Redeeming the Deception of Grace (14 page)

Chapter Nine

The Kringle Ball was a
much anticipated and
huge annual celebration
. Each year it was
the last hurrah before the Christmas
h
oliday. The steps leading
to
the house were lined with gold and green silk
,
cascading down from the
marble pillars
and billowing in the cold breeze
.
Trees were decorated with crystals, silk, and candles
,
sending warm light into the night air
.

When
Grace entered into the foyer
,
she gasped at the
hundreds
of twinkling candles that lined the hall
,
reflected
by
strategically placed
mirrors to
maximize
the romantic light
.
The musicians played cherished Christmas songs
,
and Grace inhaled the scent of cedar, pine
,
and cinnamon
.
The deep breath Grace took reminded her of Christmas cookies and warm cider on a cold night
.

A glance upward revealed tiny crystals chiming in the rafters, tinkling their music softly as the door opened and closed with each arriving guest. The footfalls of each guest were muted
on
the marbled floors strewn with rose petals,
and
the subtle scent of rose
complimented
the other festive fragrances.
Everything was beautiful and breathtaking, truly a night for magic if ever
there
was one.

A
fter
she was announced
,
she squeezed her father
'
s hand
and went off
to find Rachel
.
The crowd was thick with feathers and fur
. Grace wove about the crush
,
ador
ing
each
festive gown,
tall hat
,
and crimson cravat
.

But b
efore she found her
friend
,
Shiply sought
Grace
out and asked for a dance
.
The desire to turn him down rose in her throat before she caught herself and
obliged hi
m. With a smart bow
he promised to come and collect her when the dancing commenced
.

She began to walk f
u
rther into the
richly adorned
ballroom when she caught a glimpse of Ewan
'
s face. The glimpse was so brief
,
she wondered if it was simply wishful thinking, but then
the
two men
blocking her view
moved out of the way
.

Her breath suspended in her chest
,
and she felt the music fade into the background
.
He walked with purpose as he entered the room, his eyes intent and searching
.
He was handsome, painfully handsome
,
in his dark evening coat with a crisp white shirt and crimson red cravat
.
Even from a distance
,
she could see his
shining
boots and muscular legs
.

Thrilled that she could take her time in gazing at him
,
she lovingly caressed each inch of him with her eyes, memorizing his shape and form. When
her
perusal
reached his face
,
she saw his eyes had been on her, watching her
wanton appraisal of his person
.

S
he felt the heat of his gaze from across the room
.
Gone was the
flawlessly
polite gentleman
who
had benignly spent time with her over the past week
,
and present was the Ewan she had always loved
.
A
tingling sensation traveled up her fingers and into her chest
.
S
he offered him a
slight
smile
.
His response was immediate as he winked at her and began striding toward her with
robust
steps.

The music for the
q
uadrille began at that moment, causing Grace to groan with
the knowledge
that soon Shiply would be along to collect her for the promised dance
.
No sooner had Ewan approached and grasped her gloved hand, searing her with his
passionate
blue gaze
,
did Shiply arrive and interrupt
.
"
Hello there
,
Greys
.
"

Shiply bowed slightly before turning to Grace.
"
I believe this dance was promised to me
.
"

He offered his hand. Reluctantly Grace withdrew her fingers from Ewan
'
s grasp
,
but he held her fingers
,
softly caressing them as she pulled them away. A blush rose in Grace
'
s cheeks at the brazen yet private exchange.

"
Of course.
"
Grace nodded to Ewan as she left with Shiply.

****

Ewan expelled an exasperated breath
.
His patience was running
short
.
After the past week where he resisted every urge to behave
like…
well
,
himself, he was on thin ice
.
One dance and then he
'
d steal her away, he vowed to himself as he watched Grace dance.

"
How are you tonight
,
your grace?
"
Miss Rachel asked as she came to stand beside Ewan.

"
Ahh, Miss Jacobsen. Lovely as usual. I
'
m afraid my patience
is
in short supply
,
but aside from that, I
'
m quite well, thank you.
"
He had taken to being quite honest with Miss Rachel
,
as she had in turn been just as honest with him, especially regarding their dual pursuit.

"
I can sympathize
,
"
s
he remarked as she watched Shiply dance with Grace.

"
Have you made any progress?
"
h
e asked
,
turning to her, hoping to distract himself from the desire to beat Shiply for touching Grace as they danced.

"
Some, but not nearly enough
.
What about you?
"
s
he
asked
him.

"
The s
ame, but tonight I will tell her of my intentions.
"
Ewan
said confidently
as he watched Grace twirl.

"
Truly
?
"
s
he asked as her eyebrows rose
,
and a
tiny
grin
graced her lips.

"
Yes, although I must speak with her father first…
"
H
is voice
trailed off as he remembered his first task of the night.

"
He
'
s over there, speaking with my father
,
actually.
"
Miss Jacobsen pointed with her fan in the opposite direction of Grace.

"
Wonderful
.
I think I
'
ll go speak with him right now, get it taken care of first.
"
He nodded to Miss Jacobsen and left.

****

Shiply was a delightful partner and
executed
the dance perfectly, but
Grace
found herself missing steps as she searched for Ewan.
All she wanted was
to
see Ewan
,
speak with him, watch the mischief dance in his eyes as he charmed her
.
As the dance ended
,
she nodded to Shiply and excused herself
.
At last,
she saw Ewan with her father and another gentleman she didn
'
t recognize
.

A moment later, she noticed Rachel heading toward her.
"
Rachel,
h
ow lovely to see you! That hat is perfect with your dress! Aren
'
t you glad you purchased it?
"
Grace asked as she
squeezed her
friend
'
s dainty hand.

"
Yes, you were right. It is perfect!
"
The light in Rachel
'
s eyes was brighter than usual
.

"
What are you so excited about? You
'
re positively glowing.
"
Grace asked, curious as to what had caused her friend so much joy.

"
Ah, well, I have heard some amazing news, I
'
m sure you
'
ll find out later…
"
Her voice
trailed off
,
and she glanced for just a second at Ewan
where
he spoke with
a
man Grace
did not
recognize.

"
Truly
?
"
Grace asked as her stomach became uneasy.

"
Yes!
"
Rachel gushed.
"
Oh, if you
'
ll excuse me, my father
'
s motioning for me to come to him. I
'
ll
find
you later!
"
She gave Grace
'
s hand a quick squeeze and walked
elega
ntly
over to where Ewan stood still speaking to the unknown gentleman
.
When
Rachel stopped and gave the man
Grace
hadn
'
t recognized a
n
affectionate squeeze on the arm
,
she
felt the blood drain from her face.

"
No
,
"
she whispered. Had she misunderstood everything
?
Perhaps that was why Ewan had been so
well
mannered
, so unlike himself around Grace; because he was trying to distance himself from
her
and pursue Rachel
.
Was that the reason for Rachel
'
s excitement? Was Ewan even now asking
Rachel
'
s
father for permission to court her
—
marry her
,
even
?
Her heart pounded with fear as she watched her father pat Ewan on the back in what looked like congratulations
.
Unable to look away
,
she saw him shake hands with Rachel
'
s father and bow to kiss Rachel
'
s hand.

Grace lifted her hand to her mouth to hide
the
shock and
throbbing
in her heart
that was clearly displayed on her face.
The tears
threatened
to spill so she
began to turn around, but not before she caught Ewan
'
s glance at her direction
.
At seeing her reaction
,
he lost his
smirk
and began to excuse himself
.
Grace
spun on her heel and left, all but running from the room.