“Are ye thirsty?”
Her skin tingled with the anticipation of his touch. He dipped his finger into the glass, then ran the tip around the rim, until a single note rang out.
“Hush!” she hissed. “People will hear.”
“Your brother’s guests are too occupied in losing their money,” he said, “and the danger of being watched heightens the pleasure.”
Circling his hand round her wrist, he placed his fingertip on her skin, where her pulse raced.
“Ahh,” he whispered. “I can feel the thrill inside you.” He traced a path around her wrist, then followed a line along her arm until his fingertip disappeared under her sleeve.
How could such a simple act be so…intimate?
“All you need, lass, is a little indulgence in the pleasures of life, to unleash the passion which lies hidden beneath this…” The tip of his tongue flicked out and moistened his lower lip, “…this deliciously smooth skin.”
Lilah withdrew her hand. “Are you seducing me while criticizing my poems?” she asked.
“I’m giving you my honest opinion,” he said. “But I promised I’d help you. I’m most anxious to assist you in finding a publisher. Or, I’d be happy to assist you in publishing them yourself.”
“I don’t want charity, Your Grace.”
“You’d profit from them on your own merit, I assure you,” he said.
“I’m not interested in a profit for myself,” she said. “My writing pays for…” He lifted a brow, and she hesitated, “…my writing will, I hope, help to support Mrs. Forbes’s establishment for disadvantaged women.”
“Ah, Mrs. Forbes,” he said. “I’ve heard Mrs. Pelham mention her. Are disadvantaged women your passion, Miss Hart?”
“Do you mock me, sir?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I’m merely curious.”
“Mrs. Forbes has devoted herself to bettering the lives of women fallen on hard times,” Lilah said, “mostly widowed mothers unable to support themselves. She’s trying to help them learn the skills required to seek gainful employment.”
“Employment?”
“Her aim is for them to gain financial independence.”
“And you wish to help her?” he asked.
“I visit regularly to help around the house. But she’s also in need of funds. Mrs. Pelham provides her with a regular stipend, and I wish to do my part.”
“What do you do for them?”
“I help teach them some of the basic skills needed to manage their income,” she said.
“You mean you’re teaching them mathematics?
“Do you ridicule the notion of teaching arithmetic to women, Your Grace? Or is it the thought of teaching the lower classes you find repugnant?”
“On the contrary, Miss Hart. Education should be available to all, regardless of their age, sex, or social status.”
“I wouldn’t have thought a man capable of such beliefs,” she said.
“Then, as I’ve said before, lass, that’s because you’re unused to being acquainted with a real man.”
His voice sent a thrill through her, but before she could respond, Thea clapped her hands.
“Time for a little dancing before supper!” she cried. “Mrs. Pelham, would you oblige us on the pianoforte?”
“Of course, Miss Hart.” Anne Pelham rose to her feet, while Dexter directed some of the men to move the card tables.
Lilah’s companion plucked her glass out of her hands and set it aside. “I thought tonight was a card party.”
“Dexter despises gambling,” she replied. “He prefers to play against his enemies rather than his friends. He says gambling leads to ruination.”
“Not for those of us with self-control.”
“Sadly, not everyone exhibits such care,” she said. “The temptation of easy money can ruin any man when he’s pitted against a foe beyond his skill. Dex is a master at it.”
“Then remind me never to make an enemy of him.”
The music began as Anne practiced a few scales, and a number of couples formed a line. Lilah jumped as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of Sir Thomas and brushed his hand aside. His face creased into a scowl, then he smiled.
“I believe you’re engaged to me for this dance, Miss Hart,” he said.
“No,” she replied. “I’m sitting this one out.”
“I’m sure your companion would release you into my care, Delilah, my dear. He mustn’t possess you all evening.”
The duke stiffened at Sir Thomas’s familiar address but said nothing.
“I’m my own person,” she said.
“Very well,” he replied. “I’m sure Miss Vine would oblige me. I hear she’s an excellent dance partner.”
He sauntered off, toward a young lady sitting beside Countess Stiles.
Fraser stretched in his seat, then crossed his long legs. “That young whelp is trying to make you jealous by wooing Miss Vine.”
“He’s unlikely to succeed,” Lilah said. “The countess is a formidable chaperone.”
Sir Thomas bowed to Miss Vine. Her face creased into a frown, and the countess gave him a dismissive wave. He retreated, taking a full glass of wine from a footman as he passed, settled into a chair, and he drained his glass in a single gulp.
“It looks as if Sir Thomas has suffered the indignation of a rejection,” Fraser said. “Shall we further his discomfort by joining the dancers?”
“That would be cruel,” Lilah said.
“Then perhaps I should invite Miss Vine to dance.”
Lilah rolled her eyes. “Now you’re seeking to make me jealous.”
“Then dance with me.”
She shook her head. “While I don’t intend to dance with Sir Thomas, I have no wish to further his humiliation by dancing with another.”
“Then you are his for the evening, Miss Hart, if you are forbidden from partnering with another. I thought you were your own woman.”
“I am, but that doesn’t prevent me from being sensible to the feelings of others.”
He let out a laugh. “It seems as if your friend’s feelings are not so wounded after all.”
Lilah looked across the room to see Sir Thomas joining the dancers with Thea on his arm.
“Your sister has done both Sir Thomas and me a favor,” Fraser said. “You are now free to be claimed.”
“But…”
He took her hand, and they joined the bottom of the set. Sir Thomas’s eyes widened when he saw Lilah, but before he could speak, the music began.
Anne had chosen to play a lively reel, and Fraser seemed to come alive with the music of his homeland. His firm grip, when it came to their turn to lead the dance, was possessive in nature, yet she found herself delighting in being claimed as he guided her across the floor. When the dance concluded, the couples dispersed, fanning themselves. Thea instructed a footman to open the terrace doors, then called for supper.
“Come, Miss Hart,” he said. “Let me escort you to supper.”
“I’m a little overheated, sir, and not hungry.”