Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Miss Norleigh…” Alistair’s mouth hung open like a rusted gate. “You look…” His mouth turned dry and while he knew what he wanted to say, the words would not come.
“It’s not too much?” Miss Norleigh stood at the top of the stairs and when she saw the look on Alistair’s face, she shied away.
“No.” He straightened. He forced his mouth to close. And then he looked upon Miss Norleigh as if she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen. It was an easy expression to wear because, at that moment, she just might have been. “You look beautiful.”
Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, and she looked as if she wanted to turn around and hurry back down the hallway; no doubt she was overcome with embarrassment.
Thankfully, she recovered, she then started down the stairs toward where Alistair stood waiting, and she presented herself with elegance and beauty of the type that would suggest to anyone watching that she had done this one hundred times before.
“You mock me,” she said as she continued down the steps.
“I do no such thing.”
“I suppose you are after a compliment of your own?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Would you like for me to tell you how handsome you look?”
“Only if you mean it.”
She laughed. “You do look that… very handsome, I mean. Is that a new suit?”
“Is that a new dress?”
“Oh, this?” She shrugged. “It’s just something that I had lying around.”
He chuckled along. “Lucky that you did. It looks…” Alistair could not help but stare. “You look perfect.”
Alistair stood in the middle of the foyer, a perfect position so that he could gaze upwards as Miss Norleigh approached. She seemed to float as she walked down the stairs, just as she seemed to glow in the soft light of the chandelier that hung from the ceiling.
The gown looked incredible on her. The silvery material glimmered and shone.
The design was tight-fitting, working perfectly to accentuate her curves without exaggerating them.
The dress flowed around her legs like a waterfall dancing off the surface of a lake.
And while her make-up was simple, while her jewelry was minimal, and while her hair was worn without tiara or crown, it was impossible to deny that she looked like a lady of the ton.
More than that… she looks like a dream come to life. I knew she was beautiful. I knew she would suit the dress, that the dress would make her shine like a diamond found in the rough. But even I could have pictured just how much it does.
“I take it you are looking forward to this evening?” Alistair offered his arm as Miss Norleigh reached the lower landing.
She accepted it without hesitation. “And what makes you say that?”
“The smile on your lips,” he noted. “The glimmer in your eyes. The excitement in your –”
“Yes, yes,” she cut him off with laughter. “Tell me, did you have these compliments ready before you saw me? I think that you did.”
“Not at all,” he said seriously. “But that just speaks to how wonderful you look.”
She blushed further and looked away as he led her across the foyer. He could feel her body tremble… or maybe that was him?
Alistair had not known what to expect from this evening.
When he suggested that he escort her, it was done on impulse, a means to quiet Carrowell’s blithering and hopefully divert attention away from how darn awkward the situation was – he had not expected Lady Emily to invite her in the first place!
These last three days were spent in a state of utmost confusion.
How to approach tonight? How to treat Miss Norleigh?
Was she just a friend? Was she an employee only?
Did she expect more, or was she anticipating a friendly evening that would amount to little more than time spent together?
A chance to further their friendly relationship.
Now that Alistair had laid eyes on her, now that he had time to gather his thoughts, and now that he had seen her own reaction when she appeared at the top of the steps, he was through with wondering, and he was done playing games with himself.
This was more than a night out. And this was more than a friendly happenstance.
It was wrong, he knew.
She and him could not possibly work.
People would talk, they would judge, they would whisper.
While Alistair had his own reasons for spurning romance and loathing commitment, when it came to Miss Norleigh, those objections did not scream nearly so loudly as they should.
“Just remember,” he said as he led her outside to where a carriage waited for them. “Have fun tonight. That’s all I ask.”
She exhaled sharply. “Easier said than done, I think.”
“Oh?”
“I am not… this is all rather new for me, Your Grace. And please, if at any point you feel that I have overstayed my welcome or you want to be alone with –”
“That won’t happen.”
“It might.”
He stopped short and turned on Miss Norleigh.
He took her by the hands so that he faced her.
The moon was full, it shone upon the two like a spotlight, and her dress sparkled like stars in the sky.
