“It’s magnificent,” his sister gushed. “Where ever did you find such a perfect piece? Pearls are Pru’s favorite you know.”
He hadn’t known, but he wasn’t about to say so and allow the eager ears straining around them that bit of knowledge. “Quite right. I commissioned it a few weeks back after stopping at a number of jewelers and not finding what I wanted.” Which was true. It had been his first order of business after sending off their betrothal announcement.
“I knew there was a romantic hidden beneath that rakish veneer of yours,” Amanda remarked with a swat to his arm.
“Ah, dear sister, you have found me out.” He retrieved Pru’s hand and threaded it through the crook of his arm. “But I am afraid my romantic side lay dormant until a certain woman coaxed it out of hiding.” He smiled down at Pru, chuckling when she lowered her lashes, her face turning pink.
“Really, Kolton, you do go on so,” Pru admonished, sending him a look clearly stating she thought he was layering it on rather thick.
“Oh, enjoy it Pru,” Amanda waived away Pru’s comment with one elegant hand. “Once the newness of the relationship winds down, the love remains the same, but the effusive attention, not to mention the flattery, comes less frequently.”
“Never say so! I am a lucky man and I know it. I plan to remind Pru of that fact every day for the rest of our lives,” Kolton said in a voice loud enough to be heard by those undoubtedly eavesdropping nearby.
“Glad to hear it, dear brother. Don’t forget to remind him of that statement quite often, Pru. Especially if he is cross with you.”
Kolton snorted good-naturedly.
“Oooh, that sounds like a handy idea,” Pru replied with a mischievous smile.
Amanda took Kolton’s other arm, nodding to the head server awaiting her signal to pass out the champagne, and guided them through the crowd. Smiling and stopping briefly to share a word or two with some of the guests, she led them toward her husband who awaited them on a platform set up in front of the musicians.
“Christopher plans to make the official announcement of your engagement. You and Pru are to lead the guests in the first waltz of the evening,” his sister informed him as she urged them to join the Viscount on the platform.
Pru groaned softly beside him. Kolton placed his hand over hers and lowered his head to speak quietly in her ear. “Don’t fret, my dear. This part will be over relatively quickly, and then I will have the pleasure of taking you in my arms – though not as I wish to, but I will be sure to make up for that later – and twirl my lovely bride-to-be about the dance floor.”
Pru raised her eyes to his and pursed her lips in annoyance, which Kolton found absolutely adorable. “Is that all you ever think about?”
“In the last seven days, yes. It seems, where you are concerned, abstinence preys on my sanity,” he replied, sending her a lust-starved look and waggling his brows suggestively.
Annoyance left her face and she stifled a giggle behind delicate gloved fingers. Turning her head, she smiled at him, the twinkle of amusement in her aqua eyes making Kolton’s heart skip a beat. “You, my lord, are an uncontrollable flirt. Don’t depend on that lecherous charm of yours to always get you out of trouble,” she warned with a failed attempt at seriousness.
God, he loved the paradox that was Prudence. She was a bit of everything: quiet, but outspoken; passionate, yet shy; funny at times while withdrawn at others. He didn’t always know what side she would show him next, and it was something he found intriguing as well as extremely attractive.
Viscount Broadshire raised his glass. “May I have everyone’s attention, please?” Kolton’s brother-in-law bellowed over the noise of the crowd. “Your attention, please,” he repeated as the crowd began to quiet. “As most of you I am sure know, tonight’s celebration is in honor of two people whom I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years. I have also the dubious honor of being related to one of them.” He winked at Kolton, eliciting a round of chuckles from the men in the room. Kolton sent him a rueful grin and cleared his throat meaningfully. The last thing Kolton needed was Christopher reminding Pru of his popularity with the ladies; she was insecure enough as it was.
“Be that as it may,” the viscount continued. “The rascal I call brother-in-law has found himself the perfect woman —with the exception of my dear wife that is,” he added, placing a hand over his heart in an exaggerated gesture of affection toward his spouse, before looking back at Pru with a heavy sigh. “Lucky devil, wouldn’t you all agree? He must be, because he asked her to marry him and she said yes!” he announced with bright smile as he turned back to the assembled crowd. “Please raise your glasses and join me in a toast. To Lord Ravensbrook and Lady Prudence Mayville, may your marriage bring you all the happiness life together has to offer, and may fate look kindly upon you in the years to come.”
