The words she’d vowed to never speak aloud to anyone.
Chapter 17
The first thing that came to William’s mind as he woke up was what had happened last night. It was as if he could still feel her warm lips on his, could still feel the way she held on to him as if she never wanted him to let her go. He looked to the ceiling, remembering how perfectly her lips had felt against his, and a wide grin spread across his face.
Only God knows what might have happened had we not been interrupted. Or what she would have said.
He wouldn’t forget any time soon how hard his heart had been beating as he hid from the rest of her family. He had to admire the way she kept calm, how easily she managed to lead them away, because William wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Never, in all his life, had he been forced to hide like that. Now, the thought made him laugh.
Still chuckling to himself, William got out of bed and started getting ready for the day. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he took extra care in putting himself together this morning. He donned a tailed waistcoat, pairing it with a crisp white shirt and black knee breeches, overlaying white stockings. After one last glance in the mirror, he stepped out of the room and headed toward the dining room to join everyone else for breakfast.
With each step he took, William felt his stomach begin to twist into nervous knots. He tried to slow his pace, to calm his overexcited nerves before he saw Alice again, but it was to no avail. It only grew, his heart thundering whenever the memory of last night came back to him.
He finally reached the hallway leading to the dining room and upon seeing the door, he stopped in his tracks. Taking a deep breath to soothe his racing heart, he could not help but laugh to himself. He wasn’t used to this, feeling so strongly about someone again after what had happened. He resumed walking down toward the end of the hallway and confidently pushed the door open.
He could not help the disappointment that he felt after scanning the room and realizing that she was not there. He did not allow it to show though and went around greeting everyone in the room. The Duke and Christopher were already seated, along with Lady Emma.
“Good morning William.” greeted the Duke.
“Good morning, Your Grace, and a special good morning to you Lady Emma.”
Emma laughed gently at his kind greeting, offering her own with a lovely smile. “I assume that you slept well, Lord Erlington.”
“That I did. Though, I cannot deny that it would be quite nice spending more time in bed.” William said as he took his seat beside Christopher.
“Good morning to you as well, dear Brother. I’m sure that you remember that I exist as well,” said Christopher sarcastically.
William laughed and nudged his brother. “Would I truly dare to forget? You’re the reason I got out of bed this morning, after all. I know you depend dearly on me for my company or else you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.”
“Perhaps you should return to your bed, William,” Christopher drawled. “You may be a running a fever since you are clearly speaking such delusions.”
William laughed and after a moment, Lady Emma and her father joined in as well. The room fell into a comfortable atmosphere as the Duke spoke. “We will begin as soon as Lady Alice arrives.”
As if on a cue, the doors opened, and Alice gracefully stepped through. William felt the knots return to his stomach as he watched her walk toward the table. She looked poised and dignified as always. She barely glanced at him as she looked around the room and greeted everyone. He smiled inwardly, knowing very well that she was trying to avoid his eyes. It wouldn’t be a very easy task considering she would be sitting right across from him, but if anyone was capable of accomplishing it, it was Alice.
“My apologies for keeping everyone waiting,” she said looking toward her father.
“It is fine,” the Duke responded, waving a careless hand. “We were not waiting long. We can now begin.” Upon those words, the servants came to provide the bowls of porridge that would serve as the main course for breakfast.
“This is delicious,” said Alice. She still hadn’t looked up at him, though William was certain she could feel his eyes. “Though, I admit I am peckish enough to consider anything delicious right now.”
The Duke sighed. “You always say the first thing that comes to your mind. I’m sure you’ve considered the fact that a prospective husband might not like such a thing?”
Alice’s smile dropped at the words of her father and all side conversations ended. “Why would I, Father, when I am not looking for a husband in the first place?”
“That may be true.” The Duke’s agreement made Alice narrow her eyes. “But there is no need for you to look for one when there are two handsome, eligible young men right here at our table.”
Christopher slightly choked on his food and everyone looked at the Duke in surprise at his bold words.
“Is there a problem?” the Duke asked. “Lord Erlington, don’t you think my daughter is a wonderful candidate for marriage?”
William lifted his brows in surprise and looked at Alice. He expected her to be annoyed by her father’s words but, instead, her face was as red as a tomato. He almost smiled at the sight.
You aren’t as aloof as you might think you are, Alice, he thought to himself. He turned his attention back to the Duke, trying to think of the best way to answer.
“I think anyone would be lucky to have someone as wonderful as Lady Alice as their wife.” Alice’s eyes darted up to him. Her cheeks were still red, but her eyes held an emotion that he couldn’t decipher.
“However, I believe the true question is who Lady Alice might consider to be worthy of her hand,” he continued. “That, Your Grace, might prove to be far more difficult to answer. I, myself, will be thinking about it all day.”
