Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ian continued mingling with guests while making sure that he didn’t come across Adam and Lisa.
He was tolerating their presence at the party, but it did not mean that he had any wish to interact with them.
He knew that his mother would eventually force an encounter, but he would prolong his avoidance for as long as he possibly could.
He excused himself from the group he was engaged in and walked towards the refreshment table placed at the other corner of the ballroom, for he was starving.
Just as he was about to reach the table, his eyes fell on Lisa, who was standing a little distance away.
He ignored her and busied himself filling a plate.
He was hungry and he lived here; he wouldn’t let her keep him from the food, but he glanced at her and noticed that she looked exactly as she had three years ago.
Her black hair was dressed in an elaborate style that accentuated her perfect face.
Her high cheekbones, blue eyes, and milky white skin were striking.
She was wearing a dark blue dress, which Ian was one of her favorite colors.
He laughed to himself as he thought about all the little things he knew about her.
The things that he had prized himself on knowing once but now hated.
Motherhood had made her gain a little weight but it suited her and Ian couldn’t deny that she was still an extremely attractive woman, which had been the reason that he had fallen for her so quickly and so profoundly.
However today, Ian felt no tender feelings towards the woman he had once loved.
She was just another woman in this ballroom full of women, and this knowledge grounded him.
Her eyes no longer the deep oceans he had wished to drown in for the rest of his life.
Ian watched as Lisa walked a little closer to him, involved in conversation a friend.
“Have you seen Lady Sylvie’s gown? I have never seen an uglier color combination. She looks like a circus tent,” Lisa’s remark reached his ears, and Ian couldn’t believe that she could be so mean. He had never before heard her speak in such a way.
“Forget Lady Sylvie, you haven’t yet seen Lady Gwen. She is wearing a pastel yellow gown with pink undertones. It is hideous,” her friend commented, and Lisa laughed
“I can only imagine how awful the pastel yellow looks on her skin tone. It must be a disaster!” Lisa replied, still laughing rudely as they walked away to meet Adam.
He had no idea that Lisa, someone he had loved so dearly and had thought to be the most perfect woman in the world, could say something so mean about another lady. He couldn’t remember her ever doing that. Apparently, his ardent love for Lisa had dulled her flaws.
In that moment, all he could think of was Esther.
It felt as if a light had pierced on inside his brain, and suddenly, Esther was all he could see.
Lisa paled in comparison, for Esther’s kindness and good nature made her stand out from probably every other lady in the ton.
Does this mean that I have feelings for her?
Ian’s brows scrunched in confusion. He didn’t wish to believe it because thinking someone was kind does not equate to having feelings for them.
But Ian vividly remembered everything he had once felt for Lisa, and he now felt it for Esther, although those feelings were based on his respect for her.
Her kindness and warmth had captured him and he did not wish to leave anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
Just then, he saw his mother walking towards him with a forced smile on her face. She intercepted him, affectionately holding both his hands in hers.
“Ian, Adam, and Lisa are coming towards us to meet you. Promise me you will be civil to them?” His mother said, and Ian stiffened.
“I do not wish to meet them, right now. Please allow me to pass,” Ian said wishing to escape.
“I know that this will be difficult for you, Ian, but you can’t continue to skulk around the ballroom all evening. People will begin to notice and make unwanted speculations,” Grace scolded lightly, and Ian stared at her with a pained expression.
“What do I care about gossip?” Ian whispered, trying his best to not appear agitated.
“Ian, since your reentrance into society, your every move has been scrutinized. Until now, no one has found any fault with your behavior. Please do not change that tonight. What would Esther think?” his mother whispered back, plastering a fake smile onto her face.
Neither of them wanted anyone looking to find out that they were arguing.
“Fine, I’ll meet them, but only for your sake,” Ian replied, giving in. He sounded defeated but he knew there was no choice. His mother was not the kind of woman who backed down from her stance.
That very moment, Adam walked up to them.
“Hello, Ian.” Adam’s painfully familiar voice greeted him, and he had no choice but to meet his brother.
