Chapter17
Tension fell away from him, and for the first time since his mother had arrived in town, Ashford felt as though he could finally take a full breath.If he ran into anyone he knew here tonight, they wouldn’t say a word.There would be no gossip, no staring, no speculation about his courtship of Miss Trenton.The unwritten rule of the night was that no one shared what they saw or heard.
Of course, Lowenbrock’s wife would be breaking that rule if she wrote about this—or a similar masquerade—in an upcoming book.But she wouldn’t be sharing names, and that was all anyone cared about.
The assembly rooms were already crowded, and the press of bodies would only get worse as the night progressed.There hadn’t been any question that he would move heaven and earth to be here.He wouldn’t miss the chance to see Mary without the eyes of the ton on them.One week had passed since he’d kissed her, and with any luck, he’d be able to do so again tonight.
He prowled around the outskirts of the room, scanning those assembled.When he couldn’t find Mary, he kept his gaze on the main doors to the ballroom.He spotted the tall, fair-haired Lowenbrock and the two women he escorted as soon as they stepped into the room.Satisfaction surged when his gaze locked on Mary’s, and he started toward them.The red mask she wore over the upper part of her face did little to disguise her identity.
He quickened his pace when it looked as though she wanted to flee.
“Ladies.My lord,” he said when he reached the group.
Lowenbrock and his wife greeted him, and he waited for Mary to turn and do the same.When she did, a shock of awareness went through him.
Of their own volition, his eyes swept over her form, taking in the dress that did nothing to hide her curves.He battled the urge to rip off his coat and cover her form so others wouldn’t see her this way.When he was able to force his gaze up again, her cheeks were tinged with red.He was behaving like a brute, but it was impossible to keep hedonistic images from flooding his mind, thoughts of taking Mary into one of the many shadowy hideaways that were designed for the sole purpose of giving people the privacy they needed to give in to their baser natures.
The sound of Lowenbrock clearing his throat brought him to his senses.
“My lady,” Ashford said, preserving her anonymity amongst those pressing closely.“Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
A smile broke over her face, and she placed her hand in his.Without a word to Lowenbrock, he tucked her hand into his arm and led her to the center of the ballroom floor.
Tonight no one would gossip if they danced more than twice together, which was a good thing because he wasn’t letting this woman out of his arms.
After two lively quadrilles, he escorted her to a refreshment table for a drink.He ignored the overtures from other women, the way several of them reached out to run a hand over his arms, his back… anywhere they could reach.It was much harder to ignore the way other men looked at Mary.He tucked her close to his side and snarled at one man who’d raised a hand to touch her hair.
Her eyes widened in surprise.“Did you just… growl?”
He could only shake his head, wondering how she hadn’t noticed the way men were leering at her.He’d do much worse than growl if they came any closer.
About ten minutes later, his patience was finally rewarded when he heard the opening strains of a waltz.
Her eyes lit.“Do we dare dance together again?”
“Just try to stop me.”
She laughed, and soon she was in his arms.He pulled her close, much closer than he would have been able to anywhere else.When she smiled up at him in response and pressed her body fully against him, he completely forgot about anyone else there.
He didn’t care who saw him sweeping his hand down her back before finally resting it just above her backside.
“You are very wicked, my lord.”
Good heavens, was this woman trying to undo the last of his self-control?
He ignored the hissed exclamation that came from behind him, assuming it was meant for someone else, until a hand on his arm attempted to pull him away from her.He tensed and turned, moving her behind him at the same time.He would battle anyone foolish enough to try to take her away from him.
The man was shorter than him, fair-haired and stocky.Ashford had never seen him before, but the man’s cheeks were bright red with anger.Then, in the next second, the color drained from his face.It would have been comical if every muscle in Ashford’s body wasn’t tensed in preparation for a physical battle.
“You’re not Henry.”The man shook his head.“You’re his brother, I presume.The new Viscount Ashford.I apologize for my rudeness.”
The man turned to leave, and it took Ashford’s befuddled senses a moment to realize what was happening.“Wait.Please don’t go.”He turned to Mary.“I need to speak to him.”
“Of course,” she said, her eyes soft with concern.Damn, did she know about his estrangement with his brother?
He took her to Lowenbrock and Amelia, feeling a twinge of guilt at interrupting their waltz.“You need to look after Miss Trenton for me.I’ll be back shortly.”
His friend nodded.“Nothing will happen to her.”