A chorus of hear-hears followed the toast, and Kolton and Prudence each took a sip of their champagne. “Now, without further ado,” the viscount announced, “the guests of honor will lead us all in the first waltz of the evening.”
***
Kolton took Prudence’s hand and led her to the center of the dance floor. While they had danced infrequently in the past, this was the first time he would take her in his arms publically since they’d become intimate. Prudence fought the blush that threatened to burn her cheeks at the thought of their bodies entwined in a carnal embrace while they took their positions and waited for the orchestra to begin the first notes of the waltz.
Prudence could feel every eye in the room studying and assessing her as if she were a curiosity at a carnival. She was relieved when the music started and Kolton swept her expertly about the dance floor.
“You look as if someone has kicked your puppy, Pru. Can you not summon a smile for your future husband?”
“I don’t have a puppy.” Prudence raised her eyes from his cravat pin where they had been focused for the last several moments and offered a weak smile.
“Was that a joke, my dear? And a smile! But it is not at all good enough. Needs to be brighter, more admiring. A man has his pride, you know.” He drew her a bit closer and brought his mouth to her ear. “I am the envy of every man here. Look at how their eyes stray to you even as they dance with the other beautiful women in the room.” His deep sultry voice washed over her, making her shiver despite the wave of heat growing inside her. “Those women cannot hold a candle to your allure. You radiate a mixture of sensuality and poise very few men fail to notice.”
She looked around casually and realized Kolton was correct. Some of the looks she was receiving from the male population were blatantly obvious while others were more discreet, but all of them held approval. The women in the room were another story, however.
A skitter of excitement trickled up her spine. Prudence had never been the source of envy from any woman. The sense of power it instilled was thrilling. She felt desirable, and it must have showed in the smile of pure happiness she sent to her betrothed. He gave a sharp intake of breath and she was rewarded with the most dazzling smile she’d had yet to see from him in return. Prudence realized at that moment she had more than passed into dangerous territory. The Earl of Ravensbrook had captured her heart. She would be lying to herself if she denied it any longer.
The ballroom suddenly seemed to close in on her. The overpowering scent of the array of perfumes in the air coupled with the occasional unwashed body, overwhelmed her, and felt as though it sucked the air out of the room.
“Pru? Pru, are you feeling all right?” Kolton asked his voice thick with concern. “You look pale all of a sudden.”
“I—well, I feel...It is a bit stuffy in here. Perhaps some air would be a good idea.”
Anything to keep the room from spinning
. Was she going to faint? How many women actually fainted when they realized they had fallen in love? Certainly none she had ever heard of.
“Of course, love. Here, the terrace is just over there.” He led her through the open French doors and out into the blessedly cool breeze outside.
Love
. He had called her ‘love.’ It was too much for Prudence to bear so quickly in the wake of realizing she had failed to protect her heart. She was being silly. ‘Love’ was a commonly enough used expression. She was simply overreacting.
Kolton led her to a bench a distance away from the doors and urged her to sit. “Are you unwell? Shall I call for the carriage and take you home?”
“Oh, no, I am feeling a little better now.” Which wasn’t completely a lie. The fresh air was helping to clear her head. Now all she needed was a little distance from Kolton so she could think. “Perhaps a glass of punch? I am a bit thirsty.”
“What was I thinking? Of course, my dear. With the heat bothering you, some refreshment would be in order.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it before hurrying back to the ballroom in search of the refreshment table.
Prudence took a deep breath of the night air, glad to have a moment alone. Kolton’s concern was touching, but his strong presence engulfed her, overwhelming her train of thought, and she needed to think rationally right now.
How could she have been foolish enough to think she could avoid falling in love with Kolton? He was passionate, charismatic, and by far the most attractive man in London. When she had agreed to the betrothal, she hadn’t counted on him turning his charm on her so thoroughly. That was bad enough, but his tenderness and concern, not to mention his romantic proposal were too much for her to resist.