“Adam,” Ian replied tersely and nodded to him.
Lisa stood beside Adam, but Ian didn’t turn to look at her or greet her.
He was glad that she wasn’t bold enough to try to greet him or converse with him.
The woman was a stranger, someone he had known three years ago, but now he doubted he had known her even then.
The scene he had witnessed mere moments ago had forced Ian to question all he thought he knew about her.
Had he really been in love with her, or had he just been lusting after her?
Ian thought, slightly disgusted with himself.
He probably hadn’t even know her well enough to be in love with her but he’d been blinded by her beauty.
He wasn’t sure what love truly felt like at this point, but he was certain about one thing.
He had never loved Lisa; it had simply been an infatuation that no longer mattered.
The betrayal had wounded his pride but Adam and Lisa were simply another couple from the ton that Ian had no concern with.
He felt liberated, free from the burden that had been weighing him down for the last three years.
“How are you these days? I didn’t know you were back in London,” Adam said as a way of conversation.
“I am well, Adam. I only came back a few weeks ago. How are you and your family?” Ian asked, hating every minute of the small talk he was being forced to endure.
“Everyone is fine. We came to London two days ago, and both I and Lisa miss Bath already.” Adam said, turning to look at Lisa as he said her name.
“Bath is beautiful at this time of the year. I wouldn’t want to leave it either,” his mother chimed in, clearly not wanting the conversation to end.
“Oh yes, Mother! Though we couldn’t have missed your soiree. However, Bath is home and whenever I come to London now, I can’t wait to get back there,” Adam went on.
Ian was getting bored by Adam’s extended monologue but knew that he couldn’t walk away without a reason. He didn’t wish to upset his mother.
“The Earl of Hathershire, Lady Hathershire, Lady Esther and Lady Astrid.”
Ian’s eyes widened as he heard the butler. The Hathershire’s had arrived. Ian had been impatiently waiting for this evening to arrive to be with Esther, and now she was finally here.
He turned to look towards the entrance of the ballroom and just as he had expected, Lord Hathershire stood there alongside Lady Hathershire.
The couple entered, followed by their daughters, and Ian sucked in a sharp breath as he took in Esther’s appearance.
She had never looked more beautiful. Ian didn’t even know if that was possible since every day he saw her, he thought she looked more beautiful than the last.
She was a vision.
“Please excuse me. There is someone I must meet,” Ian said, cutting Adam in the middle of his speech. “The Hathershires are here,” Ian replied. His mother smiled and nodded at him in understanding. He bowed to his brother, who was staring at him with an odd expression before leaving.
Ian walked towards the entrance of the ballroom but couldn’t see Esther anymore.
His eyes fell on Lord and Lady Hathershire who were greeting some guests, but neither Esther nor Lady Astrid were in sight.
He searched for her throughout the ballroom and suddenly caught a glimpse of an ivory gown disappearing in the corner.
He had no idea why Esther was going off into the corner.
He followed the direction she had gone to and found her standing at a little distance from the crowd. The girl she was with was nearly in tears, her gown wet. Esther handed her something from her reticule.
“Here, you can have my handkerchief,” Esther said, her voice laced with kindness.
“I am so clumsy. There is no point in trying to clean this now, my gown is already ruined.” The girl replied with a hitch to her voice.
“Oh no, the color of your gown conceals the stains. All you need to do is dab this handkerchief in a little water and wipe away any excess. Once it dries a bit, it will be unnoticeable,” Esther consoled.
“You really think so?” the girl asked, wiping away the tears that had started to flow.
“Absolutely! And anyway, you are so beautiful that you do not need to worry about your gown. You must only smile, and everyone around you will be enchanted,” Esther said insisted.
Ian was stunned. Only a few minutes ago, he had seen Lisa passing snide comments about a woman’s gown at the soiree and here Esther was trying to help someone, lifting up her spirits as best as she could.
Lisa would probably laugh at the girl rather than help her.
Ian couldn’t believe that he had once fancied himself in love with her.
