Page 34 of Kiss a Rake at Midnight

Twelve

Stillin the ballroom

A FEW MINUTES LATER…

Tensionradiated throughout Siobhan, tensing her muscles, cramping her lungs, and keeping her on the edge of the bench she sat upon. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something about LadyHuxley’s presence tonight wasn’t right. Her disturbing questioning, constant shifty glancing about, and artificial smile unnerved Siobhan no end.

Shedidn’t trust the pampered beauty.

Withoutintending to, she observed Fletcher’s and her ladyship’s progress around the dance floor. He seemed attentive to the viscountess but frequently swept his astute gaze over the assembled guests.

Fletcheralways knew exactly what went on in his club.

Sofar, LordHuxley had not appeared in the ballroom, not that the welcome respite eased Siobhan’s edginess.

Accordingto Fletcher, the man had a bad leg, so he’d likely made straight for the card room, which seemed to be the viscount’s preference. Nonetheless, Fletcher had insisted she pretend to have twisted her ankle in the unlikely event his lordship asked her to dance.

Fletcherstill had no idea why Huxley targeted him and his businesses.

Overthe past days, Siobhan’s concern for Fletcher’s safety had increased until it became a thrumming accompaniment to her pulse. Her growing concern made no logical sense.

Hewas her employer, and it was the worst sort of foolishness to entertain a notion of anything else between them. In her head, she knew that, but her silly heart seemed to have developed a mind of its own.

Yet, she wasn’t so stupid as to act upon these newfound feelings.

Shehad a brother and sister to care for. Her life, her choices, weren’t her own. Her actions and decisions must always take into consideration what was best for them. Still, when she lay alone in her beautiful bedchamber, she couldn’t stop thinking about Fletcher.

Theway he tilted his mouth boyishly when he smiled. The breadth of his shoulders and how the muscles flexed when he moved. Or the way his chestnut hair shone in the sunlight. The rich baritone of his voice…

Yes, he captivated her, but she was not—could never be—a captive to her emotions.

Siobhanshifted, leaning slightly to the side to keep Fletcher and the viscountess within sight. Across the ballroom, two smartly dressed gentlemen watched the couple with more than casual interest.

Fletcher’smen spoke in low tones on the ballroom’s other side.

Ashiver juddered her spine.

Amenacing undercurrent infected the merriment and cheer within the ballroom.

Didanyone else sense the disturbance?

Thestring quartet played the waltz’s last notes, and with a speaking glance to Fletcher, LadyHuxley drifted away.

Frombeneath her eyelashes, Siobhan observed the viscountess’s progress as she left the ballroom, and then Siobhan shifted her focus to Fletcher, who had crossed to the other side. He swept the ballroom with his intense, verdant gaze, his attention resting on her for a brief moment, and then, with an almost indiscernible nod, he also departed.

Hopefully, his efforts with LadyHuxley tonight would prove successful, and this farce could end.

Thegentlemen observing Fletcher and her ladyship separated, one strolling after Fletcher and the other in the direction LadyHuxley had gone. To the casual observer, nothing seemed the least peculiar about their behavior.

Siobhansearched the ballroom for Fletcher’s men.

Chandlerslipped from the ballroom.

Notgood. Not good at all.

Shestraightened, uneasiness turning her stomach.

Apair of plump matrons had crowded onto the bench she sat upon. Heads together, they gossiped and tittered endlessly. Siobhan eyed the wall she’d been sitting along earlier, but guests occupied those chairs.