To Dare a Rogue - Lana Williams (novels for beginners TXT) 📗

Luckily, Lord Samuelson didn't seem to notice the change in her mood. After the music drew to a close, he patted her hand before moving it to the crook of his arm. “Won't it be a relief when we don't have to bother dancing?”

“You don't care to dance?”

“No, I do not.”

While not completely surprised, she sighed with disappointment. They truly had nothing in common. As he guided her through the guests toward her mother, she couldn’t resist looking for James, but he seemed to have disappeared. She told herself that was for the best even as she continued searching for him.

“Is there someone for whom you're looking?” Lord Samuelson asked.

“I was hoping my friend Miss Gold would be here this evening.”

“I do hope you don't intend to encourage a friendship with someone like her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She appears to have little regard for proper behavior,” he said with a frown of disapproval. “She has no respect for her betters.”

“Betters?” That was another strike against him. Charlotte took some pleasure in the thought that Margaret didn't like him either.

“She and her family are merely upstarts.”

“Her father was awarded a knighthood for his service to England. Surely you appreciate that,” Charlotte argued.

“To a certain extent, yes. However, that doesn’t compare to a peer.”

Charlotte jerked to a halt, the urge to defend her friend rushing through her.

“Charlotte?” Her mother's stern tone had her blinking. She clamped her lips tight before she expressed what was truly on her mind. Never would she allow her husband to decide who her friends were.

Yet as she looked at her mother, whose narrowed gaze held a warning, she realized she might not have a choice. While Lady Wynn had many acquaintances, Charlotte couldn’t name any with whom her mother frequently visited. Was that because of her father?

Doubt flooded Charlotte as she glanced at Lord Samuelson. How could she go along with her father’s order when everything about it felt so wrong?

“Good evening,” a deep voice said from behind her, sending a torrent of shivers along her skin.

She slowly turned to face James, and her entire world settled into place, along with her heart.

~*~

James ignored the tension in the air as he greeted Lady Wynn and Charlotte. “I hope this evening finds you both well.” Then he nodded at Lord Samuelson, wishing the man would go away.

“Redmond,” Samuelson said, his tone rather chilly, suggesting he wished the same of James.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Charlotte said, sounding rather breathless. A lovely rose flushed her cheeks as her blue-green eyes held on him.

He drank in her presence, realizing how much he’d missed her. He hadn’t been able to ignore the bone-deep need he’d had to see her.

The conversation with his mother and father had eased some of his worries and made him feel almost normal. He’d spent the past two days considering what his father had said, and an unfamiliar, fragile hope had slowly grown within him.

He needed to process his conflicting emotions about the war before he could seriously consider a different path for his future than the one on which he’d settled. But if he waited too long, he’d miss the possibility of Charlotte.

He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was the key to everything he wanted. He didn’t consider himself a vain man, but surely he was a better choice for her, broken parts and all, than Samuelson. When Edward had mentioned she would be attending the ball, he couldn’t resist coming as well.

“May I have the honor of a dance?”

“I’d enjoy that.” She said the words quickly while avoiding looking at her mother and offered her hand as if anxious to escape.

“Why do I feel as if I interrupted something?” James asked as he escorted her to the dance floor.

“You didn’t.” She opened her mouth as if to explain but shook her head. “I didn’t expect to see you again. At least not for a while.” The quick glance she gave him from beneath her lashes was full of questions.

He didn’t know if he had answers. He only knew that the time they’d spent together over the past few weeks made him feel something he hadn’t thought possible. While he wasn’t certain he could name it, what he felt for her was special. A gift not to be ignored.

Seeing her dancing with Lord Samuelson had made him even more determined to convince her to give him a chance if it wasn’t too late. He couldn’t let her go without a fight.

“I’ve missed you.” The words slipped out before he thought better of them.

Her eyes widened, her expression softening. “I’ve missed you as well.” When she glanced over her shoulder to where Lord Samuelson remained with her mother, he knew the situation was complicated.

“Let us focus on the dance, shall we?” he suggested. They had many things to discuss but none of them could be resolved this evening. He’d only wanted her to know that he cared for her. With luck, that would open possibilities. For the moment, that was enough.

They joined the other couples and moved in time to the music.

“Your skills are improving,” Charlotte declared with a laugh.

“I’ve been practicing.”

“You have?”

“Only with you.” He took her hand to turn and step toward the opposite end of the dance floor. “You provided the inspiration I needed.” Did she realize he wasn’t speaking only of dancing?

She smiled and his heart shifted. That alone told him he was doing the right thing.

“Are there any adventures in your future?” he asked when the dance allowed the question. He chose to ignore the fact that she’d told him she couldn’t see him again when they last parted. He hoped to convince her otherwise.

The glow in her face dimmed. “No.” Her gaze shifted toward where her mother stood. “Those are no longer possible.”

Concern filled him as he studied her expression. “Oh?”

“My father’s arrangements are moving along rather quickly.”

“Why the hurry? The Season only recently began.”

“In all honesty, I don’t know. But Father refuses to