“I invited you because I want you to be here tonight. So please, do me a favor and stop doubting yourself. You deserve this.”
“Do I, now…”
“I think we both do,” he said with a smile. “Now…” He cocked his arm again. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be.” She sighed deeply and linked her arm.
“That will have to do.”
Together, they approached the carriage, he helped her inside, and they made their way to the ball. Alistair would not have had it any other way.
They walked into the ballroom together, arms linked, a shared smile on both of their faces. Alistair could feel Miss Norleigh’s nervous energy as if they were his own, and he reached over and rested a gentle hand on her forearm.
“If it makes you feel any better, whether you were with me or not, they would still be staring.”
“Is that right?” Her laughter was stammered and awkward.
“Oh yes,” he said seriously. “On account of how handsome I am.”
She pressed her lips together in a tight smile. “Ah yes, what a curse it must be for you.”
“I have learned to live with it.” He side-eyed her and winked. She looked at him flatly, and a smile formed across her lips. Still nervous, but he could feel it lessening. “Ignore them,” he continued, sure to keep his hand on her forearm. “I find that is best.”
“I want to,” she said. “It is just… there are so many of them. And they are not exactly subtle about staring, are they?”
“They never are,” he sighed. “I was speaking truthfully just now, that they would be doing the same if I was alone. The curse of being a duke.”
“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?”
“Is it working?”
She laughed. “Not even a little bit.”
“Just remember…” He squeezed her arm. “I am here, and so long as I am, nothing they do or say can hurt you. They do not matter.”
“That is easy for you to say. You… you are used to this. For me, it is all rather new.”
“Perhaps that is what you should focus on? You do not know anyone here, they do not know you. So, what does it matter what they say or what they think? Likely, you will never see them again.”
“But –”
“No buts,” he cut her off. “I did not bring you here to pout in misery and be overcome by nerves.”
“Then why did you bring me here?”
He hesitated, because the answer was far from simple.
There were so many reasons to give, none of which felt appropriate, and none of which he was certain of.
While Alistair was starting to accept his feelings, he was still wary of them, still more than aware of their danger and how wrong they were.
“I brought you here to enjoy yourself,” he said finally. “So, you better not let me catch you doing anything other than that.”
She rolled her eyes at the answer, but he felt her relaxing further.
In many ways, Alistair wished he had prepared her better for tonight. He had been attending these events for years, and he’d forgotten how intimidating they could be. Even if he was not a duke, even if the crowds did not stare and gape, the effect would be the same.
I forget sometimes that we are of two different worlds. And while I like to pretend that makes no difference, moments like this prove the exact opposite.
The ballroom was an extravagant affair, as was to be expected.
The floor was white marble, the walls were gilded in gold, the chandeliers decked in crystal, and the colors that flooded the room were as chaotic as they were beautiful.
The women were dressed in vibrant gowns, the men were dressed in smart suits, even the waiters were refined and elegant, and Alistair had no doubt that Miss Norleigh had never seen such a place as this one.
They moved together through the ballroom.
Alistair had no desire to speak with anyone, and he was pleased to see that most were of the same mind. There were scores of guests spread across the ballroom, moving in couples and groups, standing in circles as they drank and ate and laughed gaily.
It was impossible to go unnoticed, and as they walked, the crowds watched on. Alistair wondered too if the reason was the presence of Miss Norleigh, even though most would not know her, just as most would assume she was a lady of some description.
There was also the very real fact that he was worthy of his own gossip, and by now the tales of his adopted son had no doubt spread throughout the ton.
How long will it take before people start to ask about Hugh? And when I tell them the lie that I have used as the basis for his adoption, how long will it take before the truth is found out and the walls around me collapse…
“Shall we have a drink?” he asked Miss Norleigh as they moved toward the back of the ballroom.
“Please,” she said with a deep sigh of relief. “Can we make it two?”
“How about three?” he joked.
“Dare I suggest four?”
They laughed together as they went. Thankfully, most moved out of the way when they saw the duke coming, and he offered polite smiles and a courteous nod of the head.