She smiled brightly at him, turning to show him the entire gown, and when she cast him a glance over her shoulder, batting those large, dark eyes, he laughed. “No need to be coquettish, Lexie. You already have my undivided attention.”
Against her will, the laugh escaped her, though she tried to smother it with a cough. She knew she had his full attention. A woman couldn’t ignore a man like him when he turned his attention to her, and she was no different. When she had come into the foyer and caught his eye, she noticed how those glittering turquoise eyes gazed at her approvingly, and her heart did an excited dance in her chest. A dark look crossed his face, but once she twirled brightly in front of him, his expression had changed into something altogether different, and the delight in his face when she had batted her eyes at him, daring him to tease her, had set her heart on fire.
Glancing at him over her shoulder, she had to admire his form—she wasn’t the only one beautifully attired. His longish, golden mane was swept back from his forehead, and he wore a black double-breasted dress coat over a crimson waistcoat, a crisp white shirt, and a bow tie. Black trousers and dark kidskin gloves finished the ensemble. Any man would be dashing in the clothing Nicholas had chosen for himself.
He
looked like the prince she had always dreamt would sweep her off her feet. He was so handsome Lexie had to remind herself to breathe when he extended her hand to her.
She accepted and graced him with a nod, silently telling him she approved of his appearance, too, and he laughed. “Still not speaking to me?” When her smile abruptly fell to a scowl, he gave her a boyish, lopsided grin and said, “It was a pleasure to hear your voice. I thought for certain it had returned. A pity. You have a beautiful voice. I’ve missed it.”
She meant to smile demurely, and was horrified when, instead of just a smile, she’d given him a saucy little grin and a wink. The problem was, she enjoyed having Nicholas’s attention, how he teased her and tried to cajole her into talking again. The same part of her was a little afraid that, should she speak to him, the game would end, and with it, this lovely interplay between them.
He chuckled lowly. “Lexie, sweet, you may very well be the death of me.” With those words, he bent and kissed her hand, ever the gallant prince.
Lexie’s heart hammered in her chest, his lips burning her skin as he kissed her, even through the thin cloth of her satin gloves. A delighted shiver rippled down her spine, and she almost forgot herself and closed her eyes, wanting to lose herself in the glory of his touch. If she believed in fairy tales, she would have believed she had walked straight into one tonight. Like the tales of the princesses of old, Nicholas, in his own backward fashion, was saving her. She wouldn’t have nights like this once she wed, she would never again have the attention of a handsome young man, nor experience the heady rush accompanying the sensation of his lips on her skin. Her marriage would be survivable because she would have these sweet, precious memories of the days when a heart-breakingly attractive gentleman had attempted to woo her and sweep her off her feet.
Nicholas draped a dark wrapper over her shoulders, and she smiled in response. Clearing his throat again, he said, “I have a little something for you to wear. They seem somehow more appropriate, given what you’re wearing.” He pulled aside her curls, and she felt his warm breath on the nape of her neck, his hands on her bare shoulders. Shocking, the tingles such contact sent down her spine. Her stomach somersaulted, her entire body alive with the anticipation of his touch.
What was he doing to her?
He reached around her and put a necklace around her throat. Bending his head close to hers, he clasped heavy earrings to her ears, his hands grazing the tender spot beneath her earlobe, his kidskin-encased fingers trailing a path down her neck to her collarbone. She closed her eyes and a small sound escaped her. For the second time tonight, Lexie was mortified at her own actions, shocked the breathy, eager sound had actually come from her lips. She hoped with everything she had Nicholas hadn’t noticed.
But of course he had. His eyes alight with blatant lust, he regarded her for a moment. Motioning to the mirror on the wall behind her, he said, “You should see yourself, Miss Markland. I must say, my rubies have never looked better.”
She peeked around him and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Dressed in the finest gown she had ever worn, now she was draped in matching rubies. Large scarlet stones dangled from her ears, and the necklace—good God, the necklace must have cost a fortune. Rubies, surrounded by diamonds, formed a scalloped pattern settling gently on her collarbones. This necklace alone must cost as much as her fiancé would pay for her. Perhaps more.
She pushed the thought away and touched the necklace. She didn’t want to think of the future. What she had was
now,
and she intended to enjoy every second. The gems gracing her throat and her ears were the most beautiful things she had ever worn, ever seen. That he thought her worthy to wear such jewels—or to touch them, even—made her feel prized in a way she never had been before. It was a sensation so unfamiliar, tears immediately sprang to her eyes.
