with me, Queen Pea. You’re shivering.”
She felt it important to defend her actions even as he held out his arm to escort her back inside. He did not release her once they were in but led her along the periphery of the crowded room toward...she did not know where he meant to take her. “I did nothing wrong, Ronan. He was standing across the parlor in conversation with Lady Alexandra and her father when I last noticed him.”
“You were outside on your own.”
“Heather knew where I was. I did not sneak away. She and our cousin, William, would have come looking for me in another moment.” She wanted to insist that she was never in any real danger, but something stopped her.
She had been scared, and Ronan would not have believed her if she had said she wasn’t. “Don’t be angry with me, please. I’m having a hard enough time getting through this evening, and it has only just started.”
He raked a hand through his hair and emitted a long, ragged breath. “I’m not angry, Queen Pea. I was afraid for you. What if I had not been here to stop him?”
“Stop him from doing what? He was merely looking at me. No doubt trying to intimidate me. He made my skin crawl.”
“He should not have been anywhere near you.”
“I know. As I said, I did not expect him to seek me out.” She followed the direction of his gaze and saw his eyes were trained on Gerald. “Please don’t make a scene here, Ronan. Let him be. The consequences will be far worse for me than for him.”
She shivered again.
“You need warming up.” He placed his hand over hers as it rested in the crook of his elbow. “Tonight was meant to be the first step toward declaring ourselves a couple.”
She groaned. “Do you want to forget about this scheme entirely? We can come up with a better plan.”
“No. It is a good plan. I meant it when I said I’m not angry with you. If you must know, it is me I was silently kicking. I’ve dragged you into the Admiralty’s troubles, forcing a courtship on you while you are still struggling with a freshly broken heart.” He looked her up and down. “Your lips are blue. They’ll have pots of tea set up in the dining room. That ought to warm you up sufficiently.”
She held him back a moment. “We need to let Heather and my cousins know I’m back inside and with you.”
He nodded and led her toward them.
“Oh, thank goodness. We were about to go on the hunt for you and scold you for staying out too long. But I see now why you lingered.” Heather grinned at Ronan.
In turn, he assured Heather he would not leave her side.
After exchanging more polite words with her family, he escorted her to the dining room. The pots of coffee and tea were set out along the back wall. The evening was still young, too early for the dinner bell to ring, so she and Ronan were among the very few guests in there. She took advantage of their relative privacy to continue their conversation. “Ronan, I will admit Gerald surprised me. But every time he reveals his mean and petty side to me, I find it harder to believe I could ever have loved him. I am merely relieved now that I escaped a terrible fate. My heart is bruised, but it is not broken.”
He poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. “Did he say anything to you?”
“No, that was the oddest thing about the incident. He just stood there staring at me. What do you think he meant by it?”
“I don’t know.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter now. I’ve learned my lesson and will remain close to others whenever he is present.” She took a sip of her tea, closing her eyes a moment as a soothing warmth flowed through her.
Ronan was staring at her when she opened her eyes. “You look beautiful, Dahlia. I should have mentioned it sooner.”
“And you always cut a fine figure in your uniform.” Indeed, he always looked incredibly handsome. “I suppose you’ll be wearing it to every function held over the next few weeks, a purposeful reminder that the navy is in need of support from the House of Lords? But I will admit, I very much look forward to seeing you out of uniform.”
He chuckled.
It took her a moment to realize what she’d just said. “Not