“Exceedingly so.” He held out the glass to her. “Care for some champagne?”
“Yes, please.” She grabbed the flute and downed half its contents in one gulp.
“Despite your insistence that your sister adores champagne, she just informed me in no uncertain terms that champagne makes her ill and she was aghast that I offered it to her.”
Alex pressed her lips together to keep from wincing. “That’s odd,” she offered. A change of subject was in order. Immediately. Alex blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Will you please take me out on the terrace? Alone.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Owen turned to her with wide eyes. “Pardon?” He couldn’t possibly have heard her correctly. An innocent did not want to go off onto the terrace alone with him.
Alex waved her gloved hand in front of her face. “I’ve misplaced my fan and am in need of some fresh air. It’s sweltering in here. I feel as if I might faint.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” He grinned at her. “But what did I tell you about going off alone with strange gentlemen?”
She arched a brow. “Oh, so now you’re a strange gentleman?”
Was that flirtatious? His little student learned quickly, it seemed. “A dance is one thing, but your reputation may well be shredded if you go onto the terrace alone with me.”
“No, it won’t. Not if we don’t stay long. I think it will give my reputation just the cachet of mystery that it’s currently lacking. The dance was a good start, but this may solidify my entrée into Society as an incomparable.” She blinked at him innocently.
“I don’t know about this, Alex,” he said in a warning tone, sliding his hands into his pockets.
“Very well. I’m going out alone, then.” Taking her half-empty champagne glass with her, she turned on her heel and headed toward the French doors that led out onto the terrace that in turn led down to the garden.
Owen followed her. Of course he followed her. What choice did he have? Not to mention, he found he wanted to talk to her. She was infinitely more appealing than her bad-tempered sister. And she knew how to handle her champagne, apparently, too.
They strolled outside separately, but Owen met her on the far side of the terrace. The light from twinkling candles spread throughout the gardens lit their path. The late summer air was warm and inviting. Alex turned to him and splayed her gloved hands across the balustrade behind her.
Owen tilted his head to the side and contemplated her. “Our dance was a success, it seems. Your dancing card appears to be much fuller.”
“Yes. I’m suddenly quite popular. Thanks to you. I’ve barely had a chance to breathe, let alone have a glass of champagne, so thank you for that, too.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, bowing.
He watched her carefully. The moonlight touched her cheekbones, the shining crown of her head, the sparkling bodice of her gown. She smelled like strawberries, as usual. He wanted to … kiss her. The thought stopped him, surprised him. He wasn’t in the business of wanting to kiss innocents. And he certainly wasn’t in the business of wanting to kiss the young sisters of the lady he was supposed to be courting. But all he could think about was the feel of her mouth on his yesterday when she hadn’t stepped away from his kiss. This was madness. The moon was doing insane things to him. That was all.
“How did you fare with Lavinia?” she asked, jolting him from his indecent thoughts.
He rubbed a knuckle against his forehead and expelled his breath. “Lavinia would barely look at me, let alone dance with me.”
Alex took another tiny sip of her champagne. “Did you ask her to?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Do you think she heard the rumor?”
“She said she found it crass of me to attempt to use her sister in order to make an impression on her.”
“That sounds like Lavinia.” Alex tapped a finger against her cheek. “You didn’t mention horses, did you?”
“I might have.”
“Did you give her a rock?”
“No. But I’m not above foraging in this garden for one if it will help my cause. Why is she such a—?”
“Shrew?”
“I was going to say ‘difficult lady,’ but ‘shrew’ is apt as well.”
“She’s always been given everything she wants in life.”
“You’re making excuses for her behavior.”
Alex’s hand fell to her side. “Perhaps, but she was very ill as a child, and—”
“Another excuse.”
Alex glanced away.
Owen sighed. He remembered how Alex had changed the subject when he’d asked her how her parents had treated her. She was used to getting the castoffs of affection. His heart tugged at the thought. It was a singularly surprising experience. But he could tell that Alex didn’t want to talk about it, so he turned the conversation back to Lavinia. “She’s always been given everything she wants in life, and she doesn’t want me.”