She gazed up at Nicholas with those wide, obsidian eyes brimming with tears, and he felt like a cad again for reasons that eluded him. He hadn’t anticipated tears at his gesture, and he hoped he hadn’t ruined the gains he’d made with her tonight. His courting of Lexie had taken a turn for the better tonight, up until he brought out his mother’s jewels. Worry creasing his brow, he asked, “Do you not like them? I can take them back.”
She shook her head, putting a protective, scarlet-gloved hand on his mother’s necklace. Her eyes searched his face, but he couldn’t quite interpret her expression—cautious, touched, maybe a little sad—and he wondered what she was thinking. He’d heard the moan that escaped her when he touched her skin. He’d affected her then. But a moment later, tears formed in her eyes when she saw what he had given her, and the rush he felt at Lexie’s desire had immediately been replaced by a strange tightening in his chest at the sight of her tears. He reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek.
“Then why are you crying? They’re lovely on you. I doubt there was ever a woman who looked quite so fine in those jewels.”
She stared up at him for a long time, and he waited a long time for an answer. He wanted to hear her voice again—wanted it more than he had wanted to hear anything in his life. The thought stunned him. He’d heard raucous excitement when he had won huge hands at cards, he’d heard women moaning as he pleasured them with his body, but the one sound he wanted to hear above all others was the sound of this beautiful, proud woman’s voice, saying anything. So what she did next stunned him even more.
She rose up on her toes and kissed him softly on the mouth.
It was a sweet, chaste kiss, and over all too soon. From the look on her face she had no plans to yield more. And yet that small kiss rocked him to his core. He had neither seduced her into giving it nor stolen it from her. She kissed him freely, a gesture of friendship, of a relationship going beyond that of employer and employee.
Perhaps his idea of courting her was worth his while, after all.
Despite Nicholas’s best attempts, Lexie had managed to maintain her silence throughout the duration of the carriage ride to the governor’s mansion. The kiss she had given him had stunned them both, and Nicholas hadn’t anticipated the effect it would have on him. From her shocked expression he knew she was as surprised at her display of affection as he was. He’d thought about pursuing her for more, but the cautious way her body stiffened when he moved closer to her to do just that told him she wouldn’t yield him anything more. He had to be content with what she gave him and nothing more. So he’d smoothed his features into the smile that had melted so many hearts, escorted her out to the carriage, and tried his best to be a solicitous gentleman ever since.
She had the bearing of a queen, and he intended to treat her as such. Upon their arrival at the Governor’s Ball, a footman greeted them at the door and ushered them inside. A quartet played in the corner, and women dressed in all their finery chatted amiably while the men, decked out in their finest clothes, smoked or talked amongst themselves.
From the awe on her face, it was very clear she’d never been to anything like this. He wondered if she’d ever even left her little section of town, with its ramshackle homes with peeling paint, the streets smelling of dust and sewage. Not for the first time, he was reminded that Lexie was a poor girl from the wrong side of town, a girl who hadn’t been exposed to life on the other side, who didn’t know what it was like to have money. And because of it, because of the awe and wonder he saw on her face, she held a certain charm—an artlessness—that made her even more attractive.
Her dark eyes were wide as she looked around, as if stunned by the dimensions and lavishness of the room, and she scarcely seemed to notice when one of the butlers took her wrapper and Nicholas’s frock coat. For a moment, all she did was drink in her surroundings, studying the room and the people in it.
He knew the moment she realized how different she was, dressed in that particular gown, and he would have regretted buying it for her if she hadn’t been so damn beautiful in it. The other women wore dark colors—black, dark green, navy—and their dresses offered far more coverage than hers did. He tightened his hold on her arm and, with his free hand, gave hers a pat. His jaw clenched as he took in the hurt expression on her face, as others turned to look at her. If he could have, he would have branded her
his
.
If she were his, she’d never have to tolerate the cruel gossip of these vultures.
He took off his gloves and handed them to the butler, brushing the soft skin of her cheek with his fingertips. “You’re lovely. You are, by far, the most beautiful woman in this room. A woman like you
should
stand out.” With those words, the frown died on her lips, and his heart soared. And that thoroughly confounded him. How was it that the emotions of this one little woman could affect him in such a way? He kept finding himself overwhelmed by the need to make her world right. He would do anything to make her happy.
Except let her go.
Extricating his arm from hers, but maintaining possession of her hand, he asked, “Would you like something to drink?” She nodded, and he left her to procure her a drink.
