Chapter Twelve
Berry’s hands shook as she readied herself for the day, although she tried her best to appear composed while her maid fussed over her and styled her hair. “Stop squirming, m’lady,” Harriet said, sticking a butterfly clip above her ear to secure the upswept curls.
She added a matching clip above her other ear and then stepped back to admire her work. “His eyes will pop wide when he sees you.”
“Oh, for certain if I walk down like this,” Berry remarked with a soft laugh as she stared down at herself clad only in her chemise.
Harriet set out two gowns on her bed, a dusky rose and a robin’s-egg blue. Both were muslin with silk trimming. “Which one?”
“The rose,” Berry said, reaching for it.
“I think the blue,” Harriet countered. “It makes your eyes shine like moonlight, and he will be staring into them while he dances with you.”
“But my eyes are green. What difference does it make if I wear the rose or the blue? Oh, all right. The blue.” Berry always took Harriet’s advice on what to wear because she had an even better eye for fashion than Berry had, which was saying a lot, because Berry was known to set fashion style among the ladies of the ton.
She looked forward to giving Gideon his next dance lesson and hoped Harriet was right about the shimmer in her eyes.
Her neighbors were already gathered in the parlor and fluttering around Gideon by the time she walked downstairs. Only Suzanna and Bonham were missing, and Gideon explained they were trying to untangle the mess made of the pulley system at Gideon’s new house.
“If anyone can fix the tangle, it is Suzanna,” Berry said with sincere conviction.
“We ought to practice the waltz again,” Gwenys blurted, casting a moon-eyed gaze at Gideon as he took off his jacket and flexed his gorgeous muscles while rolling up the carpet in Berry’s music room to create a dance floor. “It is ever so important.”
Gideon turned toward Berry and arched an eyebrow, as though awaiting her instructions. She liked the way he sought her opinion and often took her advice.
He made her feel important. Valued.
Perhaps this was why she was so drawn to him. He did not regard her as a bit of fluff to be patted on the head and dismissed.
“Yes, it is a good idea. Gwenys, you dance first with Mr. Knight. This way, I can see where you each might need improvement. And it is good practice for him to dance with someone who is not as proficient as he is. My apologies, Gwenys. I do not mean to imply that you are not a proficient dancer.”
“Oh, no offense taken. I know I am not very good at this yet.” Gwenys smiled up at Gideon. “But you are a dream, Mr. Knight. You waltz divinely.”
He turned to Berry and winked. “I have an excellent teacher.”
This was why she had never fallen in love before, she realized.
The men she had met over the years, whether honorable or fortune hunters, viewed her as a means to a goal.
They did not see her as a person with hopes, dreams, or talents.
And they never considered asking for her opinions.
To a man, they saw her as a wealthy heiress and salivated over the prospect of gaining access to her trust fund.
The honorable ones might have felt a sense of duty to be a proper husband to her, but what did that mean?
Their idea of proper meant not running up large gaming debts and being discreet when setting up a mistress in a townhouse just outside of Mayfair. It had nothing to do with actually valuing her.
But Gideon?
She thought he might be in love with her.
Or perhaps it was merely wishful thinking on her part. She had always wished for a husband like him. One who was strong when he needed to be. Fierce. Protective. Thoughtful. Intelligent. Indulgent but never dismissive.
She knew he admired her.
He also made her feel safe, especially after yet another unsettling incident regarding Lord Hawthorne.
“So, is it to be a waltz?” Gwenys asked. “Now? Can we start now?”
“All right. Miranda, play a waltz,” Berry said in order to stop Gwenys from bouncing up and down and whispering, “Please, please, please.”
Gideon, as expected, took masterful control while he and Gwenys made their way in a graceful circle around the room.
Berry studied them closely. Dear heaven. The man moved with the grace of a jungle cat on the prowl. His every step and twirl powerful. Intensely focused. Irresistible.
He was completely gorgeous and charming. She could not blame Gwenys for being infatuated with him. Everything about this man was seductive.
She helped Gwenys by correcting a few mistakes in her posture.
“And mine?” Gideon asked.
She shook her head and smiled up at him. “Flawless.”
He laughed. “No, seriously.”
