“I won’t—”
“Shh,” she interrupted his effort to tell her he would not be dancing with her again. “The queen is waving to me. Hold your thoughts until tomorrow night.” She turned and slipped through the crowd. No point going after her. The damnable woman would believe what she wanted, no matter what he said.
He located Liz and Madelaine standing off to one side by the terrace doors. When he reached them, his breath caught. Madelaine was a vision from afar, but up close, her beauty stole his senses. He wanted to devote all his attention to her, but sticking to his goal to make up for being self-absorbed for too many years to count, he smiled first at his sister. “You two are the loveliest women at this ball. Liz, you make a perfect Cleopatra, and Lady Madelaine—” He finally lowered his gaze down her green, gossamer dress. His blood thickened in appreciation at the curves barely covered by the delicate material. “Who thought of your costumes?”
Madelaine’s gaze met his. “I came up with mine, and your aunt thought of Lady Elizabeth’s. I daresay she thought of your costume as well.”
“Do you know who I am?” He fingered the sheet wrapped around his body but then followed her gaze to the necklace he wore. Did she know it was a replica of a phallus? His aunt had a wicked sense of humor and love of Greek history, and it amused him to play along.
“You’re Eros. God of lust.” Some sort of sparkling powder covered Madelaine’s natural skin color, but her neck splotched red with embarrassment.
“Ha!” Liz snorted. “How appropriate for you.”
“Itwasappropriate,” Grey corrected. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask them both if they wanted a refreshment, but Gravenhurst’s fast approach distracted Grey.
His friend bowed to both ladies then nodded at Grey. “The king sent me to find you. He says your training is to begin tonight.”
“Tonight? I was supposed to have the day to do as I wished.”
“And you have. It is now evening. Leisure time is over. Lord Pearson has arrived and the king wishes you to learn the man’s preferences for his horses. I’m to take you to the stables.” In no position to argue, he grasped Madelaine’s gloved hand and kissed the top of it. Confounding etiquette that required women to wear gloves. He wanted to feel her soft heated skin against his lips as he had this afternoon. But it was not to be anytime soon. Unsettled, he reluctantly released her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night at dinner.”
“Perhaps not,” Gravenhurst interrupted Madelaine’s reply. “Equerry training can be long and tedious, Lady Madelaine. Lord Grey may be too tired to come to dinner.”
“I won’t be,” Grey corrected, trying to keep his annoyance with Gravenhurst’s suddenly superior attitude in hand.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“IfI’m too tired to come to dinner, which I’llnot be, Liz you must promise to keep an eye on Lady Madelaine during dinner. Make sure to work out a signal with her in case she needs rescuing from Thorton.”
Liz furrowed her brow. “Why would she need rescuing from Lord Thorton?”
Madelaine’s wide gaze rested on him.
“Thorton has taken an unhealthy liking to Lady Madelaine.”
Madelaine’s lips parted in surprise. “However did you know?”
He loved that he’d finally surprised her in a good way. Maybe this would be the start of really gaining her trust. “It’s my duty as your protector.”
“We should gut the man!” Liz said.
He grinned. “That’s the Adlard spirit, Liz. But let me handle Thorton. All I want you to do is work out a signal with Lady Madelaine and intervene if you must. Spill your wine. Burst into tears. Tear your dress. Whatever it takes.”
“I won’t fail,” Liz promised.
“I know you won’t.” He chucked his sister on the chin then glanced at Madelaine. “I’ll kill the man if he continues to fail to control his hands.”
“Come on, Romeo,” Gravenhurst said. “You’ve a job to learn, and Lady Elizabeth has assured you she won’t fail your command.”
As Grey was leaving, he paused and glanced back at Madelaine. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”
She nodded.
“Promise me.”
“What a demanding protector you are.” She laughed. “I promise.”
Satisfied that she would be safe in his absence, he strode through the room behind Gravenhurst. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know Madelaine very well yet. He barely knew her now, and she was already a distraction at a time when he didn’t have the slightest doubt that he needed to have all his concentration focused on becoming a superb spy. She was safe, so he would simply push her from his mind, until he saw her again.
