made her laugh. It was the giddiness of the afternoon she had spent with the marquess.
“Perhaps, that is true,” she said. “But I fear that a meddling lady’s maid might be blinded by perceived romantic notions.”
