Wicked Beauty (Brazen Bluestockings #3)

Chapter 5: A Bitter Celebration

Well, that had not gone quite according to plan.

Alice stood at the edge of Wilborne Hall's ballroom, watching couples swirl past in a country dance while nursing a glass of punch she'd barely touched. The crystal chandeliers blazed with hundreds of candles, their golden light catching on the white roses adorning every available surface. She appreciated her aunt's efforts for her birthday, but her mind kept returning to her disastrous encounter with Richmond in the library.

She had gone there with such good intentions—to confess everything, to offer him a way out of their forced engagement. And then what had she done? Let him provoke her into forgetting her purpose entirely. One cutting question about Montgomery and all her resolve had shattered. The arrogance of the man! By the time her cousin interrupted them, she'd been so angry she could barely remember why she'd sought Richmond out in the first place.

And now here she was, at her own birthday celebration, with both her unwanted betrothed and her former lover in attendance. The decorations her aunt had arranged were beautiful, but she could barely appreciate them when her entire future had been decided in one disastrous night.

"You're not enjoying your ball." The observation came from Lord Anthony Dashcombe—known to his friends as Dash—as he appeared at her side. Her cousin's closest friend had always treated her like a younger sister, his usual mischievous nature making him easy company. But tonight, his voice carried an unusual hint of perception that made her uneasy. "Though I must say, watching Richmond's expression every time someone approaches you has been rather entertaining."

She refused to look in the direction of her unwanted betrothed, though she was painfully aware of his presence across the room. The weight of his gaze had followed her all evening, prickling across her skin like the lightest touch of fingertips. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"No?" Dash's knowing smile crinkled the corners of his blue eyes. "He's barely taken his eyes off you all evening. Even while discussing grain prices with Lord Pembroke, which I must say shows remarkable dedication to whatever it is you two are quarrelling about."

"We're not quarrelling." The lie felt hollow even as she said it. Their confrontation in the library earlier had left her shaken, not just by his cold determination to exile her to Sussex, but by how close they'd stood, the scent of him—spice and something darker, more primal—enveloping her. Her heart had thundered so loudly that the house must have heard it. "Why would we be?"

"Why indeed?" His tone suggested he knew far more than he should. Had Ravenscroft confided in him about what had transpired? Before she could question him further, his expression shifted to warning. "Ah. Incoming."

She turned, her stomach plummeting as she found Montgomery approaching. He wore that same cruel smile from breakfast, the one that twisted his handsome features into something ugly. Once, she had found that mouth irresistible. Now, she could only remember his laughter when she'd asked about marriage, as cutting as a blade.

"Miss Burton." He bowed, deliberately too low, making a mockery of the gesture. The candlelight caught the golden highlights in his hair but did nothing to warm the coldness in his eyes. "Might I claim this dance?"

Her fingers tightened around her glass, squeezing so hard she feared it might snap. Dash saved her from having to formulate a response that wouldn't cause a scene by stepping forward.

"I'm afraid Miss Burton has promised this set to me." His cheerful voice held an edge she'd never heard before. "And the next one to your cousin, I believe?"

Montgomery's smile didn't waver, though his eyes hardened. "How fortunate you are to be in such demand." His gaze swept over her in a way that made her skin crawl, as if she were merchandise he'd once considered purchasing but had found wanting. "Though I seem to recall a time when you were rather more... amenable to my company."