Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Nora could feel Godric’s eyes follow her onto the dance floor.
The satisfaction she gained was so immense, she couldn’t keep herself from looking pleased as she danced, and she did nothing to keep a straight expression, knowing that the duke might think she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
She sneakily looked in his direction, but other than his deadly gaze, he seemed unbothered. Nora continued to nod along to what the baron was saying, trying to keep enough attention on him, but she had already begun to devise a plan.
It would seem that dancing once with this man might not suffice and she needed to do something even worse to get the reaction she desired.
The final note was played and as dance partners bowed respectfully, Nora raised her head to meet the baron’s eyes.
“That was rather fun. I have not enjoyed a dance like that in a long time. “
“You are an excellent dancer, Miss. I was in awe of your graceful movements.” Gabriel stated with a smile.
“You are far too kind. How I wish that dance did not end. I feel as though I could have gone on forever. I think I still could.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise and him stammered,
“That’s – I mean, if it is not too forward to ask… would you do me the honor of dancing again with me? Again?”
“Certainly,” Nora beamed excitedly, taking his offered arm.
Gabriel looked very pleased as he led them further to the middle of the dance floor, dropping her hand to bow to her. Nora lowered herself into a light curtsey, and when she stood straight again, she reached out to take his offered hand.
But before she could, Godric appeared beside her.
“Miss Nora, come with me this instant. There is something important we must discuss.”
“Your Grace,” Nora blinked at him, mildly surprised but also greatly pleased. “Can it not wait? I am rather preoccupied at the moment.”
Godric spared the baron no attention as he stared blankly, “No, it cannot. It is about your brother, and I believe it is in your best interest to listen to what I have to say.”
Nora turned to Gabriel with an apologetic expression as she said,
“I am sorry, my Lord. It would seem I need to forfeit this dance unfortunately.”
“That is quite fine, Miss Nora. It was a great pleasure to have gotten to spend any time with you at all,” he replied, taking her hand and raising it to her lips.
He started to leave afterwards, but his gaze darted in the direction of the duke and whatever he saw on his face caused him to hasten his steps away.
Nora turned turn to Godric in time to catch a murderous expression flashing across his face. The air between them suddenly grew heavier and for the first time since she had embarked on her quest, Nora wondered if perhaps she had crossed the line.
“Follow me,” is all Godric said as he began to walk in the direction of the balcony.
Panic filled Nora’s vein as she walked after him. He did not seem so upset now – his expression had barely changed from its usual cold state. So perhaps she had been wrong, guessing that she had managed to get under his skin.
But why did she feel like a prey that had been caught in the clutches of a predator?
Moments later, they were alone on the balcony, far enough from the other guests that the chatter had reduced to a light buzz of voices and music.
Nora had barely braced herself for what was to come when Godric faced her.
“What did you think you were doing? You were going to dance with him again? Twice in a row? I have never met anyone as foolish as you are intent on being! Do you want more rumors about you? Are you not satisfied with the ones conjured by your broken engagement? Is that not enough?” he questioned harshly.
Nora had initially had responses prepared to rebut whatever he would say, but everything seemed pointless as she considered his outburst.
After a moment of hesitation, she said,
“I did not know he was a rake. He seemed quite kind and polite, so I never imagined –”
“He is not a rake,” Godric retorted, looking as though he was growing increasingly impatient with her.
Confusion dawned across Nora’s features, but before she could question him, the duke continued.
“You should never dance with a man twice in a row, without a formal courtship ongoing with the intent of marriage already expressed. It does not speak well about you.”
Nora could hear him clearly, despite the tightness in his voice, but all she could think of was why he had that expression on his face as he stared down at her. It was only slightly unfamiliar, but there was an edge of the danger she had noticed earlier, along with some sort of disturbance.
He was definitely angry. But… why?
She couldn’t understand it, could not fathom a reason why he would be wearing such a look as he scolded her because of something that should make sense but did not really.
Godric stepped closer to her and Nora felt her thoughts fall apart pathetically, leaving her mind blank as she stared up at him?
“Why must you insist on being so difficult?” he questioned in a low murmur.”
“Why are you so angry?” she managed to retort.
“How could I be anything other than that when you were about to do something so foolish –”
“But I did not,” Nora cut him off. “If I had danced with him again, then you would have grounds to complain. But I didn’t, because you interrupted us. So why are you so upset?”
Somewhere at the back of her head, she had put it all together. The anger, the heated gaze, the way he had looked at Lord Gainsbury as he walked away.
Godric was jealous.
The very notion filled Nora with a satisfied shiver, but she would not be fully content until he admitted as much.
The duke did not answer, but Nora was prepared to push him further to get the response she was seeking.
“Why are you angry, Your Grace?” she asked in a sultry voice, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Godric inhaled sharply and reached out to her, the back of his fingers lightly caressing her neck as he leaned in until they were only a breath away.
“As long as I am here, you are mine, Nora. Mine to protect, mine to torment, and mine to punish,” he said lowly, his fingers lightly curling around the side of her neck and his thumb gently pushing her chin upward so she couldn’t look away from him.
“What if he dared to touch you? What if he dared to put his hands on what was mine? Did you expect me to simply watch and let it happen?”
