The Countess Page 0,14

during the season. You would not even dance at our wedding."

Richard managed to keep from grimacing. He'd forgotten that George had always seemed to have two left feet. Their dance instructor had done his best when they were children, but George simply hadn't been able to manage any sort of grace on the dance floor and had final y refused lessons. Managing to hold on to his smile he said, "Yes, wel , I am wil ing to give it my best effort now. Wil you not dance with me?"

He held his hand out and she stared at it briefly as if it were a snake, but then sighed and placed hers in it with little enthusiasm and a muttered, "Very wel

."

Afraid she might change her mind at any moment, Richard ushered her quickly onto the dance floor. He found it ironic that she was so obviously less than pleased to dance with him. As a wealthy and titled member of the peerage he had always enjoyed a certain success with women, but it appeared Christiana was less than enthral ed with him, and she was supposed to be his wife. It made him wonder what the devil his brother had done to the woman. Once in the center of the dance floor, Richard took her into his arms for the dance. She was stiff and awkward in his hold, her face turned away as if she couldn't even bear to look at him. Richard gave her a moment, hoping she would relax, but she continued to move like a wooden dol , her jaw tense and eyes darting about as if in search of escape. He final y decided just to get it over with and asked,

"So am I to understand you thought your husband dead?"

He didn't realize how he'd framed the question until the words were out, but Christiana didn't seem to notice his saying "your husband" rather than referring to himself in the first person. Her head whipped around, her wide eyes meeting his with dismay, but then she seemed to forcibly calm herself and merely turned her face away again, muttering, "You did seem to be."

"And your response to that death was to attend a bal ?" he asked careful y.

He saw the flush of shame that rose up her neck, but when she turned her face back to him it was mitigated by anger and she scowled. "Wel , what was I supposed to do, Dicky? We couldn't risk having to go into mourning. Suzie has to find a husband, and it's your fault she does. You are the one who took Father to that gaming hel . Now he's apparently gambled his way to the edge of ruin again and Suzie has to find a husband and claim her dower to pay off his debts and avoid scandal." Hurt bewilderment covered her face and she asked, "How could you take him to one of those places when you knew what happened the last time?"

Richard had no answer for her. He had no idea why George would have done such a thing. His instinct would be to say greed had led to it because that seemed to ever be George's motivation. However, Richard couldn't see how ruining Christiana's father and family would increase his own riches. He also had no idea what had happened to Christiana's father "the last time" but it obviously wasn't good. Sighing, he said the only thing he could and offered a quiet, "I apologize. It was not wel done to take your father somewhere like that given his history."

Christiana was so startled by her husband's words and the apparent sincerity behind them that she stumbled in her step and fel against him. Dicky immediately caught her against his chest to keep her upright.

"Are you al right?" he asked, holding her close and tilting his head to try to see her face. Christiana nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself, but it helped little.

With everything that had occurred that day, she hadn't eaten since breakfast and was now feeling the effects of the drink she'd so precipitously downed. Her thoughts were slowing and growing a bit muddy even as the tension eased from her body. It left her more relaxed, which she didn't necessarily think was a good thing at the moment. Especial y when they were dancing so close now that she was inhaling his scent, and finding it surprisingly heady, a spicy male aroma that made her