Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“I wish this damned ball were over,” Thomas said through gritted teeth.
“Why? I’m not holding you to anything, Thomas. Shouldn’t you be dancing with others? Two nights ago, you danced with everyone here, save with me of course.”
“No, but I did rescue you from the parapet.”
She softened then, casting her eyes downward. “You did, and I am eternally grateful for that, Thomas.”
“God, the thought of it…” Thomas rubbed his forehead. “If you’d fallen, Tricia… If you—”
“I say, Ashford,” Lord Edwin Wimbley interrupted the two of them. “Are you to monopolize this lovely young lady all night?”
Tricia turned and smiled. “Of course not, my lord.”
“Then perhaps you might honor me with the next dance, Lady Patricia?”
“’Tis I who should be honored.” Tricia slid her gloved hand into the crook of Lord Wimbley’s elbow.
And Thomas stalked out of the ballroom.
30
Tricia wasn’t the slightest bit interested in Lord Wimbley, but she gave him her most dazzling smile. It wouldn’t hurt to make Thomas a little bit jealous, would it?
She could dance with every man here—some even more handsome than Thomas—and her feelings wouldn’t change one bit. Thomas had been her one and only for so long, and one day he would see it as well.
Had she made a mistake, letting him bed her? It had been the most wonderful experience of her life. It had been more than eye-opening. It had been a journey, a voyage into uncharted territories of pleasure and intimacy.
The ground had moved under her…or so it seemed, at least.
She wished only to experience it again and again.
But then…
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thomas striding toward Cameron.
No, he wouldn’t.
Not when she told him—
“Are you enjoying the ball, my lady?” Lord Wimbley asked.
How many more inane queries must she bat away? Are you enjoying the ball? Are you enjoying the meal? Are you enjoying the estate? Are you enjoying the weather?
She swiftly turned her head around and met Lord Wimbley’s gaze, pasting a smile on her lips. “Yes, of course, my lord. It is quite lovely.”
“You’re a marvelous dancer,” he said.
“Yes, and you are as well.” It was a harmless lie. Wimbley was a bit clumsy, though that could be due to his lanky stature. His feet seemed too big for his body.
He was nice-looking enough, but nothing compared to Thomas.
When the dance finally ended, Tricia curtsied politely and thanked Lord Wimbley, but then she scurried off. She spied Cameron standing and drinking champagne with Rose at his side.
“Cam,” Tricia said, hurrying toward them.
“Yes, Tricia?”
Tricia popped her head from side to side, looking frantically for Thomas. “Has…anyone spoken to you?”
Cameron raised his eyebrows. “Of course, sister. Many have spoken to me this evening.”
“I mean did Thomas—Lord Ashford—”
Cameron frowned. “No, he hasn’t. I saw him coming toward me earlier, but he got waylaid by a countess who had her daughter on a silver platter.”
“Goodness, Cam.” Rose gave him a good-natured slap on his forearm. “You mustn’t speak of such.”
Cameron let out a short laugh. “This is still all new to me, sweetheart. I’m beginning to see what your sister meant when she called this a thinly-veiled meat market.”
“And I’m sorry I ever told you that,” Rose said.
“Was there something else you wanted, Tricia?” Cameron asked. “Where’s Mummy? You shouldn’t be walking around the ballroom alone.”
Tricia rolled her eyes. If only they knew what she had done. Her walking around a ballroom alone would be the least of Cameron’s worries.
“I’ll find Mummy,” Tricia said. “You’re right. I should not be walking alone.”
She spied her mother talking to the dowager countess, and she began to stride toward them, only to be stopped by another young lord. After she shared a dance with that one, another one asked for the honor, and she couldn’t very well say no.
Five dances later, she finally got to her mother and the countess.
“Patricia, my dear, you look absolutely lovely,” the dowager countess said. “Your mother and I were just talking about you.”
Tricia raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Yes, the countess was admiring your frock,” Lady Clementine said.
“Oh, thank you, my lady.” Tricia did a quick curtsy.
“You are such a lovely creature,” the countess said. “And I see you’ve been dancing with nearly every eligible gentleman this evening. I’m glad to see it. Your mother and I were just remarking about how you didn’t dance much at the first ball.”
“Oh.” Tricia’s cheeks burned. “It’s just that… It’s all so new to me, you know? I suppose I was a bit shy at first.”
Lady Clementine let out a laugh. Then she covered her mouth. “I do beg pardon, my lady. But the thought of Tricia being shy…”
“Yes, she’s much like my Lily, I think.”
Tricia knew her cheeks were burning now. They must be crimson. She was more like Lily than either her mother or Thomas’s knew…
“The duchess?” Tricia said innocently. “I can’t think of any woman I would rather emulate.”