“I am being serious. The waltz was made for you. No wonder the patronesses at Almack’s consider it so scandalous. Every young lady will swoon when dancing in your arms.”
He shook his head and cast her a surprisingly endearing smile, all the more surprising because Gideon Knight was not at all soft. “It works both ways. A man might also lose his heart when holding a charming lady in his arms.”
Although Gwenys was in his arms, Gideon was staring straight at her.
Tingles shot through Berry’s body.
Did he mean it? Had he lost his heart to her?
Gwenys giggled, drawing her out of her thoughts. “It is transporting. I cannot wait until I am out in Society. I think I shall fall in love after every dance.”
Miranda pounded a discordant chord on the pianoforte. “My girl, you had better stay clear-eyed and clearheaded or you will end up married to a scoundrel who will steal your wealth and your happiness. Is this what you want?”
Gwenys sighed. “No, Aunt Miranda.”
“Then do not give in to silly infatuation. Marriage is a serious business. There is no easy fix to a mistake in marriage.”
“How am I to know when it is right?” Gwenys asked, sounding quite petulant.
“First, it must feel right,” Berry said, clasping her hands as she spoke, and trying not to look at Gideon because he had felt so right to her from the very first moment of their meeting. He was still looking at her in that soft way that was making her tingle.
Well, it wasn’t really soft. More like hungry.
Devouring.
She cleared her throat. “It is important that you simply enjoy being in his company. But that is just a beginning.”
“That’s right,” Gwendolyn said, now offering her opinion.
“Does he listen to you when you converse? Or does he simply dismiss you? Does he take the time to get to know the things you like? Appreciate the things you know how to do? Will he be faithful to you and honor your wedding vows? Trusting in each other is most important. A man who keeps a mistress while he is courting you is unlikely to be faithful.”
Gwenys appeared confused. “But so many men do this. Mr. Knight, is Gwendolyn right? Would you keep a mistress?”
“No,” he said emphatically, and fixed his gaze on Berry again as though he were speaking directly to her. “If I were in love, she would be the only one for me. I would make her that promise and hold to it until my dying breath.”
Berry’s heart stood still.
Was he promising this to her?
“But not everyone marries for love,” Gwenys argued. “Some must marry to bring wealth into their family.”
He nodded. “But that is not you, Gwenys. Nor am I saying that you must dismiss anyone who is poor. It is all too common for a good man to inherit the burdens of a wastrel ancestor. What matters is finding a man of valor, one who will care for you, keep to his promises, and do all in his power to make you happy. All the better if he holds a title, I suppose. The ton has strict rules on who is deemed worthy and who is not.”
“Those rules are antiquated,” Berry said, indignant on his behalf because there was no way on this good earth that Lord Hawthorne was worthier than Gideon Knight.
“But those in power still follow those rules and punish those who do not,” he pointed out.
Oh, he was still looking straight at her as he leveled the warning.
“Being cast out of Society would not be much of a punishment for me.” She tipped her chin into the air. “My close circle of friends will not abandon me. So what if I am no longer invited to balls and musicales or al fresco picnics?”
“What about your annual charity event on behalf of the orphans?” Gideon reminded her. “It is not only you who will be punished if you stray from ton rules.”
The air went out of Berry. “That is true.”
He studied her for a long moment. “You mentioned that you had an idea to increase profits. Why don’t we take a break from dancing and I’ll listen to what you have to say over lemonade and cakes?”
Gwenys clapped her hands with glee. “Yes, an excellent idea. My throat is parched. Do you mind if we listen in, Berry?”
“Not at all. It is no secret.” Berry rang for Melton to deliver refreshments on the terrace.
Bonham and Suzanna joined them, for they had just finished putting the lift and pulley together.
“It is all working perfectly,” Bonham said with much satisfaction. “Lady Suzanna is brilliant and realized the mistake in the instructions at once. We could not have completed the installation without her.”
Suzanna blushed.
“Nor could I have figured out the plumbing on my own,” he added, casting her a sincerely warm smile.
“I enjoyed helping out,” Suzanna remarked.
“Fortunate for me,” Bonham muttered. “But we interrupted your discussion. What were you talking about?”