The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (20 page)

Georgie
gave Colin a sympathetic smile, though she was obviously quite pleased with the
way in which the evening was turning out.

When Colin
turned to speak with a gentleman whose name Scarlett had forgotten, she leaned
toward Georgie and whispered in her ear.  “I noticed you waltzing with Mr.
Brexton earlier.”  Georgie’s cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink as
Scarlett raised her eyebrows, regarding her with a knowing smile. 

Georgie
was saved from having to respond however, as she glanced over Scarlett’s
shoulder.  “Good evening, Your Grace,” she said, dipping into a perfectly
executed curtsey.

Scarlett
whirled around and came face to face with Alec, her heart doing a crazy little
leap, as it always did when he was near.  He was so handsome in his
elegant evening attire, looking almost as splendid as he had in all of his
naked glory the night before, when she’d unabashedly gazed upon the perfection
of his body in wanton admiration.

“Colin,
ladies,” Alec said with a courteous nod.  Looking pointedly at Scarlett,
he held out his gloved hand.  “I believe this is our waltz.”

“Of
course, Your Grace.  I have been looking forward to it all evening,” she
said with a gracious smile, placing her own gloved hand in his.

Scarlett
couldn’t help but notice the numerous sets of eyes trained in their direction
as Alec led her onto the dance floor, most of them female.  She could
hardly blame them for staring, some wistfully and others with barely concealed
jealously.  She was well aware of how fortunate she was to be the
recipient of the Duke of Worthe’s favor, more aware than any of them could
possibly imagine.  Well perhaps some of them could she thought, then
quickly pushed that disturbing notion to the back of her mind.

Once she
was in Alec’s arms however, everything and everyone faded rapidly into the
background as her focus became riveted on the man before her.  She took a
deep breath, inhaling the intoxicating aroma of his cologne.  She loved
the smell of him.  It made her feel almost lightheaded.  She longed
to press her body up against his, to trail her fingers along the back of his
neck and rest her cheek against the base of his throat so that she could simply
breathe in his scent and imprint the delicious smell onto her memory for
eternity.  Instead, she forced herself to keep her body an appropriate
distance from his as he led her through the motions of the waltz.  It was
even more difficult than she’d imagined it would be.

Despite
the watchful eyes around them, Alec was fighting the urge to pull Scarlett more
closely against him.  Holding her in his arms without being able to kiss
her or to caress her silken skin was akin to torture.  Her magnificent
hair fell in soft waves and curls and made a brilliant contrast against the
white of her gown and the flawless perfection of her creamy white skin. 
He longed to bury his fingers within its fiery-hued depths.  “Is it my
imagination or have you gotten even more beautiful since the last time I saw
you?”

“I don’t
think I have changed much since last night,” Scarlett responded lightly, though
her pulse quickened at the warm, almost caressing tone of Alec’s voice. 
Though no one could have detected it from his decorous expression, his eyes
held a smoky glint that sent a tiny shiver racing down her spine.

“You look
like an angel.”

Surprisingly,
she had been told that on more than one occasion that evening, but coming from
Alec, it made her heart flutter nonetheless.  “I think it’s the dress,”
Scarlett replied with a charming, slightly self-conscious smile.

Sometimes
Alec wondered if Scarlett had even a clue as to how lovely she really was, for
her unassuming demeanor was so different from the supercilious vanity of the
majority of women who had even an inkling of their physical appeal.  “I
think it’s you.”

Scarlett
merely smiled in response, content simply to be held in Alec’s arms as they
twirled across the dance floor.  Alec was a marvelous dancer, and
surprisingly graceful considering his large frame, as well as the fact that he
rarely made an appearance at any of the Season’s numerous balls.  For the
first time that night, Scarlett felt like she was almost floating across the
highly polished marble floor.  She could have danced with Alec for hours,
despite her tired feet.

