Page 18 of Not His Usual Style (Diamonds of London #10)
By the time tea ended, Tori said her goodbyes to the earl, and when he exited the drawing room, she drifted to the windows.
Since they overlooked the front of the property, she watched the closed carriage at the curb, and when Grey came into sight, her heart skipped a silly beat.
He certainly cut a commanding figure with or without clothes, but since she didn’t have the chance to enjoy him while naked, she devoured his form with her gaze now.
So tall, a good several inches over her average height, and so strong.
The feel of his arms around her was like a ghostly touch.
And that sprinkling of hair on his chest she’d briefly been able to explore had been enough to drive her wild with desire.
But her favorite thing—so far—about him was the rumble of his voice when he spoke to her in a thrilling whisper, one that tickled through her chest and sent shivers down her spine.
Fortunate was Lady Sarah, to marry such a man and hear that voice for the rest of her life.
Though she didn’t know exactly how old the earl was, she figured if he’d been engaged to Lady Sarah or a long length of time because of their fathers, he must be at least ten years older than her.
It wasn’t that large of an age gap, but her certainly acted as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he thought no one was looking.
What did he struggle with that he hadn’t told her?
Of course, why would he share anything with her when they’d only met a bit over twenty-four hours ago?
And why was he so determined to marry someone he didn’t share any sort of feelings for?
At least that was what she assumed. When a woman spent intimate time with a man, she quickly learned subtle nuances about even the most emotionally controlled men.
When he half-turned on the street before he entered the carriage, he gave her a subtle wave, and that made her smile.
Greystone had had manners and etiquette ingrained into him from a very young age, but then, so had she, but probably not to the same extent as he.
Did he have brothers? Or perhaps he was the oldest, which was how he’d come into the title.
What were his thoughts about becoming the earl?
Did he rail against fate, or did he accept it as his lot because that was how he’d been reared?
Tori raised a hand and returned the gesture, then she left the room and moved toward the stairs. Her father would come home in a couple of hours, so she needed to make the best use of the time she had available.
At her room, she met her maid and ordered a bath.
Then, while that was being accomplished, she tiptoed into her father’s room.
It took very little effort to locate the Marie Antionette necklace, for he’d placed it into a flat, rectangular-shaped box on his bureau.
After removing the jewelry, she took it back to her room.
Once the porcelain tub had been filled and the maid had included a few drops of rose oil into the water, Tori dismissed her.
Moments later, she slipped into the bath with a sigh of pure luxury.
The scented water rose over her chest as she reclined backward against the end of the tub, and she let the diamond necklace sink beneath the water as well.
Those diamonds were the distraction she needed in order to stop thinking about Greystone.
When she brought them over the surface of the water, they sparkled madly in the afternoon sunshine.
So many diamonds! If laid over a lady’s neck, they would look impressive indeed.
The stone at the bottom that hung beneath one of the oval-shaped diamonds was in the shape of a teardrop.
If the necklace was flipped and the clasp manipulated to form a tiara, that jewel would sit at the top.
It was exquisite and expensive, and she almost envied Marie Antionette for having the opportunities to wear this piece.
Seconds later, a snort of laughter escaped her.
The bit of insanity left her almost immediately, for Marie Antionette was a horror and a scare of a ruler.
She had no compassion for those below her in rank, spent money lavishly and indiscriminately, and she held many vices.
Was there any question of why she was beheaded during the French Revolution?
More importantly, did that time in history change anything going forward?
She inspected the diamonds that dripped water, ran her fingertips along the gemstones, and wondered what it must be like to have the available funds to even purchase something like this, let alone have the confidence to wear such a statement piece. Whatever else Marie was, she certainly had that.
Perhaps that was part of her downfall.
After placing the necklace on the small stool that rested next to the bathtub, she sank once more into the warmth of the water.
What would happen now between her and the earl?
Knowing she would probably see him one last time when her father had finished his authentication of the jewels gave her a modicum of relief, but in the same thought, the realization that he would marry soon made her stomach knot.
If she had met him earlier would anything have changed? Would they have been allowed a relationship they didn’t have the time for in this moment?
Don’t be silly, Tori. He is not yours and never will be.
How horrid fate was to put a man in her path that had the potential to be perfect for her, but he belonged to someone else.
Not since she’d met Louis had she felt such a connection with a man.
Even more unfair was the fact that who he was would be wasted on the woman he’d take to wife.
Aside from his stunning prowess in carnal activities, she suspected he possessed a lovely soul.
And I won’t be given the opportunity to see more of that.
There was no use in stewing or wringing her hands about the reality.
His life was much different than her own, and because he had a title, he labored beneath enormous expectations and responsibilities.
Whereas she had much more freedom to move about society, and truth be told, she would be happy enough living in the country, happily keeping busy with household chores, making certain her husband was the best version of himself, and perhaps being a mother.
And even that was uncertain now.
Closing her eyes, she let tears seep beneath her closed lids. Had she stupidly fallen in love with an unavailable man after only knowing him for a day? Was that even possible? There were no easy answers.
Why was life so contrary?
Mountjoy House
Berkley Square
Mayfair, London
The moment Grey came into his house and gave over his outer things to the butler, he was informed that Lady Sarah was waiting for him in the drawing room.
“Well, damn it all to hell,” he muttered, and after thanking the butler with a nod, he slowly made his way toward the stairs.
Why did it feel as if he were climbing to his doom?
All too soon, he reached the drawing room, but he hadn’t had enough time to sort through his thoughts or his emotions before needing to see his fiancée.
“Ah, Sarah, it’s always lovely to see you.
” He had to force a bit of cheerfulness into his voice, for all he wanted to do was shut himself away in his rooms and have a think.
Her head came up from the periodical she perused in her lap. A smile curved her lips. “Greystone! You’ve finally come home.”
“I had a few errands.” She didn’t need to know that he’d called on another woman.
And she certainly could never discover that he’d bedded said woman while engaged to her.
Even if Sarah had done the same. As if he were headed toward the guillotine, Grey moved slowly across the room as Sarah stood.
When she offered her hands, he took them into his own then brought one to his lips and kissed the back.
“What has brought you here this afternoon?”
“The need to see you.”
“Oh?” When he tried to pull away, she hung onto his hand and led him toward the sofa where she’d been sitting. “Come sit with me.”
“All right.” Though she was his best friend—far closer to him than some of his male friends—knots of worry pulled in his gut as he sat beside her.
She patted his thigh, but there was no reaction to that touch as there would have been had Victoria done the same. “How did Miss Amherst get on last night after you escorted her home? I haven’t heard any gossip from after Lord Dawson’s rout, so I wanted to be sure to ask you.”
What to tell her? He couldn’t admit that he’d lost all control of his urges and his mind last night, which had led to intense kissing, exploration, and then the very rakish action of making Victoria hit release by his mouth.
As heat seeped up the back of his neck, Grey forced a swallow into his suddenly dry throat.
“She is well enough, I suppose. It was a terribly traumatic night, what with everything going on, and I have the feeling she isn’t comfortable in society.
” That wasn’t an untruth, for Victoria had more or less told him that during their talks.
“That poor young lady,” Sarah said as she shook her head. “Did you wait with her until her father came home?”
“I remained with her for about an hour, and shared tea with her. However, I suppose she truly was feeling poorly; she fell asleep.” He shrugged as if such things were expected from those who weren’t accustomed to the hours of the ton .
“I took my leave at that time after covering her with a blanket.”
“That was sweet of you.” Sarah’s gaze slid to his face. “I’m glad you were there to look out for her. I wonder what happened last night to make her feel poorly?”