Violetta’s glance flickered to Seb in bewilderment. When she looked back to Leo, Seb mouthed at him.
‘Stop being a dick.’
To his right Leo heard Matteo make a frustrated groan.
He tried to pull himself together, to be the charming host, but while her hand sat in the crook of his cousin’s elbow it was liking asking a starving wolf to sit calmly, and be petted, while a tender lamb stood nearby.
The orchestra stirred to life.
‘Do you mind?’ he said, not waiting for Seb’s answer but taking Violetta’s hand and transferring it to his arm instead.
‘The dancing is about to begin and the grand duchess and I should set the example.’
He might as well have been on a tumbril, being dragged through the crowd to his execution, not walking amongst his invited guests, the man beside her looked so grim and dark.
They reached the centre of the dance floor set up on the largest of the terraces. With only the briefest glance at her, Leo took her in hold.
She remembered the last time he’d held her like this. She’d been wearing nothing but ballet shoes and his shirt, and he hadn’t been able to keep his gaze—or his hands—off her. Now it was as if he could barely stand to touch her at all.
‘You clearly aren’t taking proper care of yourself,’ he said as the music began. ‘Do you even observe mealtimes? You’re practically skin and bone.’
Perhaps she’d lost a kilo or two. She might not have eaten at regular times, she often worked late into the night, there’d been so much to do, but Luisa always made sure she ate something.
‘Thank you for the gracious compliment,’ she said as they danced past other couples joining them on the floor, couples who were trying valiantly not to stare.
His lip curled. ‘It’s merely an observation from one monarch to another. You’ll be no use to your duchy if you aren’t fit enough to work.’
‘I’m fortunate that not all the von Frohburgs have forgotten their manners this evening. Prince Sebastien was much more of a gentleman.’
That earned her a swift glare. ‘A word of advice, Violetta. If you are setting your sights on my cousin you should know he won’t be interested.’
Her brow creased. ‘What?’
‘You asked him to be your date for the evening. I assumed that you might be developing atendrefor him.’
Fury lit up inside her. How dared he? Howcouldhe?
Here she was being all misty-eyed about how alone he was, how much he must be missing her. Yet what did he do when they finally met again? Insult her, then patronise her and then accuse her, casually, of crushing on someone else. When she’d been breaking her heart every moment of the last ten months waiting for him to wake up and come and claim her love at last.
‘I don’t care for what you’re implying.’
‘I was trying to be helpful.’
‘By insulting me?’
He tightened his grip on her waist as he navigated a brief congestion on the dance floor.
‘By advising you.’
‘I already have enough advisors.’
‘In this case they would say the same, trust me.’
‘There it is again. That trust thing that you’re so big on. But trusting you hasn’t served me that well before.’
‘Take it or leave it. I’m just advising you to choose someone else instead.’
‘Who, Leo? Which paragon of masculinity do you have in mind?’