The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,52
their outerwear to one of the awaiting footmen and Simon had steered her into the ballroom. “I gather you and Huntley never quite got over your tiff?”
Simon’s eyes narrowed on her with piercing force. “The man stole my fiancée from under my nose. You’ll have to forgive me for not being partial to him.”
The comment was so honest it took Ida by surprise. Silenced for a moment, she accepted the glass of champagne he’d procured from a tray and tilted her head. His features were strained. Concern marred his forehead. “Your life shouldn’t be this difficult, Simon. Considering your position and wealth, it ought to be simple. Straightforward.”
He snorted and took a large swallow from his glass. “And yet it has only ever been one long series of problems, most of them caused by the very position you think would make things easy for me.”
She opened her mouth, prepared to remind him of how lucky he actually was when compared with so many others, only to be interrupted by a cheerful, “Good evening, Fielding. So glad to see you again. I’ve missed you at White’s and Gentleman Jackson’s this past week.”
“Hawthorne.” Simon shook the man’s hand. “I must confess I’ve been otherwise engaged.”
A wide grin materialized on Hawthorne’s face as he shifted his gaze to Ida. “I can understand why. Will you introduce me to the young lady or must I break protocol by introducing myself?”
The hesitation that followed was a clear indication of Simon’s reluctance to meet his friend’s request. His expression, which had relaxed upon Hawthorne’s arrival, cooled once again. Nevertheless, he managed to get the necessary words out between clenched teeth. “Allow me to present Miss Jane Smith.”
“Enchanted,” Hawthorne said, his eyes burning straight into hers.
Ida smiled. Hawthorne was only slightly taller than she, but his features, which consisted of a wide mouth, an uneven nose, dazzling green eyes, and raven black hair, were striking. He was certainly handsome – the sort of man she reckoned could make any number of young ladies swoon, if only by turning his mischievous gaze upon them.
And yet, Ida didn’t feel the slightest attraction.
“Miss Smith. This is my friend,” Simon added with a note of distinct irritation, “Baron Hawthorne.”
“A pleasure,” she said, not only to be polite but to try and make up for Simon’s rudeness.
“Miss Smith is a very dear family friend,” Simon added. He took a step closer to her.
Hawthorne looked at Simon, then back at Ida. “Of course she is,” he murmured. A low chuckle followed. “Perhaps I can have the honor of the next dance?”
“I think not,” Simon growled.
Ida gasped, horrified by Simon’s cutting remark. Hawthorne merely laughed. His eyes twinkled. “Fair enough.” He patted Simon on his shoulder. “I suppose I’ll have to find some female companionship elsewhere. Lovely to meet you, Miss Smith. I hope to see you at White’s again soon, Fielding.”
Ida waited until he was well out of earshot before she rounded on Simon. “Did you really have to embarrass me like that?”
“Hawthorne may be an excellent friend, but he’s not the sort of company you ought to keep.”
“Oh, and yours is?” When he scowled at her, she placed both hands on her hips and glared right back. “From where I was standing he was polite and cordial while you were the direct opposite.”
“Don’t be fooled. Hawthorne’s a rake.”
“Possibly. But right now I’d prefer to take my chances with him than to suffer any more of your grumpiness.”
His expression tightened. “He would have propositioned you, Ida.”
“It would have been one dance, Simon. Nothing more.” When he didn’t respond, she bitterly asked, “What harm could it possibly do? So he’d proposition me, and then what? It’s not as though I would accept his advances, surely you must know that.”
“Of course I do, it’s just…”
He broke eye contact with her, sipped his champagne, and said nothing more.
Ida wanted to shake him. “Just what, Simon?”
His golden eyes sought hers again, this time with an almost terrifying degree of openness. “Hawthorne is a friend, and as a friend it would have been wrong of me to let him lead you onto the dance floor.”
“What are you saying?” she whispered.
Stepping closer to her, he dipped his head and spoke close to her ear. “If there’s a slip up and your true identity is revealed, Hawthorne will look like a fool. He will blame me for not warning him off, and with good reason. The same goes for everyone else.”
She swallowed while trying to fight the burn of humiliation