“You should go,” he said as his dim eyes bored into hers.
She pursed her lips, heading to the ballroom. And despite her numbing in the aisle for a brief moment, she didn't turn her head back. No, she disappeared into the crowd of opulent skirts and quilted frock coats.
Her steps quickly brought her to the center of the room and picked the spot nearby; she remembered Dante's words to not be too close to the stairs. Her eyes caught the champagne tray and she quickly picked a glass from a passing courtier to look casual andbored.
Her heart was still shrinking, and she let her gaze drift to Dante – his eyes were peering at her from the crowd and then he simply nodded. She hoped it was a gesture of support – if he could feel such a thing after their conversation.
A male frame appeared at the top of the stairs. Lord Adrogans began to descend the stairs with elusive grace, as the eyes of all the guests were riveted to him. He was a tall, fit young man with chestnut hair brushed back, a few strands of which were falling over his bushy brows. His attire comprised of a short silk brown coat needlepointed with a fanciful pattern, beige pants and polished high boots.
Violette watched his every move as she remembered to look more casual. Well, she knew how to pretend, it wasn't the first time she had to show other emotions instead of what she felt, even when a hurricane reigned in her soul. Shenervously looked back, trying to find Dante again, but then a soft and gallant voice hit her ear.
“Lady Nora.”
She spun her head – two green eyes were looking at her from above.Lord Adrogans. Great, she didn't even have to do anything to get his attention. Probably shouldn't have doubted Dante's words. This time.
“I'm honored by your presence.” His lips curved into a kind smile as he leaned to kiss her hand, his lips brushed over the thin fabric of her gloves.
Up close he looked like a really handsome young man and much taller than she'd imagined. He had high cheekbones, an aristocratic chiseled nose and a passionate gaze. His eyes radiated life – so different from the vampire she knows.
“Lord Adrogans.” Her legs intertwined for a curtsy.
His voice was soft as velvet, “I hope your trip was safe and didn't cause any inconvenience.”
“Thank you, it was quite enjoyable,” Violette aimed for a refined and graceful tone, carefully considering each word and avoiding any impulsive urge to share her thoughts.
She breathed as she continued, “However, who doesn't like a little adventure in between the passing landscapes outside the window?” Her lips curled in a jaunty smile. She hoped it looked better than it felt. Her heart wasn't as good at hiding the truth as her face, it was thrumming with such a speedand in every beat was rattlingLiar. Good thing Lord Adrogans wasn't a vampire and didn’t have sensitive hearing, otherwise it would give her away in an instant.
For her own luck, her fake smile worked like a charm and earned her a laugh. She'd never heard such an expensive sound: short and ringing. It sounded fake but she always imagined rich people were sounding somewhat like this. It was so different from the sharp and complacent laugh of Dante, maybe because he'd never tried to impress someone or gain their favor unlike Lord Adrogans. She was an interesting thing to him this evening, a gem in this room. She was aduchess. And finally she realized how important she was, how welcomed she was here. Even if all this was for Lady Nora, not her. With this thought the strain loosened its grip on her and she raised her chin, letting herself be dazzling tonight.
“Indeed, I would never give up on a good adventure,” the words left the Lord's mouth.
“So we share the same interest then.” Her eyes shone as her lashes fluttered.
With an elegant movement he extended his hand to her. “Would you make me an honor and be my partner for the first dance, Lady Nora?”
Her eyes dropped to his palm. The inner voice encouraged her to put her hand in his. So with a new breath she gave him a sweet sincere smile, while placing the glass with champagne on a silver tray.
“Lead me,” she said and let him take her to the center of the room.
All the guests' eyes were locked on them – the younglord and the duchess, a truly tempting occurrence for new whispers.
The violin started playing, another one joined. Then, a piano, cello notes and a light flute motif accompanied, plunging the ballroom in a transcendent composition.
Violette looked straight in the Lord’s eyes, trying to not look away, although it seemed to her not such an easy task at first – she'd never held eye contact for this long before, except for Dante…But sometimes she herself hadn't noticed how quickly time flew when she looked into his bottomless sapphire eyes; there was something in them that she couldn't unravel and probably this made her return her gaze to them so often. Nevertheless, the Lord's eyes were green, almost a pine shade. His gaze was kind and yet assertive. She wondered, was he really like that or was he just trying to impress her? Maybe both?
She found it not too hard to make her gaze lock with him after all. He didn't make her nervous as another man in this ballroom and it made it much easier for her to pretend she liked this evening and his company. Well, it was partly true: Lord Adrogans was nice, seemed respectful and, of course, well-mannered. He didn't allow himself insolence and shameless comments. It was easy to talk with him, however, she was thinking twice before letting the words leave her mouth, holding to a memory that she is a duchess and should withstand the game until the end.
Surprisingly, she still hadn't noticed his arrogance – it brought her thoughts back to Danteagain. He was somewhere in this room. Her eyes escaped the Lord's gaze just for a brief moment to find another one. Sharper. Colder. But she felt like she wanted to see his familiar face. And yet, her eyes didn't find him, more likely he already started his part of the plan. Or, perhaps, he found himself a quite pleasant company here.
“How do you find our places? Isn't it quite boring compared to your homeland?” Lord Adrogans asked, however Violette felt like this question was only to return her eyes back to his. She lost the courage for a second.
Breathe in. Breathe out,she reminded herself.
“I would say another word to describe my feeling about this place,” she expressed.
The focus slowly started to get back, though her head started spinning, overwhelmed by the dances and the crowd around. Maybe, she hastened to the conclusion that she could live a life like this. Or was it the aftertaste of the conversation with Dante that still haunted her? She remembered to put on a smile as a knot started tightening in her stomach, the lights began to seem too bright.
“What I am trying to say,” she went on, “your lands are quite different from what I'm used to.”
