Chapter 21 Duel Me, Maybe? #2
She shook her head. “I like watching people, how they move in and out of conversations, the politics of it all. It’s like a game.”
Alexander turned to look at her. “And are you winning?”
Emilia turned to face him fully, her smile slow and knowing. “Always.”
Alexander’s gaze flickered downward, just for a second—just long enough for her breath to hitch.
The moment suddenly felt sharper. The way the terrace lights cast a soft glow against his skin.
The way his eyes had darkened just a fraction.
The way the space between them suddenly felt smaller than it had seconds ago.
Emilia should have stepped away. Instead, she tilted her head, her voice softer than before. “And what about you?”
Alexander’s brow lifted, but there was something different in his expression now—something unreadable, something unguarded. “What about me?”
She let the moment stretch, just enough to make it dangerous. “Are you winning?”
Alexander held her gaze, and this time, he didn’t answer right away.
The silence between them tightened, thickened.
His hand brushed against hers, just a whisper of contact, barely there, but it sent a spark rushing up her spine.
She felt the shift before she even realized she was leaning in—just a fraction, just enough that her breath mingled with his in the cool night air.
Alexander’s fingers ghosted along the edge of her wrist, his touch so light it might have been imagined.
There was a flicker of hesitation as Alexander’s eyes searched hers, his grip tightening ever so slightly.
For one second, she thought he might close the distance.
And then—
The terrace doors swung open. A tipsy voice broke through the charged air. “Oh! Sorry—am I interrupting?”
Emilia blinked, stepping back as if reality had just snapped her back into place. Alexander shifted, his entire posture snapping back into something composed, neutral—guarded.
A man Emilia vaguely recognized as someone Sebastian had introduced her to earlier hovered in the doorway, blinking between the two of them, clearly picking up on the fact that he’d interrupted some kind of moment.
Alexander spoke first. “No, not at all.”
The man hesitated for a second, as if he wanted to say something, then shrugged and disappeared back inside, the terrace doors clicking shut behind him. Emilia let out a slow breath. The moment was gone.
Alexander hesitated for half a second, but then—with a glance at her, a knowing look passing between them—they stepped back into the noise, leaving whatever that had been behind them.
Almost immediately, Sebastian pressed a glass of punch into Emilia’s hand and steered her toward two impeccably dressed women with a knowing smile.
Sebastian grinned, gesturing between them with effortless charm. “Emilia, meet Lavinia and Allegra. Two of society’s most brilliant minds masquerading as gossips.” He winked. “Try not to scandalize them too much.” With that, he disappeared into the crowd—dragging Alexander along with him.
Emilia barely had time to react before the two women turned their attention to her, their eyes bright with intelligence and curiosity that went far deeper than their polished exteriors suggested.
“So,” Lavinia mused, swirling her drink with the ease of someone who had never been rushed a day in her life. “You’re the one working with the prince.”
It wasn’t a question.
Emilia raised a brow. “Guilty as charged.”
Allegra, tall and elegant with an air of quiet mischief, leaned in conspiratorially. “We’ve been watching him pace the terrace for the past hour like a caged lion.” Her eyes sparkled. “Until you arrived, that is.”
Lavinia tapped her glass thoughtfully. “Yes, quite the transformation for Mr. Darcy.”
Emilia blinked. “Mr. Darcy?”
Allegra smiled, a slow, knowing thing. “Oh, that’s just our nickname for Alexander. Brooding stares, impeccable manners, allergic to unnecessary conversation…” She gestured vaguely with her glass. “The resemblance is rather striking, don’t you think?”
Lavinia nodded sagely. “Though I must say, in all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him quite so…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Attentive.”
Emilia felt heat creep up her neck. “We work together. That’s all.”
Allegra’s laugh was melodic and knowing. “Darling, I’ve known Alexander for years. I know the difference between his professional interest in someone and…” She glanced meaningfully toward the terrace. “Whatever that was.”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us.”
Lavinia nodded and then added, “You should know that despite his reputation for being proper to the point of pain, Alexander has quite the rebellious streak. Always has.”
Allegra nodded. “It’s true. At university, he once—”
“Are you two terrorizing my guest?” Sebastian’s voice cut in, amused and slightly accusatory as he rejoined them.
Lavinia pressed a hand to her chest in mock offense. “Sebastian, darling, we’re simply providing historical context.”
Allegra smiled innocently. “Educational purposes only.”
