beautiful—even amid her anger—and she moved with such easy grace and confidence that there was no doubt in his mind why Lord Strapshire had not given up.
Mathew’s level of appreciation loosened his tongue. “Because you are spectacular.”
Bianca came around to the front of him, her eyebrows lifted. A slow smile lit her beautiful lips as she stepped back a few paces, and then forward again as the dance demanded.
“Spectacular?”
He said nothing, only held her eyes and watched a flush creep up her cheeks. She did not stop smiling, however, and he felt a not wholly unexpected desire to be more than an actor in this game. She was spectacular, and every moment in her presence convinced him of it more than ever.
A flash of blue satin coat caught his eye, and he saw Lord Strapshire standing on the sidelines, his arms crossed over his chest. Apparently he was waiting for the dance to finish so he might take Bianca to the floor again.
Mrs. Davidson stood beside him, attempting light conversation in order to improve his mood. She caught Mathew’s eye only long enough to scowl at him. Clearly he was still not her choice for Bianca. The entirety of the situation made Mathew’s chest burn.
“The silly baron is already waiting his next turn,” Mathew said to Bianca when next they were close enough to converse. They separated once again, and she looked over her shoulder in Strapshire’s direction. When she faced Mathew, her jaw was tight.
It was Mathew’s turn to move around her, and as he did so, she hissed so only he could hear, “I despise that man. What will it take to throw him off for good? What if he does make an offer? Mama will see it as a bird in the hand. She is still encouraging him because she cannot make sense of your ‘unexpected’ attention.”
“She does not believe me sincere,” Mathew stated. It was not hard to suppose such a thing, and he couldn’t even fully fault Mrs. Davidson for her hesitation seeing as how Strapshire flattered her so openly and Mathew had steered a wide berth around Bianca until now.
But what if Strapshire did make an offer? Bianca would refuse him, certainly, but no doubt Strapshire would be public about her offense toward him. It would damage Bianca’s reputation and that of her family, but she would be the one to suffer more than Strapshire. Mathew wanted to help her with more than this game they played, yet she continued to believe he was in this merely to repay the debt he owed her. He could see in her face that she did not take his compliments as seriously as he meant them, and now, instead of Strapshire moving on to some other woman who would welcome him, he was tightening his grasp. What could Mathew do to convince Mrs. Davidson, and Bianca too, that his interest was sincere? That he was as interested in Bianca as Lord Strapshire was?
Mathew came around to face Bianca, and he had a sudden flash of brilliant foolhardiness. Instead of stepping back into place as scripted by the dance, he took a step toward her, put his hands on either side of her beautiful face and kissed her soundly on the mouth.
She immediately startled, and her hands came to his chest as though to push him away, but she did not press against him. Instead, she melted into the kiss. A sudden fire possessed him as he felt the rightness and glory of this intimacy—both shared and returned—and he deepened the kiss. She seemed as captured as he was in the energy between them, and he forgot about the ball and the guests and her mother until a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
Mathew had only a moment to take in the shocked expressions of the people around them and the halting screech of the orchestra before Lord Strapshire’s surprisingly firm fist smashed into his nose and sent him reeling.
EIGHT
Bianca’s shock when Mathew kissed her lasted only a moment before the sensation of his lips pressed upon her own overrode any other thought. How could she feel a kiss in her
Mathew’s level of appreciation loosened his tongue. “Because you are spectacular.”
Bianca came around to the front of him, her eyebrows lifted. A slow smile lit her beautiful lips as she stepped back a few paces, and then forward again as the dance demanded.
“Spectacular?”
He said nothing, only held her eyes and watched a flush creep up her cheeks. She did not stop smiling, however, and he felt a not wholly unexpected desire to be more than an actor in this game. She was spectacular, and every moment in her presence convinced him of it more than ever.
A flash of blue satin coat caught his eye, and he saw Lord Strapshire standing on the sidelines, his arms crossed over his chest. Apparently he was waiting for the dance to finish so he might take Bianca to the floor again.
Mrs. Davidson stood beside him, attempting light conversation in order to improve his mood. She caught Mathew’s eye only long enough to scowl at him. Clearly he was still not her choice for Bianca. The entirety of the situation made Mathew’s chest burn.
“The silly baron is already waiting his next turn,” Mathew said to Bianca when next they were close enough to converse. They separated once again, and she looked over her shoulder in Strapshire’s direction. When she faced Mathew, her jaw was tight.
It was Mathew’s turn to move around her, and as he did so, she hissed so only he could hear, “I despise that man. What will it take to throw him off for good? What if he does make an offer? Mama will see it as a bird in the hand. She is still encouraging him because she cannot make sense of your ‘unexpected’ attention.”
“She does not believe me sincere,” Mathew stated. It was not hard to suppose such a thing, and he couldn’t even fully fault Mrs. Davidson for her hesitation seeing as how Strapshire flattered her so openly and Mathew had steered a wide berth around Bianca until now.
But what if Strapshire did make an offer? Bianca would refuse him, certainly, but no doubt Strapshire would be public about her offense toward him. It would damage Bianca’s reputation and that of her family, but she would be the one to suffer more than Strapshire. Mathew wanted to help her with more than this game they played, yet she continued to believe he was in this merely to repay the debt he owed her. He could see in her face that she did not take his compliments as seriously as he meant them, and now, instead of Strapshire moving on to some other woman who would welcome him, he was tightening his grasp. What could Mathew do to convince Mrs. Davidson, and Bianca too, that his interest was sincere? That he was as interested in Bianca as Lord Strapshire was?
Mathew came around to face Bianca, and he had a sudden flash of brilliant foolhardiness. Instead of stepping back into place as scripted by the dance, he took a step toward her, put his hands on either side of her beautiful face and kissed her soundly on the mouth.
She immediately startled, and her hands came to his chest as though to push him away, but she did not press against him. Instead, she melted into the kiss. A sudden fire possessed him as he felt the rightness and glory of this intimacy—both shared and returned—and he deepened the kiss. She seemed as captured as he was in the energy between them, and he forgot about the ball and the guests and her mother until a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
Mathew had only a moment to take in the shocked expressions of the people around them and the halting screech of the orchestra before Lord Strapshire’s surprisingly firm fist smashed into his nose and sent him reeling.
EIGHT
Bianca’s shock when Mathew kissed her lasted only a moment before the sensation of his lips pressed upon her own overrode any other thought. How could she feel a kiss in her
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