Courting Magic (Kat, Incorrigible #4)(12)
His face tightened into a wince at my question. “I feel like a hound set loose in public to sniff my way around. I haven’t scented him yet, but with all the people packed into this ballroom, not to mention all the smells and noise…”
“No, you couldn’t possibly pick him out from across the room,” I said. “I can see that now. We’ll have to think up some strategy to track his behavior and work from there.” I spotted a golden head next to a red head, not far away, and my shoulders relaxed with the prospect of escape. “Look, there are the other two.” Through the crowd, I caught the eyes of the toplofty Marquess of Lanham and gave him a meaningful look. He nodded back, his expression filled with ennui, while the loathsome Mr. Packenham gave me an undisguised leer across the room. “I’ll dance with one of them next,” I began, “and—”
“Of course you will,” Alexander muttered.
I blinked at him. “What’s wrong with you now?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Forgive me. It must be the heat.”
“Hmm.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you sure? Because you’ve been acting out of sorts all evening.”
He gave me a tight smile. “Perhaps you’ve simply noticed that I’m out of place.”
“You don’t have to be.” Our hands pressed against each other as we circled one last time, heat burning through my glove. “You don’t look out of place right now.”
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Alexander said. “Our mission is proof enough of that.” He sighed, his voice dropping. “You look…remarkable, though.” His green eyes met mine, intent and focused as his head tipped above me, and suddenly it was hard to breathe. “No one would ever question that you belong here.”
I rolled my eyes, forcing myself to laugh through my absurdly tight chest. “Well, that shows how little you remember about me.”
The music came to an end, and Alexander bowed over my hand as every other gentleman in the set bowed to his own partner. “I remember every moment I spent with you five years ago,” he murmured, so softly I could barely hear him. “How could I forget? I spent the last five years waiting to meet you again.” His smile looked lopsided as he straightened. “I suppose I’d just forgotten what the rest of your life was really like, until tonight. It’s been a salutary reminder of reality.”
“‘Reality?’” I repeated, faintly, as he tucked my hand into his arm and started to draw me through the crowd. The press of the throng forced us so close, his arm pushed against my side, as warm and strong as if it could hold me up forever.
What kind of reality was he even talking about? My feet felt so light, I felt as if I could have floated instead of walking. In fact, my whole body was filled with the most extraordinary sensations. The tone of his voice, the expression on his face, and his words…could his words have actually meant—?
Oh, no! My brain belatedly clicked into working order. “Wait!” I said. “What you said about reality, and the rest of my life—you don’t really think I—?”
But it was too late. We had reached my family, and both the Marquess and Mr. Packenham were waiting for us.
“There you are!” Stepmama fluttered her fan madly as we arrived. “Katherine, dear, these two young men have been waiting so patiently for an introduction to you!” She gave Alexander a distracted nod as she tugged me away from him, forcing me to release his arm. “How very kind of you to escort Katherine back to us, Mr…ah…”
“Harding,” Angeline supplied. She had an amused quirk to her lips, but she didn’t step forward to intervene.
“As you say, I’m sure.” Waving her fan dismissively, Stepmama moved behind me, pushing me toward the other gentlemen and blocking Alexander entirely. “Mr. Carlyle, will you make the introductions?”
“Of course.” Frederick took my arm and nudged me gently into a curtsy. “Kat,” he began, “may I present…?”
But I barely heard a word of the introductions that followed. Every inch of my body was attuned to Alexander’s silent figure as he stood, alone, watching my family surround me…then turned and walked away.
CHAPTER FIVE
Of course, with my luck, Mr. Packenham asked me for two dances, not just one. Worse yet, under Stepmama’s watchful gaze, I couldn’t turn him down for either of them. Ladies, apparently, were never allowed to say no in these matters, no matter how much they might wish to. Still, I could at least take comfort in the fact that the Marquess had secured my hand for the supper dance. If I had to sit next to one of my fellow Guardians for a full meal, I would infinitely prefer cold condescension to being leered at.
It was the leerer who swept me into the first dance, though, grinning down at my propped-up bosom. “I say, this is rather jolly, isn’t it? Generally I find missions awfully tedious, but not this one! You know, to properly convince everyone that I’m really courting you, I probably ought to take you outside for some fresh air after this set, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t,” I said firmly. “My family would not approve.”
“Young love, though, eh, what? Can’t be too strict, can they, if they want to pop you off with a good husband.” He chortled. “At any rate, I’ve heard rumors that at least one of your older sisters was rather wild in her time, eh? They’re both prime lookers, aren’t they?” He twirled me down the set with more vigor than was strictly necessary. “You really do look smashing tonight, Miss Stephenson. If I hadn’t seen you before, I’d never have guessed—”