Duke of Disrepute (Dukes of Distinction #3) - Alexa Aston Page 0,79
then. I’m your man.”
The marquess led Elise onto the dance floor.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Weston deliberately waited until well after the ball had started before making his appearance. He didn’t want to sign any other woman’s programme or make conversation with them. He wanted Elise. Period. There would be no wasting time pretending otherwise.
He entered the ballroom, pausing in the doorway as he tried to locate her. The musicians were between numbers and guests were milling about. Then a signal was given and couples started toward the dance floor. He caught sight of Elise, her gown a deep blue, the same sapphire earrings as before dangling from her ears. They must be the only jewels she possessed. He would shower her with jewels. Clothing. Whatever she desired.
But first, he must ask for her hand in marriage.
It didn’t matter that she already had a partner. Weston strode onto the dance floor, moving between couples. He passed George and Sam and winked at them. Three couples past them he found Elise dancing with Viscount Dorsley. The man looked besotted as he gazed upon her. Without hesitation, Weston stepped forward and tapped Dorsley on his shoulder. The viscount turned and stumbled, coming to a stop.
“What do you want, Treadwell?” he asked, his confusion clear. “Can’t you see that I’m dancing?”
Weston glared at the man. “You are. With my fiancée. I need you to stop. At once.”
Dorsley released Elise, apprehension filling his face. “I didn’t know, Your Grace. Please, forgive me.” He hurried away.
Turning, he saw Elise standing there, dumbfounded. He slipped an arm about her and took her hand as he guided her into the steps of the waltz.
“What is going on?” she asked, recovering from her stupor. “Why would you tease poor Lord Dorsley by telling him that we are engaged? The viscount is most interested in me.”
He pulled her closer. “I am more interested in you.”
“Enough, Weston,” she said, a chill in her voice. “I am being sent to Briarcliff tomorrow. Tonight is my one chance at finding a husband. Lord Dorsley has paid a great deal of attention to me. I was hoping to ask him if he wished for us to settle upon a more permanent arrangement.”
“No.”
“No?” Color spotted her cheeks. “You cannot tell me what to do.”
He chuckled. “No, I supposed I’ll never be able to. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
Her feet stopped moving. He didn’t try to force her to continue.
“What did you say?”
He grinned shamelessly. “It’s one of the things I love about you,” he repeated. “There are many things that make me love you, Elise.”
His voice now carried across the dance floor. Other couples around them came to a stop, curiously listening in on their conversation.
“I . . . surely . . . I mean . . .”
Weston pressed a finger to her lips. “No more talking. Listen.”
Even the music died away as the musicians eagerly leaned toward them. Weston took her hands and laced his fingers through hers.
“I love you, Elise. Madly. Deeply. Passionately. Maturely. That is what matters. I thought once, long ago, that I was in love but after knowing you, I finally know what true love is and that I could only love you. I asked you to help me find a wife this Season—when all along I knew you would be that woman. Every characteristic I gave you to search for in my future duchess was one you already possess. Intelligence. Compassionate. Kindness. Humor. I wanted a woman who loved children. No one is a better mother than you are to Claire. I need you to be my friend. My conscience. My everything.”
He saw tears brimming in her eyes as she began to smile.
Weston leaned in until his lips brushed her ear, his next words meant only for her. “Most of all, I want you as my lover. My God, I so want to be with you physically. We’ve built a relationship on the bonds of friendship but my desire for you grows every day. I long to be physically intimate with you. We have never made love, Elise, but I know a passionate woman lies within you. I’ve bedded many women—but you will be the only one I will ever make love with.”
His eyes met hers and he raised her hands and kissed them tenderly. “Please, love. Say you’ll marry me. Be my companion and lover. The mother of my children. Grow old with me, Elise. I promise that our lifetime will be an adventure.”