His words filled Nora with a thrill of words that left her feeling dizzy.
Her gaze lowered to his lips for a moment, and a wave of desperation rushed through her as she yearned to kiss him.
The corner of his lips quirked up slightly as though he knew exactly what she was thinking and it was all she could do not to demand that he kiss her.
To her relief, he leaned in, and her eyes fluttered shut in anticipation. But a sudden roar of laughter from people outside caused him to pause. As she opened her eyes, he pulled away, his movements slow, slightly reluctant.
He started to turn away and in a fit of panic, she called out,
“Wait. I would like to ask something of you.”
Godric hesitated. “What is it?”
Nora inhaled deeply. “Can you teach me how to defend myself? I was… I was really worried that the man I danced with might have been a rake. The thought of things going wrong in your absence… It would greatly put me at ease.”
He was quiet for a moment, then he said, “All right. I will send word after I have decided when we are to meet.”
Nora nodded and watched him walk away, feeling strangely fulfilled.
As his carriage came to a stop, Godric looked out of the window, sighing at the sight of a gentleman’s club with patrons going in and out of the entrance.
He had hoped for a quiet rest of his evening but the summons he had received from his uncle told him that such plans were now far away from him. Begrudgingly, he disembarked and went inside, nodding nonchalantly at the greetings he received.
Once he was inside, a server came over to lead him to the table his uncle was already sitting at, nursing a glass of whiskey.
“Good evening, Uncle.”
Luther looked over the rim of his glass at Godric as he took a sip before raising his drink in the duke’s direction.
“Evening, Godric. Take a seat.” Luther prompted, pouring some whiskey into the empty glass in front of his own.
As Godric sat down, he could hear a particularly excited group of people ranting and cheering, a few tables from their own. He had tried to ignore them at first, focused on the drink that had been set in front of him, but then he heard a familiar voice groan in upset.
“I was so close!”
“In your dreams, Gramfield. Now, will you join us in the next round or forfeit any claim to the pot?”
Gregory Wightman sighed and tapped the space in front of his chips, waiting for the dealer to give him the cards he would use to contest in the next round.
Although it was a bit of a surprise to see the baron of Gramfield at the club, Godric knew it could not have been a coincidence that he was there.
From where he was seated, Godric and his uncle had a perfect view of the other man laughing and drinking as he gambled his fortune away with every passing moment.
Godric did not need to ask to know that this was why his uncle had brought him here, so he simply waited for his uncle to outright remind him of his quest.
Godric might not be willing to admit it outwardly, but he knew he had been rather… distracted as of late, by other affairs. But nothing had changed. The hate in his heart for Gregory Wightman was still as powerful and as potent as before.
Luther cleared his throat and Godric prepared himself to rebut what was coming, only it was not as he had expected.
“Godric… It would be remise of me not to ask, so indulge me for a moment. Are you still as invested in our plans for revenge as you were when we began?”
Godric’s lips parted to speak but his uncle cut him off by holding a hand up.
“I am asking because I have realized that perhaps it was unfair of me to put you on such a consuming quest. Afterall, you are a man as well. You could have gotten more out of life than you have now. You could have a family, a beloved. A better life, as opposed to one chasing demons that you are not responsible for.”
Although Luther had not said it outright, it sounded as though his uncle was trying to tell him to walk away from the plot that they had crafted.
Godric downed the drink that had been offered to him and when he set the glass on the table, he said,
“I understand what you are saying, uncle. And I appreciate your kind consideration. However, I would like to assure you that there is nothing I want more than the people responsible for my parent’s demise brought to justice. They must pay.”
Luther nodded, and Godric had hoped that the conversation would have ended at that point, but his uncle only pressed further,
“I am an old man with nothing but grudges and regret. My life has practically ended, so I can waste it away chasing such things. But you are different, Godric. You have much more to live for, more to want from life than more blood spilled – this time on your hands. And I know that is not what your parents would have wanted for you.”
It was very strange, to say the least, how insistent his uncle was on dissuading him. Although his tone was calm, there was an insisting edge still that was trying to nudge Godric aside and away from all of this.
It was odder still because Luther had raised him with one main goal in mind – to never forget his parents and the tragic nature of their demise. He had urged Godric to grow up well and take whatever form of justice his heart desired, and now he wanted him to simply… walk away?
“Uncle, I might have been a little occupied as of late, but I am no less committed to this cause. I am still focused on our ploy for revenge, and I will not rest until the ones responsible have lost everything they hold dear. And… I do not have a beloved. That is ridiculous – a waste of time and resources. My time is better served elsewhere, doing other things.” Godric said, the last sentences coming out rather hastily.
Luther stared at him in an odd way, and Godric tried not to flinch, hoping then matter would be dismissed as soon as possible.
“All right then. I do expect you to be solely focused on this if it is really what you wish to do.” Luther urged quietly, refilling Godric’s glass before also pouring more whiskey into his own, glancing in the direction of Gregory’s table as the baron whoops for joy.
“You have my word,” Godric assured.
Luther nodded, returning his attention to watching Gregory and although it seemed that the crisis had been settled, the duke had doubts on whether or not his uncle believed him.
And such doubts would only yield trouble later.