A Spring Deception (Seasons Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

evening, Your Grace,” she said.
    He spun toward her, his eyes wide and his stance one of defensiveness. When he saw her he relaxed, but not entirely. “I didn’t see you there,” he said with a shake of his head. “I must be slipping.”
    She smiled. “You were distracted, it seems.”
    His eyes narrowed. “I must never be so distracted as to not notice someone at my back.”
    He sounded so serious that she couldn’t help but laugh. “A threat, you mean?” she asked.
    “Yes,” he said sharply. Then his gaze flitted over her from head to toe. His expression was unreadable, so she had no idea what he thought as he looked at her. “Well, no , I suppose not in this case,” he finally conceded.
    “You suppose correctly,” Celia said, moving a little closer. “I have no weapon, I assure you. I’m not sure where I’d put it in this ridiculous dress.”
    She motioned to herself, to the green gown that clung to her breasts before cascading in a flow of silk and lace. He followed the motion, but his eyes didn’t seem to find their way past her bosom. And it was a heated gaze at that. One that warmed her in the cool night air.
    He blinked and jerked his gaze back to hers. “You’d be surprised,” he said, and his voice was rougher.
    Celia shifted her weight on her feet. Suddenly this conversation felt very inappropriate. She changed the subject with a blush. “The ballroom is very hot. I don’t blame you for needing air.”
    His shoulders relaxed a fraction and he glanced back up at the moon. “It is stifling. Why in the world do they invite so many people? My feet have been trod upon at least ten times—the dance floor can only laughably be called such. And you can hardly hear yourself think, let alone have a proper conversation with those around you.”
    She examined him carefully. Great God, he was even more handsome when she was nearer to him. She edged even closer and caught the faintest whiff of pine and something smoky. She wanted to lean into it, to lean into him. But she managed to avoid doing something so foolish.
    “W-Well,” she stammered. “I’m not certain conversation is the purpose of these events, in truth.”
    He turned to face her and those pale gray eyes caught hers. “Then what is the purpose? I cannot seem to divine it, no matter how intently I study the problem.”
    She felt speared in place by his attention, his focus. She blinked up at him, mesmerized in a way she’d never experienced with another person on this earth.
    “To show off,” she said when she could find her voice. “To prove that this host and hostess are more popular than the last. And since you agreed to come here tonight, to flaunt that they have pulled off the coup of the Season by bringing you here.”
    He tilted his head at her candor. “Interesting. That explains all the attention, I suppose.”
    She smiled. “You’ve been away a long time. I can guess how uncomfortable all this must make you.”
    He shrugged. “I don’t belong here. No matter what the title says.”
    “Do you really feel that way?” Celia asked, narrowing her eyes.
    He hesitated a moment, staring at her like he was truly seeing her for the first time. It seemed he might say something important, something sincere, and the moment hung between them like a heavy curtain waiting to be peeled away to reveal the truth.
    But then he shook his head as if clearing it, and smiled. “I’m sure it will pass. After all, this was what I was raised to do, isn’t it? My duty is here and I will do it.”
    Celia nodded, but there was disappointment heavy in her chest. As if something important had just been taken from her. She shrugged off the foolish reaction and moved another step closer.
    “I realize we haven’t formally met. Though this isn’t exactly the proper way to do it.”
    He inclined his head. “Yes, I should be introduced to you by our hostess or some other mutual acquaintance. And yet here we are, on a terrace, unchaperoned. That