Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Liv barely saw Devlin for the rest of the night.
Back in the ballroom, she found Daisy, Ellie, and Tess by the buffet and cooled her flushed cheeks with a soothing glass of champagne.
She danced with Harry and Lucien, then with a score of other gentlemen who sought her out, and watched in amusement as Harry, the designated Lord of Misrule, caused havoc with his ‘royal’ decrees.
He ordered the women to take the lead in the dances, and the men to take the ladies’ parts; there was much cursing and merriment as everyone turned the wrong way, collided with other couples, and stood on each other’s toes.
At midnight the anonymous secrets were read aloud from the bowl, accompanied by delighted speculation as to who had written which, and a raucous game of blind man’s buff quickly devolved into an excuse for drunken fondling and kissing.
By one o’clock the party showed no sign of ending, but Liv was so exhausted she bid the others goodnight and slipped back to her room.
She listened for any hint that Dev was in the chamber next door, but his duties as host presumably required his attention, so she curled up in bed with a happy sigh, listening to the faint shrieks of the drunken ice skaters and the melodies of the violins drifting up from below.
It was almost midday by the time she woke, feeling gloriously decadent, and when she made her way downstairs, she discovered Daisy, Ellie, and Harry eating breakfast in one of the smaller rooms. Servants bustled about, putting the house to rights, sweeping up broken glass, straightening picture frames, and replacing the flowers.
Liv glanced through the window and saw a poor stable lad being hoisted up onto the back of an equestrian statue at least a dozen feet above the ground, to retrieve a top hat and cravat that some enterprising reveler had placed on the horse’s head.
A particularly loud noise indicated the movement of a large piece of furniture in an adjoining room and Harry winced.
“Too loud,” he groaned, clutching his head.
Ellie snorted at his hungover testiness. “I have no sympathy. I told you not to challenge Lucien to any kind of dare. Unless it’s at cards, and you’re cheating, there’s no hope of beating him.”
Daisy grinned. “My husband does have uncommonly good luck. But if it makes you feel any better, he’s in an equally bad state as you, Harry. He begged me to bring him either a cup of coffee, or an ax to chop off his head.”
Harry perked up. “That does make me feel better, actually. Misery loves company, and all that.”
“Has anyone seen Devlin?” Liv asked, trying to sound nonchalant and praying her cheeks weren’t turning an incriminating shade of pink.
Daisy gestured vaguely outside. “He’s gone to look at his weather contraptions. He was muttering something about a storm on the way.”
Livvy glanced at the sky. The day was far too advanced to know if there had been a red sky that morning, but it certainly looked rather grey and miserable.
“Have you decided what your plans are?”
Daisy’s question made her turn as her heart gave a panicked thump. Oh, God, had Devlin told his sister about the offer he’d made?
“Erm. What sort of plans?” she managed.
Daisy sent her a curious look. “About how long you’re planning to stay here, of course. Didn’t you say Dev had offered you refuge until you decide to go back to London?”
Liv expelled a silent, relieved breath. “Oh, yes. He did.”
“Well, what are you thinking? Your father’s scandal will be hot gossip for a while, but it’ll all blow over. Especially when everyone sees you have the full support of two duchesses and a countess. Not even the highest sticklers would dream of cutting you if we don’t.”
“And we won’t,” Ellie sent her a reassuring smile. “You had nothing to do with your father’s affairs, and you were in no position to stop him. No one will blame you.”
“Thank you,” Liv said, deeply grateful for the steadfastness of her friends.
“I appreciate the support. But I don’t think I’m ready to go back to town quite yet.
Someone needs to keep an eye on whatever Uncle Hubert’s doing up here.
Unless there’s any pressing work at King one for every mile the storm was distant.
When she reached ten, the corresponding rumble of thunder rolled across the landscape, and she smiled in anticipation.
She’d always loved a good storm, loved listening to the lash of the rain against the windowpanes and feeling the thunder reverberate through her chest—provided she was safe and warm inside, of course.
She glanced up at Dev, a smile on her lips, certain that he’d share her feeling of excited anticipation, daredevil that he was, but his dark brows were drawn down in a frown, and his jaw was clenched tight.
She turned and put her hand on his forearm in an automatic gesture of concern.
“Dev, what is it? Are you all right?”
His muscles were rigid beneath her hand, and he glanced down at her with an expression that looked almost like annoyance. He tugged his arm from her grip and stepped back, nodding to a hovering Fletcher to close the door.
Liv quashed a flutter of confusion. Had she offended him in some way? Where was the teasing, relaxed partner who’d showed her such passion last night?
Dev sent her another impatient glance. “Sorry, Liv. I have some important matters I need to attend to.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and sent her a softer, more rueful glance.
“And the devil of a sore head. Shouldn’t have tried to keep up with Justin on the brandy last night. ”
Liv smiled, relieved that his moroseness was due to a hangover and not because of anything she’d done. For a minute, she’d thought he was regretting last night in his study.
“You haven’t changed your mind about me staying here, have you?” she asked. “Because I can always—”
“No!” he said sharply. “It’s not that. Never that. It’s just that I can’t be with you this afternoon.”
“I don’t mind. I can keep reading Robinson Crusoe in the library.”
He gave a curt nod, already turning on his heels and striding in the direction of his study.
Another flash of lightning made his shoulders rise with tension, and she sent him a fond, sympathetic look.
She’d seen her father in his cups enough times to know that any loud noise or bright lights would be most unwelcome.
Still, she hoped he recovered soon. She wanted to complete her education in all the ways marrying him would make physical as well as logical sense.