Across the room, she spotted her sister-in-law Lila waving at her and…drat it all! Did Lila and Quenthaveto be talking with Oliver? Of all the rotten luck. She’d successfully avoided him ever since the Berkswell’s ball, which had been nothing short of a miracle. Or perhaps she hadn’t avoided him and he’d simply not sought her out as he usually did. Either way, it had been a relief to not have to look directly up into his eyes, feel her heart twist and be reminded yet again that life was eternally unfair.
As it was, she couldn’t avoid Oliver at the moment, not after Lila had caught her attention. There were some people Grace wouldn’t mind giving the cut direct, but her delightful sister-in-law wasn’t one of them. “I am so sorry, Mr. Northam,” she began. “But I really must speak with my sister-in-law. I do hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Oh, yes, of course, Lady Grace,” he stammered, and he may or may not have tried to nod. It was rather difficult to tell considering how high the points actuallywereon his collar.
Grace sucked in a steadying breath and then crossed the Ainsley’s ballroom toward her brother, sister-in-law and…Oliver Ashbee. As she neared the trio, she noticed that Oliver’s blue eyes seemed to be missing their usual twinkle, which was odd. Hmm. Perhaps something had happened, perhaps something was bothering him and that’s why he hadn’t plagued her at all over the last sennight. Her heart squeezed at the sight of him looking so miserable, but she forced a smile to her face as though she hadn’t noticed a thing.
“Lila! You look wonderful,” she said, then pressed a kiss to both of her sister-in-law’s cheeks. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“I thinkIlook rather dashing myself,” Quent teased, making a genuine smile spread across Grace’s face.
“Yes, well, you always think so, don’t you?” Grace teased right back. Her arrogant brother. She had missed him dreadfully, though, since he’d taken up residence in Cumberland, and it was good to see him.
“Evening, Lady Grace,” Oliver said, and he did sound a little strained. Perhaps somethingwaswrong with him, after all.
“Lord Prestwood,” she returned, and let her gaze sweep over him, though she didn’t see anything outwardly wrong with Oliver. He looked as handsome as ever, just…unhappy.
“Where is Hope?” Quent asked, glancing out at the sea of dancers.
“Retiring room,” Grace replied. “Some sodden oaf stepped on the edge of her dress and ripped the hem.”
Her brother didn’t look quite convinced at that, and last year he’d have been correct to be suspicious. But Hope had used up every ounce of rebelliousness she’d ever possessed in chasing after Lord Kilworth. With that man gone from this world, their sister had not only lost the sparkle that had once been so much a part of her, but also her will to do anything untoward. Nothing else was worth the effort, it seemed.
“Mama is with her,” Grace continued, knowingthatwould definitely put her brother’s fears at rest.
“In that case,” Quent began, offering his arm to Lila as the first chords of a waltz began. “I would like to dance with my angel.”
Even after months of marriage, Lila blushed at the comment; but she took Quent’s hand and let him lead her into the middle of the floor.
“I suppose there’s no point in asking you to dance with me,” Oliver said only loud enough for Grace to hear.
She tipped her head to the side to better see him, and once again was struck by the lack of luster in his eyes. “If you did, I’d probably have to say something along the lines that I was unaware hell had frozen over, or something like that.”
“Come now, is that the best you can do?” A ghost of a smile tugged on his lips and with it, Grace’s heart lifted just a bit too. “The broken glass bit last time was much more inspired.”
Well, she had been conversing with uninspiring gentlemen all night. They must have drained a bit of her creativity with their musings on collar points or sheep shearing in the case of one particular bore. “You look tired. I thought to take pity on you.”
A full-fledged smile graced his lips then. “Grace the merciful angel.”
She shook her head and glanced out toward the dancers and easily spotted her brother and his wife. “Lila’s the only angel in this room.”
“I beg your pardon?” The timbre of Oliver’s voice made tingles race across Grace’s skin, and she truly wished it didn’t. It would be so much easier to get on with her life if he didn’t affect her in the least.
“Never mind,” she said as it only served to speak to Quent’s idiocy. “As I’m being merciful this evening, I’ll leave that tale for another time.”
“Will we have another time?” he asked, and he was so near her, she could feel the heat from his body at her back, warming her through the silk of her gown.
“You already know the answer to that, Oliver,” she whispered to keep her voice from cracking. But he knew it just as well as she did. Their time had consisted of one wonderful summer, and it could never be anything more.
“You, um, seem to be this year’s incomparable.”
Hardly that. She choked on a laugh. “No one is incomparable in their third season.”
“You’vealwaysbeen incomparable.” His hand settled on the small of her back and Grace’s eyes fluttered closed as the sounds of the ballroom faded away and memory after memory of him touching her like this, of him holding her in his arms, of the pleasure he’d wrought from her washed over her anew.
Curse him straight to the devil for making her remember those things. That’s why she never danced with him. The memories that came with his touch always crushed her like nothing else in the world. “Donottouch me, Oliver.”
His hand fell away and the lights and sounds of the ballroom came back into view as she blinked her eyes open once more.