Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
T he ball was in full swing by the time they arrived. The evening air was scented with fresh-cut blooms, and soft music filtered out through the tall windows, golden light spilling onto the gravel drive like honey. This evening Lady Halverton had decorated her entertaining rooms with foliage, giving the appearance that they were all dancing within a beautiful garden full of blooms.
Inside, the ballroom ceiling was strung with garlands of spring flowers, ivy curling up the columns and across doorways. A subtle scent of roses and jasmine perfumed the air, mingling with the warmth of candlelight from the chandeliers overhead. Evangeline’s gown of pink silk suited the colorful display of attire that the guests had chosen to wear for the spring-themed event, and the room looked like a bouquet of flowers.
"Come, Evangeline, we shall go speak with Lord and Lady Carrisford, whom I see standing near the terrace doors.
"Of course." Evangeline followed her sister and the duke, but after greeting Lord and Lady Carrisford, she stood aside, watching the ball and constantly checking the entrance foyer for one particularly tall, handsome betrothed who was now hers.
So far, she had not seen him anywhere, and she could only assume he had not arrived as yet. She hoped he had not been waylaid for too long. She desperately wished to see him again.
Already her body felt on edge, expectation thrumming through her veins at being near his side, sharing a stolen glance or touch.
She could barely wait.
She spied a hobbling gentleman coming her way and felt her eyes widen when she realized it was Mr. Fournier.
"Lady Evangeline," he said, attempting to dip into a bow, but struggling since his injury to his leg.
"Mr. Fournier, good evening. And while I'm happy to see that you're out in society again, do you think you're ready to be at a ball?" She leaned close to ensure privacy. "Your injury, sir. I hope that you are healed."
He threw her a look that said more than words that she did not need to be concerned. "All is well, my lady, but I thank you for your concern." He paused, shuffling to stand at her side. "Although it would be remiss of me not to congratulate you on your forthcoming marriage to Lord St. George. I read it in the paper this morning. Quite surprised to see the announcement, but that is the way this society plays. If you're absent, you miss out."
Evangeline threw him a sympathetic smile. "I'm very happy with my choice, Mr. Fournier. Thank you for your kind best wishes."
He gave her a small smile, but she could tell he was disappointed. The poor man, for all his silliness, he was kind enough. "Well, I shall not waste any more of your time. I shall be off. Ladies to court and all."
Evangeline laughed and watched him hobble away. The room glimmered with elegance, silk and tulle worn by the ladies tonight sweeping across the polished floor as couples danced in a whirling blur of color beneath a canopy of flowers. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she looked toward the ballroom doors and saw the reason for her reaction.
Lord St. George stood at the threshold, his eyes pinned on her before he stepped within the crowd and started her way. She took a calming breath and attempted to calm her heart. The man was so commanding, so handsome, and looking about the room she noted she wasn't the only lady to have marked his arrival.
Still, the announcement of their betrothal was public now, and the ladies looking upon him like a little sweetmeat to nibble upon would have to cry into their handkerchiefs, for he was hers.
All hers, and she would not share him. Not ever.
"Good evening, Your Graces," he said, coming up to their small party before turning to her. "Lady Evangeline, good evening to you also." He picked up her hand and kissed her silk glove, his eyes meeting hers, the kiss upon her hand lingering far longer than it ought.
His attention on her reminded her of them earlier when he was doing something else with his mouth before meeting her eyes. She shivered at the memory and couldn't help the small, knowing smile that tweaked her lips. "Lord St. George. So glad you could make it. I did not think you were coming. We've been here a half hour already."
"I was at my club and was waylaid." He did not elaborate, merely came to stand at her side. He picked up her hand and kissed it before slipping it about his arm. "What did Mr. Fournier want with you? I see he's here, yet hobbling about like a man who was gored by a wild buck."
The condescension in his tone was clear to hear and she shook her head. "Do not be mean to the man. I think he feels a fool enough without others teasing or talking about him so."
The earl's lips twitched. "I saw him kiss you. Did he say anything?"
"Only words to congratulate us on our betrothal." She drank in the sight of Ezra, wishing they were anywhere but here. Married already would be a boon—at home, in their private quarters. "He was disappointed that I've agreed to become your wife, but gentleman enough not to say anything cutting about our betrothal."
"As he should."
Evangeline narrowed her eyes on the earl, wondering why he seemed a little out of sorts. "Is everything well, my lord? You seem a little distracted."
He shook his head. "Not at all. Everything is as good as it can be."
"What do you mean by that?" She waited for him to reply, and still he remained annoyingly silent. A muscle worked in his jaw and she knew for certain there was something amiss. "Ezra, what is wrong?" she asked outright.
He looked about before he pulled her away a little from the duke and duchess. "You marrying me is placing you in danger. You ought to marry a safe and besotted gentleman like Mr. Fournier. To do so would ensure your safety, and possibly in time give you the love match you want."
Dread settled in her stomach and she clutched herself there to fight off the nerves that made her head spin. "I do not wish to marry Mr. Fournier, or anyone else, and certainly not after what we've done together, my lord. Have you forgotten already? Am I so easily shirked?"
He looked at her then. Pain resonated in his blue eyes, but she could not understand what was happening. Why was he saying such things?
"I'm sorry, Evangeline. I worry for you, and I feel guilty that I've forced you into this marriage, that is all. I have not forgotten anything of what we've done."
"So you'll marry me still?" The thought that he wouldn't sent a chill down her spine. What would she do if he called off the engagement? What if she became pregnant with his child? She would be ruined and her sisters along with her. Even the duke and duchess would find it difficult to face society with a scandalous relative.
"Yes, yes, of course." He reached out and slipped a stray length of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I'm concerned and guilt-ridden this evening, but know that I shall not abandon you. I would never do that to you."
She sighed in relief, glad to hear that he would not. "I will be careful and follow the rules you and the duke have put in place to keep us safe until this mysterious man from your past is dealt with."
He nodded, frowning out toward the throng of guests.
Evangeline rallied to ask what she desperately wanted to know. "Will you tell me why you have enemies? What happened when you were abroad that this threat has followed you home?"
A muscle worked in his jaw and he stared ahead, and for a moment she thought he would not answer. "Come," he said, pulling her toward a side door of the ballroom and away from the entertainment. The sounds of the orchestra grew muffled as they slipped away. He walked quickly through the house until they were making their way through the back gardens toward the mews. "My carriage is parked out here, and if you wish to know the truth of my past, it's best we leave and return to your home. We'll send a note to the duke and duchess that you left the ball due to a headache or some such."
Evangeline dared not argue, no matter how much she had looked forward to celebrating their first evening as an engaged couple with the ton . Instead, she climbed up into the carriage and sat in silence as they made their way across the square to the ducal estate.
"We could have walked home," she mentioned when they pulled up before her sister's home.
"I will need my carriage in any case to return home, so it was easier to secure it now." A footman opened the door and Ezra climbed down before reaching back in to help her alight.
They made their way indoors, and her stomach rumbled, having missed supper. "Can you have tea and some sandwiches sent in to the upstairs parlor, please, James?"
"Of course, my lady," the footman said before heading back toward the kitchen stairs.
Evangeline started up the stairs and could feel Ezra behind her. The weight of his words settling about her like stones. Was his past bad? Would he always live under this cloud of danger?
Whatever it was, it made her feel as though what she was about to learn about his past would change everything about their future.