Should she allow herself to trust him with her heart? Did she really have a choice? Kolton was equally as attractive as she remembered her father had been, but that is where the similarity ended. From what little Prudence remembered of her father, he had been distant and cool. He spent little time at home with her and her mother. Kolton, on the other hand, was warm and charming and, above all, honest.
Perhaps she could trust him not to turn on her as her father had her mother. Could she dare hope she and Kolton had something real growing between them?
Prudence was beginning to believe they might.
Chapter Fifteen
The rustling of skirts caught Prudence’s attention. She looked up to see a young woman of about nineteen or twenty pass through the doors and onto the terrace. She was quite pretty, with her abundance of light blonde hair artfully arranged atop her head and her slender figure.
Prudence cleared her throat softly. The young woman jumped and looked her way.
“Lady Prudence?” Even her voice was lovely, Prudence thought without rancor.
“I’m sorry, you seem to have me at a disadvantage,” Prudence replied rising from her seat. “Yes, I am Prudence Mayville, but I am afraid if we have been introduced, I do not recall the occasion.” Prudence gave the girl an apologetic smile.
“Oh, no,” the young lady reassured her shyly, “your memory is not at fault. Please forgive me. I am Lady Hope Kingsley. Perhaps you have met my father, the Duke of Stoneville?”
Prudence’s brows drew together in thought. Yes, she had met the duke and had the opportunity to converse with him on one or two occasions.
“Yes, I do know your father. He is a nice gentleman. I must confess, though, I didn’t know he had a daughter.”
Lady Hope smiled and Prudence noted a hint of sadness in the young woman’s expression. “Yes, well, I have spent most all of my life in the country. I only just arrived at the end of the season. I would have made my debut sooner, but my mother suffered a riding accident and passed away last year.”
“Oh, my dear girl, I am so sorry. I regret to say I didn’t know your mother, but I do know losing a parent can be incredibly painful.” Closing the short distance between them she placed her hand on the girl’s arm. Something about the young woman drew her. She liked her immediately without quite knowing why.
“Thank you, my lady, you are so kind.” She patted Prudence’s hand and took a deep breath, letting it out forcefully. “I was hoping to meet you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. To congratulate you on your betrothal to Lord Ravensbrook,” the young woman replied. “I have yet to meet him personally, but he is so dashing and seems completely enamored of you. You must feel like the happiest woman alive.”
Prudence smiled politely. Yes, he did
seem
enamored; he certainly played the part of love-struck fiancé well this evening. “Lord Ravensbrook
is
quite handsome,” Prudence confessed. “I admit his interest in me came as a bit of a surprise. I am afraid at times I shall awake and all this will have been a lovely dream.”
“I cannot imagine why he should not be interested in you, my lady,” the young woman replied, her brows drawing together in a thoughtful frown. “You are perhaps the most beautiful woman I have ever met. If one were to ask any man here tonight, they would surely agree.”
“Well, I don’t know if I would go that far, but I thank you for your praise of my person.”
“It is no kindness, I assure you,” Lady Hope replied with a smile. “It is simply the truth.” The young woman tilted her head and studied Prudence a moment. “You are not like many of the women I have met since I came to London. You seem genuinely kind and don’t put on airs or twitter and bat your lashes. I cannot stand how false everyone here appears.”
Prudence smothered a smile with her hand. “Discovered that already have you? Well, I can assure you, Lady Hope, there are a few decent people amongst the
ton
.”
“Mm, that may be so,” she conceded, a mischievous smile lighting up her face, “but weeding them out from the herd may prove to be a bit of a problem.”
Prudence chuckled softly. “Yes, that it can be.”
“I like you, Lady Prudence,” Lady Hope said with a wide smile. “Would it be too forward of me if I ask to call on you sometime soon?”
“I would like that,” Prudence replied sincerely. Lady Hope seemed the likeable sort, full of life and straight forward. Prudence didn’t have any real close friends outside of her family, and this young woman might prove to be an interesting companion.