Alec
couldn’t help but notice the blissful expression on Scarlett’s face as they
waltzed.  She had to be pleased with her enormously successful entrance
into the midst of London’s high society.  She was the talk of the
night.  Everyone wanted to meet her, and those that had couldn’t stop
raving about her.  The men were fawning all over her and the women, though
outwardly welcoming and exceedingly polite to the new unrivaled beauty, were
inwardly seething with envy.  They didn’t dare show it however, for each
and every one of them secretly hoped to befriend her, and thus share in the
circle of her success.  It was all so false and inane, but such were the
ways of the aristocracy.  Sadly, he knew that it was only a matter of time
before Scarlett became a willing participant in the artificial and pretentious
lifestyle.  Mentally thrusting the distasteful thought aside, he regarded
her with a leisurely smile.

“Are you
enjoying your night?”

The words
spilled from her lips as though they had a will of their own.  “Not nearly
as much as I enjoyed last night.”

Her seductive
whisper and beguiling smile indicated she wasn’t referring to the dinner party,
and nearly caused Alec to miss a step.  As of yet, Scarlett was still
unjaded and refreshingly honest.  Despite the warnings of his
subconscious, he couldn’t help feeling a growing sense of affection for her
that wasn’t just physical.  Before last night, he had intended to end
their scandalous affair, but now, he knew that would be something far easier
said than done.  She was a fire in his blood, and until his passion for
her cooled, which it assuredly would with time; he feared that his reason would
continue to be overcome by his desire.

“Enjoyed
yourself did you?”  Alec teased, with a devilish quirk of his brow.

“Immensely,”
Scarlett replied, meeting his gaze boldly.  “Do you think anyone would
notice if we disappeared for an hour?” she asked with a saucy grin, raising her
brow in a wicked quirk similar to Alec’s.

“Considering
your enormous popularity, I’m afraid they would.”

Scarlett
gave a little pout that reflected her disappointment.  “How unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate
indeed my little temptress, for I would like nothing more right now than to
carry you off and ravish you until dawn.”

“We are
attending the new exhibit of Greek and Roman artifacts at the British Museum
tomorrow night.  We should be home relatively early.”

He wanted
to say no, this is madness, we have to stop.  He didn’t.  “I’ll be
waiting for you at half past twelve.”

As the
dying strains of the waltz brought them to a halt, their courteous, carefully restrained
demeanor belied not a hint of the scandalous topic of their discussion.

Minutes
later, after Alec had politely returned her to Colin’s side, Scarlett’s eyes
followed his departure from the ballroom.  Tomorrow night seemed so far
away.  Thankfully, the current evening was coming to its close. 
Though she had enjoyed herself, she was more than a little relieved when Colin
set out to round up the others.  She was exhausted, not only due to the
late hour, but also from the mental strain of making sure her behavior had been
nothing less than absolutely proper and above the slightest reproach. 
She’d had no idea that her entrance into Society would be quite so
draining.  She longed to return home, escape the confines of her gown,
fall onto her soft mattress and think about Alec as she drifted off to
sleep.  Lost in thought, she failed to notice the woman who had come up
beside her.

“Lady
Scarlett, don’t you look lovely this evening.”

“Good
evening Lady Windham, it’s so nice to see you again,” Scarlett said, turning to
face the lovely Countess of Devon.  The countess was garbed in an alluring
gown of richly embroidered burgundy satin, making Scarlett feel suddenly young
and childlike in her own cream satin and lace.  “Your gown is exquisite,”
she said with forced politeness.  “The color looks lovely on you.”

“Why thank
you dear.  Yours is lovely as well.  The color is quite fitting, and
the style, well it’s simply the perfect choice for someone fresh out of the
schoolroom,” she said, looking Scarlett over with a slightly condescending
smile.