Sebastian raised a skeptical brow. “I’m sure.” He turned to Emilia. “Don’t believe a word they say. They’re terrible influences and know far too many embarrassing stories about my misspent youth.”
“Now that,” Emilia said, genuinely intrigued, “sounds like exactly the kind of historical research I’d enjoy.”
The two women exchanged delighted glances.
“Oh, we like her,” Lavinia declared.
Allegra nodded. “She can stay.”
Sebastian groaned dramatically. “I’ve made a terrible mistake introducing you three.”
“Well, since you brought it up…” Allegra’s eyes lit up. “Sebastian’s misspent youth? Where to begin?”
Lavinia leaned forward. “Perhaps the Monte Carlo incident? It seems most relevant.”
Sebastian groaned. “Not that one.”
Allegra ignored him completely. “Sebastian convinced the son of a Russian diplomat that he was actually a minor European prince from a principality so small and exclusive that nobody had heard of it.”
“Complete with a fabricated language and cultural customs,” Lavinia added. “He kept it up for an entire weekend.”
“The poor boy was so convinced,” Allegra continued, “that he ended up offering Sebastian his family’s yacht as a gesture of international goodwill.”
Emilia’s eyes widened. “You didn’t actually take it?”
“Only for thirty-six hours,” Sebastian admitted with a reluctant grin. “In my defense, I was eighteen and had consumed an ill-advised amount of champagne.”
“He returned it with a hand-written note of apology,” Lavinia said, “and a crate of vintage wine that he’d somehow charged to his father’s account.”
“The diplomatic fallout was…” Allegra paused, searching for the right word.
“Minimal, considering,” Sebastian finished. “The Russian ambassador’s son was too embarrassed to admit he’d been fooled, and my father was surprisingly understanding once the yacht was safely returned.”
“Understanding?” Lavinia arched a perfect eyebrow. “He restricted your access to the family accounts for six months.”
Sebastian shrugged elegantly. “A small price to pay for what was, I must say, an exceptionally entertaining weekend. Besides, I still get Christmas cards from the yacht’s captain.”
* * *
The party was in full swing, the open-concept living room buzzing with flirtations, secrets, and top-shelf champagne.
Sebastian, watching Alexander brood in a corner while stealing glances at Emilia, decided that some entertainment was in order.
Something spectacular to liven up the evening—and perhaps help his friend in the process.
Alexander had retreated to the relative quiet of Sebastian’s study when the door swung open. He paused, already regretting his life choices. “Sebastian, whatever this is, no.”
Sebastian leaned against the doorframe, his eyes alight with mischief. “You’ve been watching Emilia all evening with that wounded puppy look. It’s getting painful to watch, honestly.”
Alexander gave him a warning look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sebastian crossed the room, plucking two fencing foils from their display on the wall. “Well, I’ve decided we need some entertainment. And you need to do something other than stare at her from across the room like a lovesick Victorian poet.”
Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sebastian, I swear—”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun,” Sebastian interrupted breezily, testing the weight of one foil in his hand. “Besides, nothing captures a woman’s attention quite like a duel. It’s dramatic, it’s romantic—it’s exactly what this boring party needs.”
Alexander’s gaze flicked to the doorway. Emilia was visible through it, still talking to Lavinia and Allegra, completely unaware that Sebastian was currently orchestrating some ridiculous plot.
Alexander arched an unimpressed brow. “What, exactly, would we be dueling over?”
Sebastian flashed his most infuriating smirk. “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter. I’ll make something up—something appropriately scandalous.”
Before Alexander could argue, Sebastian swept out of the study and straight into the center of the party, his voice carrying effortlessly over the music.
“Ladies and gentlemen, an important matter has come to my attention—one that can only be settled in the time-honored tradition of spectacle and unnecessary dramatics!”
A murmur of intrigued excitement rippled through the crowd as conversations halted and all eyes turned to Sebastian.
Alexander closed his eyes briefly, exhaling through his nose.
Sebastian, ever the orchestrator of chaos, tossed a fencing foil toward him. “Let the games begin!”
Alexander caught it with the reflexes of a man who had long ago resigned himself to Sebastian’s antics. A flicker of amusement crossed his face—just enough to betray that he was, at least a little bit, enjoying this.
“You are insufferable,” Alexander said flatly, testing the weight of the foil.
Sebastian smirked. “So I hear. En garde.”