Page 24 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
Caroline let her eyes drift away, trying to quell that pinch of annoyance at the fact that she would not be able to escape the dance floor.
And then her eyes came to rest on a familiar figure.
Honestly, she didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed him before. She’d outlined his likeness in stark detail in her novel—from the broad cut of his shoulders to the head of thick, dark auburn hair to the dominating aura he gave off. He stood amongst a few older gentlemen who appeared to be having an intense debate about a matter, but he didn’t seem to care to give his input. With his arms crossed, his lips set in a hard line, and his eyes sweeping the ballroom, he was the picture of command.
Then their eyes met.
Caroline was tempted to look away. From the way her heart skipped a beat and that sudden spark of heat in the pit of her stomach, she shouldn’t chance looking at him any longer. But she held his gaze, the noise around her dulling to a buzz because all she could focus on was him.
It lasted only a few moments, even though it felt like a lifetime. The moment Lord Sotheby straightened and blocked her view of the earl, Caroline came rushing back to herself.
“My lady?” He frowned, worry in his eyes. “Are you all right?”
No, she wanted to say. She was flustered and off-balanced and she needed to ground herself again.
“I’m fine,” she managed to say, flashing him a smile that lasted only a second. “If you would excuse me, my lord. I think my friend is looking for me.”
She didn’t give him a chance to say anything. And because she knew that her mother was watching, Caroline went in the opposite direction of Elizabeth, heading instead to Louisa who had found a secluded spot near the terrace doors.
“Caroline, thank God you’re here,” Louisa greeted, handing her that glass of lemonade she’d been holding on to. “I was afraid that I would be approached again if I stood here alone for too long.”
“I feel bad saying this, Louisa, but I do not think my presence is going to act as a deterrent to any interested gentleman.”
“Perhaps not on its own,” Louisa agreed. “But coupled with my no-nonsense scowl, my plan just might work.”
She sipped her lemonade and it took her only a few moments of silence to notice that something was up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked Caroline.
Caroline saw no reason in lying to her, especially since she’d mentioned her unusual encounter with the Ice Earl the day after it happened. “Lord Colenhurst is here,” she told her. “Our eyes met. Briefly.”
Louisa followed Caroline’s eyes and raised her brows when she spotted the earl. “My. Heishandsome. Why are we surprised that he’s here?”
“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be, since there is no reason he wouldn’t be issued an invitation. Do you think he remembers me?”
“From the way he’s staring at you right now, I am willing to guess that he does.”
Caroline’s heart did that thing again—tripping over itself then pounding against her ribcage with no warning. “He’s looking at me?” she asked, wondering if she sounded as nonchalant as she was trying to be.
Louisa gave her a curious, slightly amused look. “Rather intently.”
“Hm.” Caroline did everything in her power not to look back.
Suddenly, the music changed. The quartet began a livelier tune and guests began to couple together as they made their way to the middle of the ballroom.
“There is a gentleman coming your way, Caroline,” Louisa warned her. “And it is not the handsome Ice Earl.”
Caroline didn’t have to guess who that person was. Lord Sotheby appeared a second later, wearing a shy smile with his hand outstretched, palm up.
“Shall we?” he asked.
Caroline pasted a smile onto her face and nodded. The dance would not last forever, she told herself as she allowed him to lead her to the center of the ballroom amongst the other dancers. They would dance, she would thank him, and hopefully he would get the hint that she no longer wanted to interact with him.
And perhaps, during the course of this evening, a certain icy gentleman would approach her, rather than watching her from a distance.
Chapter Nine
“I am beginning to think that Lord Colenhurst is not listening to us.”
