“I am no stranger to having to grow up quickly,” she said, remembering how she had been forced to grow up immensely after losing her father and husband. She had nobody else to rely upon but herself.
What has forced him to grow up?she wondered, unsure as to whether she should ask the question aloud. Instead, she said, “And you also do not strike me as the kind of man who would allow your cousin to induce you into doing something you specifically did not wish to do.”
She cringed just thinking of Mr Spurnrose, her confrontation with the man still too present in her mind. She trembled to hear of him and quickly buried her hands in the folds of her skirts to hide the fact.
The corner of Lord Spurnrose’s lips twitched upwards with amusement, and she saw just how handsome it made him in the moonlight that filtered through the windows. The deep shadows cast across his face only aided in making him look more ruggedly handsome than before. Her heartbeat quickened.
“I think you have read me quite right, Lady Belmont,” he confessed, a sheepish expression on his face that was also entirely mischievous, as though he was trying to be charming. And Melissa had to admit it was definitely working. “Though I admit I was reluctant to come tonight, the possibility of your being there truly enticed me in the end.”
Melissa felt a little of the colour draining from her face, not because she was horrified by his words but because she was more than a little surprised.
“Why would my presence hold any weight upon your decision, My Lord?” she asked, struggling to say the words past the sudden lump in her throat.
The lord shrugged. She believed he wasn’t going to answer her question. Then, he finally admitted, “I had a feeling I would have much more fun if you were in attendance, and it turns out I was right.”
Melissa’s cheeks grew red hot then and she wished she could scold him. It had been a long time since any man had made her blush. The odd sensation made her feel young and innocent once more, not at all her usual mature and well-grounded self, and it caused her heart to flutter in such a way that she adjusted slightly in her seat.
As though he saw the expression on her face and wanted to encourage her further, he leaned forward a little and added, “I also greatly enjoyed our dance this evening, Lady Belmont.”
She could have cursed him for making her blush like a small girl. And yet, she couldn’t help smiling at him in response. Deep down, she had to admit that she had greatly enjoyed their dance too. Just remembering how it had felt to be in his arms as they floated about the dance floor was enough to spread the flush in her cheeks to other parts of her body.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way,she thought, clenching her thighs together and trying her hardest to appear as relaxed as she had been when she first entered the carriage. It was certainly hard to do so when Lord Spurnrose was now flustering her far more charmingly than his cousin had.
“It has been a while since I enjoyed a dance myself,” she said, pleased that her tone sounded much more confident than she was feeling.
“Then you admit you enjoyed your time at the ball a little?” Lord Spurnrose asked, his smile becoming cocky and perhaps a little arrogant. Though on him, it was charming. Melissa had to fight herself to stop smiling too openly.
“Yes, My Lord. I did enjoy our dance,” she stated before she shook her head. “Though I can honestly say it was about the only pleasant part of the evening.”
When he looked as though he was going to say something to try and make up for the fact, Melissa quickly added, attempting to change the subject, “I did happen to notice you dancing with another young lady or two after our dance.”
In truth, there had only been one woman she had seen him with, but she did not wish him to realise she had been watching him. It had been about the only thing that had kept her mind from all the men and women who were adamant to keep glancing over, talking about her as though they could not believe her audacity in showing her face at such a public event.
“Lady Belmont, do I sense a hint of jealousy?” Lord Spurnrose asked incredulously. His mouth gaped open slightly, mocking shock, and when he closed it again, he smirked just as proudly as before.
Melissa’s cheeks steadily grew hotter and hotter, and she wondered whether she was digging herself an even deeper hole than before. Perhaps she ought to just keep her mouth closed and say nothing more, yet with the look upon his face, she simply couldn’t help herself.
“Not jealousy, My Lord, merely an observation.”
She crossed her legs beneath her skirts in stubbornness and met the nobleman’s gaze with her head held high even though her insides were twisting slightly with how he was looking at her.
“You are quite the quiet, observant type, are you not, Lady Belmont?” Lord Spurnrose asked. He leaned forward slightly, a dangerous edge to his voice that made Melissa’s heart hitch into her throat. Though his tone was dangerous, it was not at all threatening. In fact, it was almost erotic. The way he gazed at her and refused to allow his gaze to leave hers made her shiver all over. Her skin turned to gooseflesh in the most deliciously delectable way, and she had to bite the inside of her lip to stop from automatically responding.
A part of her wanted to lean forwards and whisper something just as dangerously seductive back, yet she refrained, barely.
“I pride myself upon it, Lord Spurnrose,” she said instead, still keeping her head held high even though she was having a harder and harder time meeting his gaze. “I find most young women among thetonare not nearly observant enough. Especially when it comes to young men sniffing about the place.”
Finding some of her old confidence, she glowered at him, daring him to try and say that no self-respecting young man would ever do such a thing as sniff about a young lady.
He surprised her by saying, “Yes, Lady Belmont, I do feel that many of the young ladies among thetoncould learn a thing or two from you.”
How he looked at her then suggested that he had even surprised himself, and his own cheeks blushed harder. Melissa felt great satisfaction at that though she was still in too much shock herself to come up with anything witty to say.
Luckily for her, the gentle rocking of the carriage became far bumpier at that moment, so much so that she was almost flung from her seat. She was not lucky, however, in how she reached out to catch herself only to find she was bracing against Lord Spurnrose’s forearms.
Turning her face upwards, she caught his gaze in a breathless moment of surprise. Her heart hammered at how close they had become, and the smile on his lips made it skip a beat altogether.
“Steady on, My Lady,” Lord Spurnrose said, his smile broadening. “If I had known you would throw yourself at me, I might have reacted more quickly to catch you.”
