Page 56 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
“No!” Caroline cried out. Her entire body seemed to go up in flames at her exclamation. It didn’t help when Louisa burst out in laughter at her expense.
“Well, he is certainly looking at you now.”
Caroline was tempted to peek. She didn’t know why she was acting like a juvenile smitten with the neighbor’s son. She was more mature than this and she’d been married before.
But when she turned around, she caught Cedric’s eyes, and it felt as if all her common sense flew out the nearest door. She couldn’t look away. He held her in a trance, the side of his lips quirking up into a smirk but she couldn’t find the strength to smile back. She was too busy trying to handle the barrage of butterfliesthat erupted in the pit of her stomach, a miraculous feat considering it felt as if her body had been set on fire.
“My lady Caroline.”
And just like that, the trance was broken and Caroline was sent crashing back down to reality. It took all her strength to keep from scowling up at Lord Sotheby for once again ruining her moment with Cedric.
He held his hand out to her, bowing deeply. “May I have this dance?”
The rejection was ripe on her tongue but she didn’t get the chance to voice it when her mother came swooping in.
“I’m sure she would love to!” Elizabeth gushed, taking Caroline's hand and placing it in Lord Sotheby’s. “Pray, do make haste. You would not wish for them to commence without your presence.”
Lord Sotheby quickly took advantage of it, almost as if he knew he would not get his dance if left up to Caroline. The choice was taken right out of her hands. Caroline held back her labored sigh.
It was just one dance, she told herself. One dance and then she could escape Lord Sotheby’s clutches once more.
A tall figure appeared in the corner of her eye. As Lord Sotheby gathered her close, Caroline spied Cedric on the dance floor as well.
He had a beautiful young lady in his arms—but his gaze was on Caroline.
The music began. Caroline moved her feet without thinking, not taking her eyes off Cedric. She felt herself sink into the icy-blue gaze, felt every nerve in her body come alive. As she was swept around the dance floor, and Cedric did the same with his dance partner, tension mounted. Try as she might, she could not look away. She could not pay Lord Sotheby any mind though she knew she was being incredibly discourteous. She only cared about him.
The dance lasted only a few minutes, though it felt like seconds. Caroline was only vaguely aware of standing apart from Lord Sotheby as he thanked her for the dance and she barely acknowledged him with a nod. She was too busy watching Cedric guide his dance partner away from the dance floor.
“Caroline?”
Caroline blinked, looking up at Lord Sotheby. “Yes, my lord?”
His patience was outstanding, she had to admit. Even she would have been annoyed by her lack of attention. “I asked if you would like something to drink.”
She shook her head. “Actually, I think I need a bit of fresh air.”
“Let me—”
“No, I would like to be alone, thank you.”
She tried offering a smile before she walked away, ignoring the pinch of guilt she felt at the disappointment in his eyes. Lord Sotheby was still a decent man at the end of it all. She simply did not share his affections.
She headed straight for the terrace doors, needing that bit of fresh air more than she’d expected to. Spending over an hour in mental anguish at the hands of the Ice Earl was not something she’d expect to be doing tonight. And it was exhausting.
The fresh night breeze outside helped calm her nerves a bit. Caroline headed a bit further, delving into the shadows cast by the Whitmore’s cypress trees. She went down a small stoned path that led towards the gardens, telling herself that she couldn’t go too far. She simply wanted to be away from the noise and lights of the ball.
Soon enough, she came across a small stone bench tucked around a corner, bathed in a swath of moonlight. Just as she moved towards it, a figure came around the corner in front of her.
Caroline froze. She stared into Cedric’s ice-blue eyes in disbelief.
His own surprise cleared far quicker than hers. “It seemed we had the same idea.”
Caroline released the breath she had been holding. “Good,” she managed to say. “I was afraid you’d fallen into the habit of following me.”
“That would be a rather difficult habit to break, Caroline,” he murmured.
Caroline huffed a laugh, even though her heart skipped a beat. He didn’t smile. He came closer instead, stones crunching under his feet.