Fresh
out of the schoolroom
,
Scarlett gritted her teeth and forced herself to smile.  Obviously, the
older woman was attempting to make her feel unsophisticated and immature. 
“As does yours madam, suit you I mean.  Burgundy is such a lovely
color.  I’m sure it must be a challenge to find a shade that doesn’t
overemphasize your advanced years, and yet you have managed it beautifully.”
  She delivered the backhanded compliment with such an air of
innocence, that if not for the icy glint in her eyes, it might have been
perceived as a thoughtless, yet unintentional slight.  However, she could
tell by the slight tightening of the older woman’s features that Alicia Windham
had gotten the message.

“I noticed
you dancing with the Duke of Worthe,” she said, the tone of her voice dripping
with false, syrupy sweetness while her eyes were cold as ice.  “That’s
quite a coup my dear.  Alec rarely devotes any attention to the latest
crop of debutantes.  But then, he and your brother are longtime friends
aren’t they.”

Scarlett
bristled at the countess’ overly familiar use of Alec’s given name, but even
more so at the insinuation that Alec had only danced with her as a favor to her
brother.  Before she could respond however, the countess continued on, her
next comment equally as grating.

“I
wouldn’t place any significance upon it if I were you.  He is quite set on
avoiding the marriage trap, at least for the time being.”  Her sugary
smile did little to disguise her patronizing tone.

“Do you speak
from experience?”  Scarlett asked, unable to keep the edge from her voice,
despite her own forced, saccharine smile.

“Alas no,”
the countess replied, with a slight shrug.   “I was betrothed to
Devon long before I met Alec, before I had my come out even.  However,
Alec and I have become quite good
friends
over the years.  And
lately, well, he has been such a comfort since Devon’s been confined to the
country.”

Scarlett
didn’t miss the intentional inflection on the word
friends
, nor did she misunderstand
the type of
comfort
the countess had implied, and thus decided to
dispense with the false civility.  She’d had quite enough of the Countess
of Devon’s company.

“I had
heard the earl was ill,” she said with a pointed look.  “Perhaps in the
future you should consider spending more time tending to your husband, and less
time dispensing unsolicited advice.”  With that, she turned on her heel
and left the countess without so much as another word.

The
following
morning,
or afternoon rather, for she had
slept in well past noon, having not arrived home until after three, Scarlett
made her way downstairs.  Her empty stomach was rumbling and she was glad
to find a fully laden buffet set up in the dining room.  Her brothers were
all up, and like her, had sought out some of their chef’s hearty fare. 
“Good morning,” she greeted, as she moved toward the buffet.

“Good
morning sleepyhead,” Gavin said, as he happily munched on a buttered scone.

“We
thought you were going to sleep all day,” Rory chimed in with a teasing grin.

Scarlett
glanced over her shoulder with a sardonic expression.  It was a rare
occasion when the boys were up before her.  However, they were much more
accustomed to the late nights than she was. 

Once she had
filled her plate and accepted a cup of steaming chocolate from the footman at
attendance, she took a seat at the table and immediately bit into a warm apple
tart.  “Mmm!”  She cast her eyes heavenward, her taste buds relishing
in the delicious flavor.

“I think
our little
angel
is hungry,” Colin said, stating the obvious, as he
watched Scarlett quickly devour the delicate pastry.

Scarlett
didn’t miss the emphasis Colin put on the word angel.  Her brothers would
forever be teasing her now.  Though her hoydenish behavior had lessened
with age, they knew quite well that she was a far cry from angelic.  The
fact that so many gentlemen had referred to her as such last night, was
apparently a source of amusement.  “I shall never wear white again,” she
vowed emphatically, reaching for her cup of hot chocolate.

Peering
over the rim of her cup, she noticed the odd, furtive look that passed between
Colin and Conner.  “What?” she demanded, setting her cup back in its
saucer and narrowing her eyes as she regarded them speculatively.

When they
both remained suspiciously silent, she felt her first sense of real
anxiety.  Had she done something wrong?  Had she committed some
grievous faux pas last night that was just now coming to light?