He hardly knew this woman and she already inspired such dangerous, needy desires. If he were to enter this sham of a courtship, he could only image that would all get worse. Being close to her wouldn't be easy.
And he had to expect a great many nights spent just as he'd spent this one. Guilty, frustrated and alone.
Chapter Eight
Celia laughed at something Tabitha had said and they watched as Lady Honora spun by in the arms of yet another young man she cared nothing for. Both women shook their heads.
"Her inheritance makes her a favorite," Tabitha mused. "But she has no interest in a one of them."
"Perhaps she's holding out for love," Celia replied, her mind turning momentarily to Lord Clairemont … Aiden. In her mind, she had begun to call him Aiden almost exclusively.
In the two days since she'd last seen him, she had often found herself reliving his heated kiss on the terrace. His mouth had been so gentle, and yet so demanding. He'd drawn her into the kiss, taking her further than she'd ever gone before.
She almost felt awakened by that touch, like she had been sleeping before it, and now she couldn't go back to the way she saw the world before.
"Love?" Tabitha said with a laugh, yanking Celia back to the present. "Oh, my dear, you are too influenced by your sister and her handsome husband."
Honora returned to them with a quick smile for her dance partner, who then drifted away into the crowd. Once he was gone, their friend rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes they do not talk at all it is so discouraging. I feel like they think they are dancing with a bag of money rather than a person." Honora shook her head. "Now, how is Celia being influenced by Mr. Danford and Rosalinde?"
Celia's cheeks filled with heat at her friends' teasing. "I'm not. I was simply saying to Tabitha that perhaps you wished to hold out for love in a match rather than settle for someone who sees you as a moneybag."
Honora sighed. "It's a nice thought, but life doesn't work that way very often, does it? My father expects a good match and eventually he'll find one for me. I can only hope the gentleman won't have warts and he'll possess all his teeth and be able to string two sentences together. If he can't, I may be forced to bludgeon him to death the first night we're stuck together due to inclement weather."
Celia laughed at Honora's teasing, but inside she drew back from the truth beneath the playfulness. The kind of surrender Honora described didn't sound like a pleasant scenario at all, yet her friend seemed resigned. But then again, just six short months ago, Celia had also been resigned to marrying someone she wasn't connected to.
With a sigh, she found her former intended in the crowd. Stenfax wasn't dancing, but then he never danced anymore. He looked very serious and undeniably handsome.
And yet despite all his good qualities, she hadn't cared for him, no matter how much time she spent trying to do just that.
But with Aiden it was different. One moment with him and she felt like he'd taken a small piece of her with him. One kiss and she dreamed of him ever since.
"Ah, she's floating off," Tabitha said with a laugh. "Thinking of true love, no doubt."
"She should. I heard the Duke of Clairemont sent her flowers," Honora said, arching a brow in Celia's direction as if daring her to deny the charge.
"The duke came to my brother-in-law's house to see to some business with Gray," Celia corrected quickly. "He sent flowers to thank all of us for the evening."
Only she had commandeered those flowers for her own room, along with his note, which had specifically mentioned her. How many times had she read the way he wrote her name? Ten? Twenty? One hundred and twenty?
Well, who was counting?
"He may be thanking you for another evening soon," Honora said, now lowering her voice to a whisper. "He's coming this way."
Celia moved to look over her shoulder, but Tabitha grabbed her arm with both hands. "Don't look at him," she hissed. "Great Lord, you have to make him work a little for your attention. Men love the struggle, the battle. You must give them one."
Celia pursed her lips. She'd always despised these little games. She wondered what her friends would think if they knew she'd forgone them in exchange for a passionate kiss just two nights before.
"Good evening, ladies."
Her entire body clenched at the sound of Aiden's voice, and a thrill went down her spine. Slowly, she turned and smiled. "Your Grace," she said. "How nice to see you again."
"Miss Fitzgilbert," he said, holding her stare a fraction too long.
She blushed to her toes before she stammered, "H-have you met my friends, Your Grace?"
He nodded. "Yes, I was introduced to both at the Harrington ball. A pleasure to see you again Lady Honora, Miss Thornton."
"Your Grace," the girls said in unison, and curtseyed slightly.
"You'll have to excuse us, my lord," Tabitha said. "Honora and I were about to go find her mother for an important discussion."
Honora blinked a moment, then nodded. "Oh, yes. Very important. Good evening."
Celia barely kept herself from rolling her eyes as her friends abandoned her to the company of the man at her side. But in truth, she was pleased to be alone with him. Her heart began to race as she faced him fully.
"They aren't very artful, I'm afraid," she said with a laugh.
He smiled. "In leaving us alone, you mean?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean that they believe you might wish to be alone with me?" he asked, leaning in just a fraction closer. Even though they were in public and the distance between them was entirely appropriate, she still thrilled at it.
"I would think any lady here would enjoy your company," she breathed.
"I'm not talking about any lady, Celia. I'm talking about you," he pressed.
She swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat. "I'm very happy to see you again," she admitted softly. "Is that enough?"
"Not nearly," he replied. Then he motioned to the dance floor. "Is your card open for the next?"
She nodded. "It is."
"Then will you do me the honor?"
Celia grinned, for her world seemed to lighten with his attention. "Yes. I'd very much like that."
He took her hand rather than offer his arm, an intimate gesture even though they both wore gloves, and took her to the floor. She felt the eyes of the ballroom on her as the music began and they spun around the room in each other's arms. Of course, the others would look. Aiden was the freshest catch in the room. Others would be jealous. They'd talk.
And Celia didn't care. When she was with him, none of it mattered in the slightest.
"You are very quiet," she said, searching his face as they moved.
"I'm counting in my head," he said with a self-conscious laugh. "I've never been very good at this."
She drew back. "Truly? You move very gracefully."
"It is a study in pain, I assure you," he said, and seemed to be speaking through gritted teeth, lending credence to his words.
"And yet you still do it," she said, tightening her fingers on his arm and hoping it would reassure him.
Instead he stumbled slightly before he caught himself. "It's expected," he explained. "And it was the only way to hold you without starting talk that would ruin us both."
Now it was she who stumbled at his words, but his strong arms kept her from falling. She stared up into his face, his handsome face, his focused expression, and saw so much of what she'd always secretly longed for. She saw passion, but also safety, security, home.
The last thought jolted her, and she turned her face in shock. She'd known this man for less than a week. These instantaneous feelings of connection to him were not right. They couldn't be real. She had to get them under control.
The song ended and she smiled at him, even though she knew the expression was shaky at best. He returned the expression and led her from the floor. But instead of returning her to her friends or to Rosalinde and Gray, he guided her toward the terrace.
"Will you come outside with me?" he asked.
She blinked, thinking of the last time he'd taken her to a terrace. He'd kissed her. And she knew she shouldn't let that happen again, lest he get the wrong idea about her. But she found herself nodding anyway.
They exited the hot and crowded ballroom and she took a long breath of cool air. He said nothing, but guided her away from the main area of the terrace, into a quieter and darker corner.
She tensed as they came to a stop and he turned to face her. In the dark, she couldn't read his expression and she wasn't certain what he wanted or expected now.
"Aiden?" she whispered.
She felt him stiffen slightly next to her, then he turned her away so that her back was to him. He lifted his hand and pointed into the sky. She followed the direction of his finger and caught her breath.
A great ball of light streaked through the sky above, its long tail trailing behind it in a stunning display.
"A comet," she gasped.
Clairemont smiled at the rapt awe in Celia's tone. Even though he couldn't see her face, he heard how thrilled she was by what she'd shown her and he almost puffed up physically at her excited reaction.