Sienna’s heart fluttered wildly. Nolan’s blue eyes were soft and open as he looked down at her. She wanted to ask him what he thought was wonderful about her, but the words were stuck in her throat. A lifetime of being told that asking for compliments was vulgar held her back. As she watched, the light in his eyes slowly faded. He cleared his throat, his gaze dropping to the crinkled paper in his hand. ‘The next item on the list is “something French”. I assume this is for Seraphine, Ezra’s wife. I like the way your sister has related this to her friends, especially as she is making Seraphine’s French heritage something to be celebrated, but the subject is spectacularly vague.’
She desperately wanted to bring the lost moment back, but she had no idea how to. ‘I…’
His gaze returned to her face, sharp and probing.
She shifted on her feet, words failing her. Colour spread across his high cheekbones. She had to say something, anything. He’d shown her a moment of vulnerability; to not acknowledge that in any way was to end whatever this fledgling thing was that was beginning between them. The words that finally spilled out of her were not the ones she would have chosen, had she had time to give them proper thought. ‘If you think that, why do you always look vexed to see me?’
Nolan tugged at his shirt collar. ‘Are you sure that I look displeased?’
‘Yes. Your face assumes this expression.’ She arranged her mouth as austerely as she could manage, even as a voice inside her screamed at her to stop. She should accept Nolan’s astounding compliment gracefully, especially as her impression of him seemed to make him choke on his own breath.
He glanced away and she wished for a giant hole to open up so she could jump into it and disappear. She’d made a lovely moment desperately awkward.
‘Ah, well, you see…’ He closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. ‘You said that you do not enjoy balls; I am the same. Everyone expects me to be searching for a woman to become my Duchess. At Lady Albrighton’s ball last week, a mother threw her daughter at me. It was not a subtle shove.’ His eyes were wide and she bit the inside of her cheek to stop the smile that wanted to escape in the face of his indignant expression. ‘I cannot find a single word to say to all these women. The way their shiny, hopeful smiles fade when they realise I am as dull as you say I am destroys something within me.’ He smiled sadly. Her amusement died. ‘If you think my expression is one of disapproval, you are sadly mistaken. I am either grumpy about the way the evening is turning out, or I am thinking of something mathematical, or I am merely jealous of how vibrant you are in such contrast to myself. In a ballroom full of identical people, all trying to stand out, you are the only one who does. You are so full of life. You are wonderful, like I said.’ He searched her face, while she scrambled for a suitably lovely response. She had no idea how she looked, but presently he laughed and stepped back a few paces. ‘But you do not need me to tell you all this. You have plenty of admirers. Let us just say that my facial expression has nothing to do with anything you have done wrong. Shall we carry on with the hunt?’
He set off down the path, his long legs striding away from her. She watched him go, bewildered by the compliments as much as by the abrupt way he had brought it all to an end.
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