The Wedding Runaway (38 page)

Even with the yards of material
,
the skirt still managed to cling and reveal her long legs and she walked as if she had nothing on underneath. He had to turn away before his growing hardness became apparent to all.

At dinner he only glanced at her a time or two when he was sure he could control his lust
,
or at least the table would conceal his response
,
but he feared calling attention to the way he felt about her. He was under too much scrutiny himself.

He
'
d been set upon by every marriageable lady like a pack of wild dogs upon fresh kill.

Lady Helena had honed in on him the minute he walked through the door. That had surprised him
,
because in all the years she had been out
,
she never paid any gentleman singular attention. With her coppery hair and skin that rivaled her pearls for glow
,
she was a beauty
,
but he had never sensed any depth of feeling in her
,
as if coddled milk flowed through her veins rather than blood. He always had the sense that she would be exactly what she appeared to be
,
a perfect lady who never, ever had an improper thought.

Her main attraction now was that he preferred her to Countess of Beauly. With her elaborately styled black hair and her blood-red dress, she reminded him of death. Of course
,
she was a widow fresh out of her weeds.

Although she had married for love
,
or at least whom she thought loved her best
,
her affection had not survived the honeymoon. She had gone running back to her parents, the duke and duchess, who had to be tired of their precious daughter. He supposed this time she meant to marry for more practical reasons
,
like he could afford to drape her in diamonds.

Now that he was not encumbered of a mad wife
,
he seemed to have grown tenfold in attractiveness. What should have made him the envy of every man
,
was driving him insane. He wanted to spend ten minutes with Lydia without every mama with a daughter to marry remarking on his unfortunate attention to a woman with no breeding.

Through the throngs of waltzers he saw Lydia put her hand on a man
'
s shoulder and lean toward him. Without another thought, he steered Lady Helena in that direction and then stopped dancing before the music was complete.

"
Come meet the Davies
'
houseguest
,"
he said.

Lady Helena measured him with her green eyes and slid alongside him
,
threading her arm through his. It was unpardonably rude of him to end their dance before the music
,
but he could wait no longer to talk to Lydia.

Relief at seeing her with her youngest brother weakened his knees. He realized jealousy had driven him to her. But he kept moving forward toward the large man sitting with his elbows on his knees and Lydia leaning over him
,
engaged in an intense conversation.

"
Lady Helena
,
this is Lydia Hamilton and—
"

"
Ah
,
Trevor
'
s sister
,
are you not. Mr. Hamilton and I are old friends. I am so glad to finally meet you
,
I have heard so much about you
,"
said Lady Helena, with more animation than he had seen from her in a month of Sundays.

What had she heard? And she had called Lydia
'
s brother by his given name? How odd
,
for Lady Helena was always correct and never familiar.

Lady Helena gave a curtsy without letting go of his arm. In fact, she tightened her grip as if she had no intention of letting him loose.

Trevor slowly rose to his full height
,
animosity barely concealed in his slight bow. Of all the people around her
,
her brothers and fiancé
,
this man seemed to be the only one who realized how dangerous Victor was to Lydia, and let him know.

"
Lydia
,
I beg you will allow me to dance the supper dance with you
,
if no gentleman has already claimed it
,"
said Victor.

"
Oh
,
and I thought you would promise it to me
,"
said Lady Helena.

Lydia watched him without giving him an answer.

He had led Lady Helena to dinner
,
but precedence was not so important during the buffet supper.
"
I never thought you would accept. You are never known to dance with one man more than twice in an evening. My apologies.
"

"
I once danced three times with the same gentleman
,
but it was many years ago and the company was sparse, so I doubt if anyone remarked upon it.
"
She looked up at the blond giant.
"
Ah, well
,
Mr. Hamilton, if you will be so kind as to escort me to supper
,
we can all make one happy group.
"

Trevor looked at Lady Helena and said
,
"
No.
"
He turned and walked away.

Lydia turned to Lady Helena and said
,
"
I must apologize for my brother
'
s rudeness. He is upset with me.
"

Lady Helena trembled on Victor's arm.

"
No
,
it is quite all right. It was not well done of me to force his hand
,"
Lady Helena said.

Lydia looked between them.
"
I am sure you should escort Lady Helena to supper
,
my lord.
"

"
You hardly ate any dinner
,"
blurted Victor.

"
I would not want to spill anything on this dress
,"
Lydia answered. Had he been watching her during dinner?

Lady Helena
'
s color rose.
"
Truly, it is a stunning gown
,
Miss Hamilton. Where did you have it made?
"

Victor winced
,
praying Lydia did not answer. And if she resented his buying her a ball gown
,
why had she worn it?

"
I am sorry, I do not know. The dress is only a loan. I will have to return it to its rightful owner.
"

Lady Helena looked stunned and gave a tiny shake of her head. Then her green eyes narrowed as she took in Lydia
'
s height. With the way the gown fit and the length needed
,
there could be no real doubt that it was made for her
,
and what the bloody hell did she mean? She would wear his dress for the evening and reject it later? Was it a clear signal that she would not become his mistress? Lord
,
he knew that. He did not want her to take his impulsive reckless offer.

