And then he found himself staring. Gawking, really. With her head turned away, he was free to take her in as he hadn’t been able to do before. Perhaps it was the moonlight, but he was struck by the sight of her and feeling for all the world like this was the first time he’d ever truly seen her.
She was...beautiful.
Not a traditional beauty, perhaps, but enchanting, all the same. Her neck was long and slim, her hair gleaming, and her profile highlighted the high cheekbones and the delicate features that looked far less fierce when she was standing there all peaceful and serene.
He saw the moment she capitulated, a sigh escaping her as her shoulders sank. He felt a surge of triumph...but then she spoke.
“Fine,” she said in a bored tone. “If it amuses you to make a spectacle out of me, then so be it.”
Her words had him blinking. Then frowning. Then...sputtering. “A spectacle? How could you say that? I am hardly making a spectacle of you.”
“No?” She turned back to him with brows arched in challenge. “Have you not heard the whispers that have been following us all evening? Have you not seen the stares?”
His brows drew down in confusion. To be honest, he had not taken note of any of that.
Come to think of it, he’d been blissfully unaware of everyone except for Lily all evening.
He turned now, taking in the crowd around them and…she was right. There were stares aimed in their direction, along with whispered conversations taking place behind fans.
Lily’s sigh had him turning back to her and he despised the grim resignation in her eyes. “Go on,” she said in a low voice he hardly recognized. “If you walk away now you might undo all the gossip you have stirred up with your unwanted attentions.”
His mouth fell open, but he was at a loss as to where to begin with his indignation. This was the second time she assumed that he would abandon her. But it was the word “unwanted” that was ringing in his skull.
Unwanted attentions. Was his presence truly so vile to her? Sure she’d griped about his constant hovering and she’d protested when he’d insisted on staying close, but…
But he’d thought she’d been enjoying it too. Behind her sighs and her scowls, he could have sworn he’d caught hints of the same wicked enjoyment when they teased one another. He’d been certain she was laughing just as much as she was griping.
But now...?
She sighed again, and this time her gaze dropped—but not quickly enough. He’d caught a flicker of sadness. Of vulnerability.
“Go on,” she said. “I assure you I will be just fine with my friends.”
My friends. Meaning...not him.
The words hurt more than they ought. But that was the point, he knew. He studied her profile again, but this time he caught the tension in her jaw, the strain around her eyes.
She was hurting, or she was afraid of being hurt.
She was pushing him away.
This all felt so reminiscent of their last true fight years ago when she’d berated him for courting her friend and shut him out of her life once and for all.
His chest ached as he watched her, but his anger and his hurt paled in comparison to his need to understand.
Call it curiosity, or maybe just a desire to right old wrongs. Either way, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
This time he wasn’t walking out of her life without explanations.
This time he wasn’t leaving Lily without a fight.
“Well,” she said as she turned back to him with wide, expectant eyes. “What are you waiting for?”
Just then a bell sounded, calling them all back in for the night’s entertainment.
“I cannot leave you now, Lily.” He offered his arm with a wicked grin. “The games are just about to begin.”
Chapter Five
Lily just managed to hold in another long sigh as she slipped her arm into Merrick’s elbow.
The man ought to take a hint.
Normally, social grace was an area at which he excelled. Excessively.
But tonight, he’d stuck by her side with a determination that might have been alarming if it weren’t also sort of...pleasing. Nice, really.
If only he’d taken up this task years ago when she’d needed him most. But then he’d abandoned her, choosing propriety and connections over true friendship and, in her estimation, happiness.
They entered the music room where a group had gathered.
“Form two teams,” one young lady in bright pink called. Lily tried and failed to remember the woman’s name. The pink confection shook a hat. “The game is charades.”
Merrick lifted a brow. “Shall we?”
No. But unfortunately no wasn’t an option and he knew it. This whole evening was to honor one of her dearest friends. She could hardly be a poor sport and leave early. She conceded with a sigh. “Fine.”
His smirk was knowing and she could guess why. He knew she actually liked this game. They’d played it often in their younger days. It required a good amount of mental acrobatics as well as physicality to choose the movements that would allow your team to discern a player’s clue without words.
“Come on, Lily,” he murmured as he squeezed her arm. “Let us show them how it’s done.”
Despite telling herself how she ought to be aloof, she found herself fidgeting with impatience and a burgeoning excitement. Merrick arched his brows and her lips twitched as she fought a smile. A thrill she hadn’t felt in years shot through her at the thought of competing against this boring crowd. It had been an age since she’d played, and if there was one thing from those days before her illness? It was winning.
She gave him a sharp nod. “Let’s do it.”
He gave her a genuine smile, his eyes twinkling, and she drew in a sharp breath of her own. In all her memories, she’d managed to forget just how handsome he was.
He stepped forward, “We’ll join in.”
Assigned a team, they chose a clue first and Merrick nearly pushed her to the hat, insisting she act first. If she could have, she might have stuck out her tongue at him. Why was he so determined to draw attention to her?
But then again, he’d always wished for her to participate more. As children he’d pushed her to be his partner in pranks and adventures. But upon his return from the continent? He’d been intent on making her participate in order to fit in. To conform and be just like all the other young ladies.
She frowned at the flood of memories, both good and bad.
The trouble was, she still remembered the old Merrick. The one who flaunted rules right along with her. She gave her head a shake as she reached into the hat to pull out the first clue. That Merrick was gone, and she’d best not forget it.
If she did…? Well, she’d be bound to face disappointment all over again.
Unfolding the paper, she hid her scoff behind a cough. Treaty of Paris. How would she ever act that out? But the noise made Merrick sit up straighter while he gave her a fierce frown. “Should I escort you to your mother?”
Inside she melted, just a bit. He was concerned for her health. Did she tell him how sick she’d been, how far she’d come? Her attack last night had been the first in months.
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Shall we begin?”