Nicholas spun Lady Cressidain an elegant twirl, and they glided to the waltz, feeling the many eyes of society upon them. The countess did not seem particularly pleased whenever her daughter stepped out onto the floor with a notorious Fairbanks, and many in thetonnoted she honored him with a dance whenever he asked.
Nicholas had been asking far too frequently. This was the fourth time they were dancing together since the beginning of their portrait rendezvous.
“You seem distracted,” she said with a smile.
“I must stop asking you to dance.”
The light in her eyes dimmed and for several moments she remained silent. He led her in her graceful spins and twirls, grateful he had taken the dancing lessons his sister-in-law had recommended. If only for this moment.
“I do not want you to stop asking,” she said softly.
“Even if it threatens a scandal?”
Regret clouded her gaze and those long lashes swept down, hiding her expression from him. The dance ended, and Nicholas directed her to the sidelines.
“I am going to leave the ballroom in a few minutes,” Cressida said in a hushed tone. “Follow me to the second floor. The third door on the right.”
His heart jolted. “Cressida—”
She curtsied and walked over to a cluster of ladies and gentlemen who cast speculative glances in his direction.Hell. The nosy bodies of thetonwere already wondering at their connection. Nicholas was tempted to leave the ball, but his blasted hunger to be alone with Cressida prevented such actions.
Spying his sisters by the refreshment table, he went over to Ester who chatted animatedly with Emma. Their expressions lit with welcome when he approached.
“You are in love with Lady Cressida,” Emma said, smiling up at him. “You two look so lovely together dancing.”
His breath caught. His damn heart craved. A painful, aching tightness rose inside of him “I am not in love with her,” he refuted drily. “We are only friends.”
His sisters shared a speaking glance only they understood.
“You do not look at her as if she were a friend,” Ester said archly, blue eyes like his own twinkling with mischief. “Even I could tell that you wanted to badly kiss her.”
Emma nodded and muttered, “Badly.”
Interfering minxes.
He lightly chatted with his sisters while discreetly keeping Cressida in his line of sight. To her credit she did not look in his direction and even danced twice more with gentlemen who appeared besotted. The marquess stared at her from the upper bowers, his mouth flat and unsmiling.
The entire situation felt damned tangled, and his gut warned Nicholas to walk away before it was too bloody late. Whatever he had with the lady would not last long. Everything urged him to hurry and take her to his bed; however, something inexplicably tempered him.
Though each time he saw Cressida, Nicholas felt he wanted her more than his next breath, he could not bear rushing her to his bed. Each moment they were together felt too fleeting, and she deserved so much more. He accepted that he wanted far more from her than a night of illicit coupling between the sheets. He wanted to wake with her at his side and never to let her go.
He hid a smile when she slipped from the room, and no one seemed to notice. Nicholas waited a few minutes before discreetly following her from the ballroom and up the stairs to the second floor. The hallways there was not quite silent, even the solid build of the townhouse, could not completely suppress the sounds of the small orchestra and babble of conversation and laughter. As he approached the door, he noted the light beneath it. Without knocking, he pushed open the door and entered. It was a bedroom. Cressida waited for him on the carpet, her dancing shoes toed off and her feet curled beneath her. A flash of pink and delicately turned ankles caught his eyes. The pins had been removed from her hair, and those bright auburn tresses fell in loose waves about her shoulders.
“Welcome to my bedchamber.”
God, she was gorgeous. Dangerously so.
A man must not fall for a woman that was so unattainable. Nicholas knew he would be a damn fool if he allowed himself to fall too deep, but he crossed the threshold of her chamber and closed the door with a softsnick.
A chess set had been set up and on a plate was a rather large slice of cake.
“Ah, chess, we finally get to play.”
“I thought you would be pleased.” Cressida smiled up at him. “We have at least two hours before my sister’s guests start departing.”
“Will she not note your absence from the ball?”
“She is too busy playing hostess. However, I did mention to my mama that I have a terrible headache.”