"
You are beautiful
,"
Victor said on a low note. Then as both Lydia and Helena stared at him
,
he realized he
'
d revealed far too much.

Both women dropped their eyes. A tapping on his free arm made him swivel
,
dragging Lady Helena, who seemed to be holding his arm as if it were a lifeline.

Lady Beauly looked him straight in the eye and said
,
"
Did you not promise me this dance?
"

No
,
he had not.
"
I
'
m sorry
,
I promised Miss Hamilton this dance.
"

"
Oh, by all means
,
I free you from any claim I might have
,"
Lydia said.

"
The next, then
,"
he said to Lydia
,
and held her gaze long enough that she had to know he would not accept a refusal. Hell
,
she and everyone around them could probably tell that he wanted so much more than a dance.
"
Shall I lead you back to your mother
,
Lady Helena?
"

Lady Beauly slid her arm into his.

"
What is this
,
Wedmont? A blond
,
a brunette and a redhead
,
must you hoard all the beautiful women?
"
A nattily dressed slender man sidled up to the group.

Victor looked at his half-sister
'
s husband.
"
Where is my...your wife
,
Margaret?
"

"
Meggie?
"
William Bedford colored and then shrugged.
"
Downstairs somewhere. She brought eggs
,"
he said as if that explained everything.

Actually, it explained a lot.
"
Dance with one of them
,
Will. If you will excuse me, ladies
,
I must attend to a small matter.
"

He freed his arms and left the growing group. Where the diamonds alit
,
the moths soon followed. With three gorgeous women around him
,
the bucks and blades had unobtrusively made their way to his side.

Oscar stepped up and bowed to Lady Penelope
,
"
It appears you are abandoned
,
my lady. Will you allow me to substitute as dance partner?
"

Victor cast one desperate look at Lydia and then knew he had to leave the room. He would not be allowed to talk to her without interruption. But as gentlemen closed in around them
,
he knew it wasn
'
t talk that he wanted.

Lydia watched Victor walk to the doors. Did his long look mean she should follow him? She looked at Lady Helena, who returned her interest.

Did these women always flock around him? And who was this Margaret person? Every time Lydia turned around, Victor
'
s name was coupled with another woman
'
s. He had been about to claim Margaret in some way.

From the corner of her eye Lydia saw that Amelia had waylaid him by the door. She had her hand on Victor
'
s arm
,
her white glove a stark contrast against his black sleeve. Was he a magnet for every female in the room?

"
Miss Hamilton
,"
Lady Helena said
,
"
would you give your brother a message for me?
"

Lydia nodded.

Lady Helena nodded her head to the side and stepped away from the growing group of young men and women. Lydia fell in step beside her.

"
Would you tell him
,"
Helena bit her lip.
"
Tell him
,
I need him. I need
to speak
with him.
"

Lydia stared at Helena. Did she need him? Or just need to speak to him? In any case, Lydia was disappointed.
"
If all you mean to do is break his heart
,
then do not speak to him.
"

Lydia shouldered around the woman and realized part of her animosity was fueled by the way Helena had clung to Victor
'
s arm and that she had been dancing the waltz with him
,
held in his arms
,
and it was acceptable for her to do so
,
but it was not proper for Lydia who could be no more than his mistress.

She realized Victor had only to look at her and her heart beat faster
,
her skin heated and air to breathe was in short supply. That he noticed she had barely eaten her dinner and was concerned
,
caused a warm glow to spread through her. Yet
,
she knew if she told him she was not hungry
,
he would not press her to eat for her own good. He managed the right balance between caring and letting her make her own choices. Oh Lord
,
Trevor
'
s warning had come too late.

The way her whole world brightened when he smiled at her as if she had been given a gift of the sun and the moon and all the stars in the heavens told the story.

She had fallen in love with Victor.

~*~

Chastised by Lydia
'
s sharp rebuke
,
Lady Helena closed her eyes and gathered her composure. As a disobedient daughter she deserved to feel chastised
,
especially as she contemplated her plans. She just could not let Trevor walk away from her and England again without letting him know how she felt about him.

She scanned the ballroom. Lord Wedmont was nowhere to be seen and she shuddered. Standing beside him and encouraging him had taken every ounce of will she possessed. He looked at her as if she was wanting in wit or understanding
,
and she felt blank and dull and could think of little to say to interest him.

She had to hang onto his arm to keep herself from running away.

Only around Trevor did she feel awake
,
alive and safe.

He stood on the far side of the room
,
near the musicians. With his broad shoulders and looming height he was unmistakable. She just wanted to press against him and soak in his strength
,
although it wasn
'
t the sort of thing one could do in a ballroom. Most of the things she wanted to do
,
couldn
'
t be done in a ballroom.

She skirted around the edges of the dance area
,
greeting people she knew
,
until she reached his side. Her body reacted as she grew near. A knot tightened in her stomach and her knees wobbled. Fear and anticipation clogged her throat. Finally she managed to whisper
,
"
Trevor.
"