Page 78 of His Scarred Duchess

“Is everything all right, my dear?” Edmund murmured, his lips close to Adeline’s ear.

Her eyes darted away from his. “Perfectly fine, Your Grace. Why do you ask?”

Edmund’s frown deepened. The formality in her voice was a stark contrast to the warmth they’d shared in recent days.

As they moved through the steps of the dance, he tried to catch her eye, but she seemed determined to look anywhere but at him.

“You seem… distracted,” he noted, his voice low and intimate. “Perhaps I could help you focus your attention elsewhere?”

He allowed his hand to slide lower on her back, remembering how she had shivered at his touch earlier. But instead of the soft gasp he expected, her spine went rigid.

“I don’t think that would be appropriate, Your Grace,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Edmund’s steps faltered for a moment, surprise and confusion warring within him. What had happened to change her demeanor so drastically?

As he scanned the room, his eyes landed on a flash of crimson silk.

Joanna.Of course.

He should have known she wouldn’t be content to leave well enough alone.

“Adeline,” he began, his voice softening. “Whatever Joanna said to you?—”

“I don’t wish to discuss Lady Strathmore,” Adeline cut him off, her green eyes finally meeting his.

The hurt and uncertainty he saw there made his chest tighten uncomfortably.

As the music drew to a close, Adeline stepped back from him, dipping into a perfect curtsy. “Thank you for the dance, Your Grace. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I see my sister preparing to leave. I’d like to say my goodbyes.”

Before Edmund could protest, she had turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving him standing alone on the dance floor.

He watched her go, frustration and concern churning in his gut. He should follow her, he knew. Should explain about Joanna, about their past, about the letters…

He hesitated, wondering if keeping his distance truly protected him or if it was only deepening the chasm between them.

Could opening up to Adeline, letting her see the truth, be the only way forward?

“Well, well,” a painfully familiar voice purred from behind him. “The great Duke of Holbrook, abandoned on the dance floor. How… unexpected.”

Edmund turned, his face a mask of cool indifference as he met Joanna’s calculating gaze. “Lady Strathmore,” he said, his voice clipped. “Funny seeing you again.”

Joanna’s painted lips curled into a predatory smile. “I must say, I’m surprised to see you here. Social gatherings were never quite your… forte.”

“People change,” Edmund replied, his tone glacial. “Though I suppose that concept might be foreign to you.”

A flash of anger sparked in Joanna’s eyes, quickly masked by a throaty laugh. “Oh, Edmund. Still so quick with that sharp tongue of yours. I’ve missed our little… exchanges.”

Edmund felt his patience wearing thin. “What do you want, Joanna? I’m sure you didn’t come over here simply to reminisce about old times.”

“Can’t an old friend simply wish to catch up?” Joanna asked, batting her eyelashes in a way that might have once sent his heart racing. Now, it only served to irritate him further.

“We were never friends, Joanna,” Edmund stated flatly. “And whatever hold you think you still have over me, I assure you, it’s long gone.”

Joanna’s smile faltered for a moment before returning, sharper than before. “Is that so? Then tell me, Edmund, who has a hold over you now? Your precious Duchess, perhaps?”

Edmund felt his muscles tense, anger coiling in his gut.

“No one has a hold over me,” he growled, the words coming out harsher than he had intended.