And cursed himself for leaving her.
He hadn’t been gone for but a moment when he glanced over his shoulder and saw her chatting with George Wallingford, a rising star on the political set. The man reeked of authority, with his dark good looks and commanding presence. Rumor had it he could be the next governor, or even president if he chose. He even
looked
presidential, though Nicholas didn’t think he possessed the wit for such a position. Wallingford loved women, and they loved him in return. The small impediment of his having a wife had never stopped him. And his Lexie was
talking
to the man when she wouldn’t speak to him. The mere idea made his blood boil.
But he waited, got Lexie some punch, and made his way back to her. He touched her elbow in a manner suggesting intimacy as he handed her the drink. “Mr. Wallingford. It’s nice to see you again.”
Wallingford’s eyes shifted from Lexie to Nicholas and back again. He arched an eyebrow at Nicholas and his features creased into a disarming smile. “Mr. Wetherby. I have just had the pleasure of meeting the charming Miss Markland.”
The man puffed out his chest like a peacock and preened for her. He was charming enough, but he seemed to think the world revolved around him, as if everyone wanted to know about his latest adventure, what
he
thought of the world. Lexie smiled faintly, and Nicholas’s equanimity returned at the sight of it—Wallingford obviously bored her as much as he irritated him.
“Oh?” Nicholas asked, arching an eyebrow at Lexie.
Lexie frowned, taking the punch from his hands, and Nicholas smiled. He had her trapped. She needed to speak or risk appearing impolite, and, regardless of her parentage, she was too well bred to do that. Nodding her thanks, she turned back to Wallingford. “And such a pleasure it has been, Mr. Wallingford. Please, feel free to continue your discussion with Mr. Wetherby. I dare say he will find it as fascinating as I have, and you two have quite a lot in common. Excuse me,” she said, running her hand across his back as she moved away from Wallingford.
Nicholas fought to keep his eyes open as she touched him, his intent to force her to speak to him all but dying on his lips. Somehow, he even managed to keep his eyes on Wallingford, who had no problem with ogling the sway of Lexie’s bustle as she walked away. Lecher. Nicholas fought the urge to punch him in the face.
Then the thought occurred to him—she’d just compared him to Wallingford. Right after she’d encouraged the man to expound on his latest exploits, which would be an exercise in tedium. The woman was trying to kill him by having George Wallingford bore him to death.
Another gentleman quickly engaged her in conversation, and she glanced over her shoulder at Nicholas. He touched his fingers to his brow, a mocking salute, acknowledging she had bested him again.
The smile she gave him set his heart on fire.
“A charming girl, Wetherby. Where did you find her?” When Nicholas made a noncommittal grunt, preferring to focus on Lexie, Wallingford continued as if uninterrupted. “Where have you been keeping such a lovely creature? I wonder why I’ve not met her before.”
“She’s a friend of the family, Wallingford, here for an extended visit,” Nicholas lied. “Besides, she’s very much engaged.”
Wallingford laughed. “A family of fools, if they would let a girl like her spend time with a man like you. A more fool of a fiancé, to be sure. I would have married her before shipping her off to you.”
Nicholas scowled at him, but he realized Wallingford wouldn’t be the only person speculating about Lexie’s relationship to him. He had earned his reputation, but for the first time in his life, he regretted it. “She’s a friend of the family,” he repeated. “I’m acting as her guardian.”
Wallingford laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as if they were old mates. “I just bet you are, old chap. A girl like her doesn’t stand a chance.”
From between clenched teeth, Nicholas ground out, “It’s not like that. I’m her guardian and nothing more.”
Wallingford smiled and turned to regard Lexie. Nicholas followed his gaze, watching her as she chatted with a group of older gentleman. Younger gentlemen regarded her from a respectful distance, waiting for the opportunity to catch her alone. Nicholas already regretted bringing her: he liked having Lexie to himself, and sharing her, even for an evening, wreaked havoc on his nerves. Then Lexie turned, caught his eye over her shoulder and smiled.
His chest tightened. As he stepped away from Wallingford, the other man said with sly humor, “You keep telling yourself that, Wetherby.”
Nicholas ignored him.
When he reached her, he took possession of Lexie’s hand and tucked it under his arm. She smiled up at him again, and his heart did a painful lurch. This woman had woven a spell over him if she could affect him in such a way.
Once she’s talked to me, this will fade
, he thought to himself ruefully.
This is nothing. Nothing more than the thrill of the chase. Even as he told himself that, he knew it for a lie.