He flinched as another slap echoed through the ballroom. At this rate, between Lord Hamish’s drink-inflamed cheeks and all the slaps, his face would be swollen to a sphere tomorrow.
And they’d had the nerve to drag him into the mess.
“What a disaster,” Dare muttered. He could still hear her cursing at his back, but at the very least—a sweep of the room confirmed—all eyes remained on that woman’s chaotic performance.
“Are you all right?” Lady Leonora asked, sending him a concerned glance. “I cannot believe you were a target for Lady Hamish’s ire.”
“I cannot believe you inserted yourself into said ire,” Dare countered, still mired in some disbelief that she would do such a thing. When last had anyone stood up for him in such a manner? Not in years. Certainly not in his adult life.
“Why not?” She waved a hand. “If I hadn’t defended you, I’d not have been defending myself, now would I?”
Dare spotted a nearby pillar and pulled her over behind it. “Your logic has flaws as deep as underground mines.” He stopped to make sure they weren’t being noticed. “Let’s wait here for a bit.”
“Hidingis your solution?”
“Being caught up in that disaster will bring nothing but more disaster to you, Lady Leonora,” Dare said, the hairs at the back of his neck prickling with awareness. “My reputation can survive any calamity, but yours cannot.” And no shadows should taint the woman beside him, not even his, as large as they loomed. But even if his shadows lacked the ability to taint her all on their own, if she stepped any closer and fully entered the darkness that shrouded him, she might never recover from that. And yet,he couldn’t bring himself to regret this flirtatious thing they had formed between them.
Regret couldn’t touch its brightness. Yet.
She lifted to her toes to peek at the ongoing commotion. “Well, we are out of the blast range now, though it seems Lord Gibsy and his wife have been dragged into their tiff instead of us.”
Dare followed her gaze. Lady Hamish was indeed pointing a finger at Gibsy, who had turned red, purple, and blue all at once. It seemed the woman was determined to blame any man passing for her husband’s indiscretions. At least it wasn’t just him.
“He looks like he wants to throttle Lady Hamish,” Lady Leonora murmured.
“I want to throttle her,” Dare muttered. And that was saying much. This was the first time in his life such an urge had overtaken him where a woman was concerned.
He glanced at Leonora.
And it was because of her.
Not because Lady Hamish had dragged him into that spectacle—Dare could handle drama—but because she had done so while Leonora was at his side.
“I pity her,” Leonora murmured. “She’s had a shock.”
“Of course. It’s how she treats the bystanders that I object to.”
Leonora nodded. “Agreed. There are a thousand different ways to vent anger. This is quite something else.” She paused. “Tell me, Dare,”—she sent him a speculative glance—“has a woman ever slapped your face?”
“No, I have been fortunate there.” He didn’t much care for pain.
“I find that hard to believe. Don’t all infamous rakes have a slap or two to boast?”
“Should a lady be speaking about infamous rakestoan infamous rake?”
“Are you avoiding the question?” she countered while avoiding his.
Dare shook his head, chuckling. “Only the rakes lacking in charm get slapped. And let me assure you, a slap is nothing to boast about, even for men who have been labeled rakes.”
“Then your charm must indeed be quite something.”
“Haven’t you experienced that for yourself?”
“I suppose I’ve gotten a slight glimpse.”
A throat cleared behind them. “And just what glimpse have you gotten from him? And why in everlasting damnation am I always finding the two of you together?”
Dare sighed, turning to see Leonora’s brother. The sun seemed to have set on their coquetry. “Your sister is speaking of charm, Heart, just as she is charming. Does that appease your curiosity?”
