Page 34 of The Lady's Forbidden Marquess
“I have no doubt that you would take whatever action necessary, Lady Peregrine, and I therefore understand that sitting beside you is at my own risk.I accept the danger.”
“Very brave,” she shot back, smiling widely.
“I like to think of myself as courageous from time to time.So, do you know the storyline?”
“For tonight?Somewhat, but don’t tell me.I want to figure it out with everyone else.”
“I think most everyone else is quite aware of the plot,” he whispered in a teasing manner.
“Then let me be among the minority, blissfully unaware,” she replied, her expression scolding.
“As you wish,” he answered, his whisper soft, his eyes flickering between hers and her lips, just once before he glanced away.
The glance was fleeting, yet it sent a shiver down her spine, a silent acknowledgment of the tension simmering between them.
“They will begin now.”He nodded toward the stage, just as the lights dimmed and Pere gasped as the first score of music began to play.
“It’s so full of life,” she whispered to herself mostly, but Lord Hawthorne replied.
“It is; it’s my favorite part of the whole theater experience.The music.”
“I can understand why,” Pere replied, the swell of the strings singing through the air of the theater, echoing perfectly with the acoustics of the ceiling.
“However.”He leaned toward her, and Pere tried to calm her galloping heart as his breath tickled her ear.“Since tonight’s performance isThe Bride of Abydos, you might find the sets equally enthralling as the music.”
Pere closed her eyes, his voice sending delightful shivers up her spine before she could give a weak nod.“I can’t wait.”
“Watch, they will open the curtain now, and you’ll see the opening scene.It’s set in the Ottoman Empire.”
Pere gasped when the lights reflected off large drawn buildings painted bright blue and orange, the actors walking onto the stage in full costume, pointed shoes and wide, circular hats.The stage was a vibrant tapestry, its colors bold against the gilded proscenium, the actors’ movements a dance of exotic grace that mirrored the forbidden allure she felt sitting beside Gabriel.
The first scene flew by for Pere, and she began to piece together the storyline.“It’s Byron’s poem, isn’t it?”she asked, then turned to look at Lord Hawthorne, who had honored his word and not spoken once the first act had started.
“Yes, indeed it is.”He leaned back in his chair, watching her with interest.“And what do you think?”
“It’s so vibrant, and the costumes… I think I want a pair of slippers like the women in the harem,” she confessed and then looked down to her lap.
Raising her eyes just enough to look at Lord Hawthorne through her lashes, she shrugged guiltily.
“I… don’t think those are sold at Bond Street,” he whispered, leaning forward as if spilling a secret.
“I know.”She swatted at him playfully.“Nothing on Bond Street is that colorful,” she sighed.“But I’d look a little out of place if I showed up to a ball wearing those colors.”
“Who says out of place is a bad thing?”Lord Hawthorne asked, his tone direct.
Pere studied him, then decided to answer with her usual frankness.“Because a lady doesn’t draw attention.”
“You do.”
“I don’t try to.”
“Ah, and that’s the difference?Intent?”
Pere frowned and glanced to her brother and sister-in-law, who were whispering among themselves.
“Yes,” Pere answered, turning back to him.
“So, the intentions of a person can overcome their actions, if their intentions were in the right place.”