If there was anyone worth falling in love with, it was Esther.
She had every fine quality that a young lady should possess and the kindest heart Ian had ever seen.
“Thank you so much for your help. You have been so kind,” The girl said, taking the handkerchief from Esther.
“You don’t need to thank me, it was my pleasure to help you. I believe the retiring room is just down the hall. Why don’t you go there and have a maid assist you with drying your gown,” Esther suggested. The girl nodded and departed
Ian was still standing there, and Esther saw him as soon as she turned. Up close, she looked even more gorgeous than he had thought earlier. Her face transformed into a beautiful smile as soon as she saw him, and he knew that smile was worth the wait.
Esther couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Ian standing a little distance away. He looked extremely handsome in his dark evening finery. Esther had to control herself from running to him.
Was he actually waiting for her? A flutter of butterflies taking root in her belly.
“My Lord,” Esther curtsied in front of Ian as soon as she reached him, and he bowed back slightly. His face was decorated with a stunning smile, and Esther felt her heart might give out. He looked like everything she had ever wanted.
“My Lady,” Ian said as a reply before moving aside and giving her way to pass. The two exited the corner and came back in the midst of the ballroom once again.
“Were waiting for me?” Esther asked, wanting to confirm it.
“I have been waiting for you all day,” he said in reply, and Esther blushed deeply. He had made her feel as if there was no one else in the room, and Esther loved it. “I saw you enter with your parents and was coming to meet you, but you suddenly disappeared. I was naturally curious and followed,”
Esther’s breath hitched as Ian told her that he had been coming to meet her. The simple fact made Esther ecstatic.
“Would you like some punch?” Ian asked, and Esther nodded. The two made their way towards the refreshment table, and Ian poured punch for them both. She gratefully took the glass from him before the two moved away and found a quiet corner in the ballroom. They wished to talk more privately.
“Did you paint today?” Ian asked, as a way of beginning the conversation.
“I am afraid not, My Lord, I was much too busy today,” Esther replied taking a sip from her glass.
“You had an entire day to yourself! Even I didn’t call on you to disturb you and take away your precious time,” Ian said with a small laugh, and Esther looked at him with widened eyes.
“You could never disturb me, My Lord. I truly love your visits,” Esther replied as if the mere notion of Ian being a disturbance was unbelievable.
“I am aware of that, my darling. I was merely jesting with you,” Ian replied still laughing.
He stopped the moment that he realized that he had called Esther his darling.
He didn’t know when that became the truth, but it was.
Esther seemed to pick up his slip but continued to talk about painting.
She was a bit flustered, he was pleased to note.
Esther felt as if she could spend an entire lifetime conversing with Ian. He brought out the best in her and conversations with him were productive, constructive and enlightening.
“Shall we take a stroll about the room? I fear that we will cause comment if we stay here much longer,” Esther said suddenly.
“As you wish,” Ian replied, and the two walked leisurely through the ballroom.
They were intercepted by several people along the way and stopped to converse.
This prolonged the short stroll, but neither of them cared.
Esther simply wished to be beside Ian, and to her amazement, he seemed to feel the same.
Anybody watching would believe that they were glued together.
As the two stood in the middle of the ballroom, still involved in conversation, Esther suddenly felt like someone was watching her.
The feeling was rather unsettling.. A woman about Madeline’s age was pointedly staring at Ian.
Esther sighed as she noticed how utterly gorgeous she was, probably even more so than her sisters.
Her dark blue gown made her pale skin luminous and her raven hair was perfect.
Esther couldn’t help but suddenly feel plain in comparison to her.
She was everything a man would desire. Her gaze was unwavering, and Esther had no idea what the reason behind such an intense look was.
Then a terrible thought entered her mind.
What if the lady was one of Ian’s former conquests, or worse, his current mistress?
She looked at Ian, who was still talking, oblivious to the stare. Esther wondered if she should question Ian about the woman or simply let it go, but she had to ask him for her own peace, even if the answer could be painful.