A Duchess Enraged (31 page)

            Caroline
hesitated a moment, then placed her fingertips on it.  His skin was warm and
his grasp firm as he raised her to her feet.  She felt a tiny shiver run down
her spine.  Had she just made a great mistake?

            Lord
Gresham seemed to have some inkling of her emotions, for he squeezed her hand
gently as he led her toward the center of the room. 
“
Don
’
t worry, I won
’
t
ravish you.  It
’
s far
too public a spot,
”
he
murmured.

           
“
My lord,
”
she protested, trying to snatch her
hand away.

           
“
Hush,
”
he said softly. 
“
It was a jest.  I know you have a sense of humor
somewhere.  Perhaps if you search a bit you can retrieve it.
”

            Caroline
glanced around.  They were about to join the dancers; it would be noticed and
remarked on if she were to flee now.  She satisfied herself with shooting Lord
Gresham a furious glance. 

           
“
Come, try to enjoy yourself,
”
he whispered. 
“
It
’
s not so very hard.
”

            He
grasped her hand more firmly as they moved into the dance.  It was a formal
measure, and Caroline was surprised at how gracefully he moved and how well he
knew the ornate steps.  Of course, she reflected dryly, he was a renowned
seducer of women, and what better way to make a good impression than by
excelling on the dance floor?

           
“
What are you thinking about?
”
asked Lord Gresham. 
“
You look as though you are sucking
on a lemon.  Surely dancing with me isn
’
t
actually painful.
”

            Caroline
started.  She had been so intent on her thoughts that she had not realized the
steps had brought them close enough for conversation.  Lord Gresham reached out
and took her hand, and she resolutely ignored the tingling sensation this
caused.

           
“
Of course not,
“
she replied. 
“
I was minding my steps.  I dance so
little these days.
”

            Lord
Gresham laughed at that. 
“
No,
do try to think of another lie to tell me.  I must suppose you have known these
steps since you were a babe.  You dance beautifully.
”

            Caroline
flushed at the compliment and mentally berated herself.  She was letting Lord
Gresham
’
s practiced
blandishments upset her.  Perhaps Allegra was right, and she needed to be out
in Society more, so that the admiring compliments of gentlemen weren
’
t so unfamiliar to her. 

           
“
Thank you,
”
she said repressively. 
“
I might say the same of you.
”

           
“
An excellent partner always makes me
appear at my best,
”
responded Lord Gresham, and Caroline was grateful that the steps of the dance
moved them too far apart to talk.  Really, the man was too annoying.

            Lord
Gresham made unexceptional conversation through the rest of the dance, but
Caroline answered monosyllabically, hoping to dampen his interest.  To her
chagrin, she noted that he seemed to be increasingly amused by her attempts to
block his conversational gambits. 

           
“
Why ever did you agree to dance with
me?
”
he asked finally. 
“
You look acutely
uncomfortable.  The ton will think I
’
ve
lost my social graces.
”

            Caroline
decided to make a clean breast of the matter. 
“
I
’
m
sorry if your reputation is suffering, my lord.  If you must know, I agreed to
dance with you because Allegra made me promise to dance with the next man who
asked me.
”

           
“
Oh.
”
  Gresham
’
s
eyes twinkled. 
“
So
this is to solely to teach your meddlesome sister-in-law a lesson, is it?
”

           
“
I thought it might stop her from
pestering me in the future,
”
Caroline admitted.

           
“
I hope you may not come to regret
your rashness.
”
  His
voice was teasing. 
“
It
seems to me you are being very adventurous tonight.
”

           
“
Don
’
t mock me,
”
said Caroline crossly.  
“
You
have no idea how eager the gossips are to find fresh topics of conversation.
”

           
“
On the contrary, I have vast
experience with them, as you certainly know.  I usually ignore them.
”
 

           
“
But you are a man, and gossip only
enhances your reputation,
”
responded Caroline. 
“
As
a woman, mine would be ruined.
”

           
“
If you do nothing you are ashamed
of, then you needn
’
t
fear what the gossips say,
”
countered Lord Gresham.
“
They
will talk anyway.  The only person you need to please is yourself.
”

           
“
And so you have done nothing of
which you are ashamed?
”
asked Caroline, thinking of the countless stories she had heard of his
exploits.

           
“
Perhaps one or two things,
”
he responded. 
“
I have not always been kind, and I
have frequently been selfish.  But I didn
’
t
say I took my own advice.
”

            The
music stopped as Caroline
’
s
blue eyes met his gray ones.  The mocking look was gone from his face and for a
moment the chatter in the room seemed to fade away.

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