Page 33 of Her Rogue of a Duke
Francesca's stomach twisted and she tried to think of a way out of this conversation. However, nothing came to mind and there was no one else around that she recognized. As a result, a part of her took some comfort in having run into Lord Terrell. He was perhaps the last person she desired to see, but he was still a familiar face, nevertheless.
“I am uncertain that there is much for us to discuss, my Lord, much less in private...” she began tentatively.
“Please, Lady Francesca,” he implored, “just grant me the opportunity to explain. But first, may I have this dance?”
Francesca was momentarily caught off guard by his request. Again, she wracked her brain for a way to decline his offer. But she understood much too well that declining him now would have her sitting out the rest of her potential dances for the remainder of the night. Realizing she had little choice but to accept his invitation, she released a long breath and nodded.
“Very well,” she conceded softly.
He flashed her a relieved smile and extended his hand. Which she gracefully accepted, frustration simmering beneath her composed exterior, though she made use of every crumb of willpower to keep it from showing. She was guided to the dance floor, and her clear reluctance only made her acutely aware of the throbbing pain that had settled in her ankle over the last week.
For now, she simply gritted her teeth and did her best to endure it.
As the Viscount placed his hand on her waist, Francesca fought the instinct to recoil from his touch. The music struck its first chord and they glided across the floor together to the ensuing symphony. Francesca made a point to avoid meeting his gaze, but he seemed rather oblivious to her efforts.
“Lady Francesca, I find myself compelled to clarify the…unfortunateincident you witnessed the other evening,” hebegan in a formal tone that told her she was not going to like what he had to say. “It was, in truth, a most regrettable mix-up, one that even now sends a shiver of embarrassment through me. The very idea that I would abscond from the ballroom, and with such company...”
Francesca tuned him out, unwilling to listen to his excuses, let alone entertain them. Though she may have been blissfully unaware of the ongoings of many a couple behind closed doors, she knew what she had seen was far from an innocent mistake, and any explanation he offered would only be an attempt to mask his wrongdoing. The last thing she wanted was to stand there listening to his simpering, but she continued to dance, wanting to blend into the crowd as much as possible, as her attention drifted among the sea of faces, for the Duke of Elmcroft’s self-assured smile.
“My, my, Lord Carrington does relish in his displays, does he not?”
Joshua grunted and nodded at Benedict’s comment as they entered the ballroom, having just arrived at the Carrington Hall. The two had indulged in a brief respite at Cavendish to have a drink in relative peace before making their way into the melee.
And now that they had arrived, Joshua could confidently say, Benedict was spot on in his assessment of Lord Carrington. He did enjoy showing off, though the Earl’s penchant forostentation was less about flaunting his wealth and more a matter of showcasing his taste for the extravagant.
“Pah! Cherubs?! What in the blazes are they doing floating about in the sky,” Benedict added, gawking rather openly at the gilded ceilings.
The ball was undeniably a Carrington affair, marked by its lavishness, with every invited guest seemingly in attendance, not in the business of passing up such an exclusive invitation. As Joshua’s gaze swept across the ballroom, a trace of irritation flickered through him at the realization that locating Francesca in such a dense crowd would be a greater challenge than he’d initially anticipated.
He was aware that seeking her out might not be prudent, considering she could be engaging with other gentlemen in pursuit of finding her elusive husband, which would only lead to a spike of… wariness within Joshua.
Still, he could not help himself. He allowed his eyes to roam over the crowd, searching for her breathtaking smile and delectable figure.
Suddenly, Benedict murmured, "Ah, there she is."
Joshua's heart immediately leaped in his chest, his body tensing with anticipation. He spun toward Benedict, his gaze following the direction of his friend’s eyes, expecting to be met with Francesca. However, his heart sank with a heavy thud of disappointment when, instead of Francesca, it was Lady Susanapproaching them through the crowd. A sigh of disillusionment escaped Joshua, his shoulders drooping slightly. Benedict, ever perceptive, did not miss his reaction.
“Oh, were you perhaps expecting to find another young lady moving this way?” Benedict inquired with a teasing chuckle.
Joshua’s scowl deepened in response. “Certainly not. As I’ve said countless times, I hold no particular interest in any one woman—”
“—as no single lady shall ever satiate my desires, except perhaps the angel that saved me,” Benedict mimicked, finishing the rest of Joshua’s sentence and rolling his eyes. “You cannot continue to avoid all ladies like the plague, Joshua.”
“I am doing no such thing...”
Benedict scoffed. “Do not try to convince me otherwise, old boy. You are still fixated on this elusive woman who you believe rescued you, a woman whom there is reasonable cause to believe may not even exist, might I add. And risk missing out on a genuine opportunity to find a lady whom you could eventually settle with. We are not getting any younger, Elmcroft.”
Their conversation was interrupted as Lady Susan reached them just at that moment, and Joshua felt a pit grow in his stomach. Had she managed to overhear what Benedict had said? Had she heard him talking about Joshua's mysterious angel? He did not want anyone to know that he was searching for that woman who saved him, as so many appeared to believe that she was afigment of his imagination. Nor did he wish for Lady Susan, of all people, to know such an intimate secret of his.
Yet, when Lady Susan approached, her demeanor showed no sign of having caught any part of their conversation. She switched her gaze between the two men, her smile sugary and a touch too deliberate, particularly when her eyes rested on Joshua.
“My, my, what could possibly be so engrossing to have drawn both of your attentions away from this splendid event?” she asked with a little laugh.
Joshua felt an inward sigh of relief wash over him. It did not seem as though she had caught anything after all.
“Good evening, Lady Susan,” he responded, offering a polite bow. “We were merely discussing Lord Carrington’s rather unorthodox extravagance.”
“Indeed, quite the spectacle he’s put on,” Benedict chimed in, nodding in agreement.