He bent to kiss her cheek only to be met with bristling coldness from her eyes and voice.
“How you find ways to compliment and insult me all in one sentence is beyond me, really it is.” She pushed back toward her seat opposite him and gazed out the window, though it was too dark to see anything.
Curse women everywhere! “What do you mean insult you? I truly mean what I say. They will eat you right up, from the extravagantly low cut of your dress to the way it scandalously hugs every delicious curve of your body. Oh, and let’s not forget the way your lips form the perfect pout as if begging for some lovesick gentleman to take them with his own.” He leaned in. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll do just fine tonight, Sai. Please just remember we are betrothed.”
Chapter Ten
He was jealous, plain and simple. She would have thought someone of his reputation didn’t experience jealousy, or any human emotion for that matter. How could he after doing the things he’d done? Instead of trying to ravish her, Nicholas was scolding her, punishing her for being something she wasn’t. It was upsetting and aggravating all at the same time! Her stomach clenched as she thought of his reaction to her. It was as if the progress she had thought they made in their friendship was for naught.
Her thoughts turned dark, mainly because the only person she really wanted to pay attention to her was angrily staring out the window as if begging God to send lightning to strike the carriage. If body language was in fact an actual way to communicate, Nicholas’s arms were crossed as he leaned his muscular torso against the side of the carriage. His brows were furrowed—his lips in a thin line.
Two can play that game, she thought. For the first time in her life, she was tired. Had she not gotten what she desired? To look the part of the sparkling debutante? She subconsciously smoothed down her skirt. It was a painful concept to accept that even if she was beautiful on the outside, it didn’t make her feel whole on the inside. She stuck her tongue out at Nicholas in anger then crossed her arms.
“Saw that,” he said still looking out the window.
“Amazing you can see at all,” she muttered to herself.
She was rewarded with a slight shake of his shoulders to show his laughter. She reminded herself not to make him laugh, his smile made her want to weep. He was beautiful, like a fallen angel. His bright eyes had the ability to pierce right through to her soul. Never mind that his kisses turned her to liquid. No wonder women left their husbands. He was enticing indeed, not that she would ever give into any of his immoral displays of affection. She was, after all, a strong morally upright girl and wasn’t he reformed? It was difficult to tell sometimes. Every time they were alone, he either insulted her or kissed her. Infuriating man.
The carriage jerked to a stop. Nicholas held out his hand as she stepped down from the carriage. “Try not to trip,” he whispered into her ear as they went into Almack’s. People everywhere were dressed in the most famous of fashions. It made her self-conscious enough to look at her own gown to make sure it was still in place.
“I’d tell you if it wasn’t,” Nicholas murmured.
Add mind reading to his list of attributes, she thought, stubbornly jutting her chin into the air. He escorted her to the refreshment table and sat down in a nearby chair. Apparently that’s all he was to do this night, sit and watch her talk with every other available gentleman. Weren’t those who were betrothed supposed to look betrothed? To look happy together, like they were in love? What would people think when they saw him flirting with other women?
Sara had engaged in several conversations about the weather, which nearly bored her to tears, when Sir Rawlings approached and asked her to dance.
“With pleasure,” she accepted with the brightest smile she could muster. It was a slower dance, one which left both partners adequate time to talk and flirt, which she took full advantage of.
If her own betrothed was going to be pigheaded and so full of himself that he would not take notice of her, she wasn’t going to lose sleep over it. As Rawlings made her laugh again, she took a turn and saw Renwick’s cold eyes boring through her. She tripped on her gown but was saved by Rawlings’ hands as he reached out and braced her arms. Looking into his eyes she began to feel like he had cornered her rather than rescued her. Something predatory lurked behind those eyes and it made her uncomfortable.
“Are you all right, Sai?” Rawlings’ voice was laced with fake concern. His hands were still firmly placed on her shoulders moving uncomfortably closer to her chest. Either she was the worst dance partner ever, or he was trying to use her vulnerability for his gain. She shouldn’t allow Nicholas’s strange moods to dictate how she treated others, even if the others she referred to were dogs like Rawlings. It was too unlike her.