Radiance (Diamonds of the First Water #3)

Chapter Fifteen

E dward wished he could say he had no idea how he’d got himself into the unusual circumstances of attending a ball with the upper ten thousand. It was so far out of his normal sphere of social interaction, he could hardly credit that he’d agreed to it.

Yet he had. And he had purposefully put himself into a tailed evening coat for the singular reason of taking her in his arms for a dance, hopefully a waltz. If the sizzling sparkle died off after that, then he would know what he was feeling was only a fanciful whim. He had never been associated with an earl’s daughter before. She was someone new, clever, and beautiful, and that must be why he felt randy as that wretch Rathmond who had rubbed her leg.

Moreover, Edward’s edginess was his own fault for neglecting to enjoy even a single evening lately with Miss Maura. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford her.

However, ever since Lady Radiance had come to his front door with the startling claim that the Hope Diamond was fake, he hadn’t desired his flash mollisher.

Ultimately, the lady had decided to arrive at the ball with her chaperone in her own conveyance. Edward couldn’t help wondering if she didn’t wish to be collected in a hansom cab. For his part, he didn’t want to be picked up in her father’s carriage, either. It hinted of emasculation and subservience.

Thus, he found himself at Cobble House, a private home — an impressive one at that! — on the Duke of York Street in St. James’s, surrounded by people he didn’t know, awaiting her arrival.

And there was no mistaking when Lady Radiance arrived. Her name was mentioned but not before her parents were announced.

Edward swallowed. Her chaperones were the Earl and Countess Diamond! He hadn’t expected Sarah, the disinterested maid, but he certainly hadn’t expected Lord and Lady Diamond.

They were dressed as befitting their station at the top tier of Mayfair society. And behind them, standing alone while surveying the ballroom, was their copper-haired daughter. A breathtaking sight in amethyst satin. Hearing himself gasp, he knew, for the first time, what a breathtaking woman looked like.

His feet were carrying him forward before his brain realized it. Edward saw the instant Lady Radiance spotted him. She smiled. The effect was dazzling, to rival the room’s crystal chandeliers.

“Father, this is Mr. Lockwood, the geologist.”

The geologist who desperately wants to kiss your daughter . Edward was shocked at the irreverent thought that came winging into his head.

“Lockwood,” Lord Diamond returned. “My daughter speaks most highly of you. I understand you have previously met my wife, Lady Diamond.”

“Indeed, I am happy to see you again,” Edward told her ladyship. It was easy to see where Radiance came by all her fiery-haired, green-eyed stunning appearance. “Your daughter is an unusual addition to the field of jewelry and gemstones.”

“Unusual and welcome, I hope,” Lady Diamond said, eyeing him astutely. “Ray,” she said over her shoulder, “I believe this gentleman wishes to claim a dance.”

Edward should have been embarrassed, but he wasn’t. He was simply enchanted when “Ray” stepped toward him.

“Good evening, my lady.” He had the insane wish to claim her for himself for the rest of the evening.

“Good evening, sir. I am glad to see you. And look, they have provided us with such adorably illustrated quires. Elsewise, with so many dances tonight, we should all quickly lose track of our promised partners.”

She held out a sheet of folded paper attached to a ribbon.

Edward stared at it. After an awkwardly long moment, he reached out and took the proffered item. She also handed him a pencil, for which he was grateful since he would never have thought to bring a writing implement to a dance.

“Please choose any two ,” she instructed.

Her parents exchanged a look while his insides warmed at her request.

Lady Radiance ignored them. “We have much to discuss.”

“Perhaps Mr. Lockwood will take the dance before dinner and be your dining partner,” Lady Diamond suggested. “Then you can have an opportunity for a long chat.”

“That would be most agreeable,” Lady Radiance said.

Edward was barely listening because she was so utterly ... radiant . From her upswept crown of ruby hair, shining with peridot stones threaded onto golden wire and woven through it, to her eyes catching the candlelight, becoming emeralds on fire, she gleamed like a precious gem.

“Would you?” she asked, and he was further distracted looking at her blush-red lips.

“Would I?” he asked softly.

Her father coughed, and Edward realized he’d better gather his wits lest he be caught drooling over the earl’s daughter and tossed out of the ballroom before the dancing even began.

Glancing at the small paper in his hand, he did as suggested, writing his name next to the dance prior to the midnight dinner. However, he hesitated in choosing the next one.

“Hurry along, Mr. Lockwood,” said the Countess Diamond. “Other gentlemen are waiting.”

Edward looked around. Sure enough, a small group of eligible men were standing only a few feet away, awaiting their turn. Their presence made him want to fill in the entire schedule with his own name. He chose the last dance.

“Thank you,” he said, as he returned the card, watching Lady Radiance slip it over her slender, white-gloved hand.

“And I thank you, sir,” she said.

Her father coughed again, and Edward realized he needed to move along and let the rest of the men — undeserving wretches, though they may be — have their turn. He’d barely nodded and retreated a step before another took his place.

“Lady Radiance, may I have the honor of a dance?” the man asked.

Edward ought to have asked her thusly but had forgotten his etiquette in her presence. Never mind, he had secured two dances and a dinner partner. Feeling momentarily satisfied, he encountered the lout from his lecture. The man recognized him at the same instant.

To Edward’s amazement, Lord Woolley ignored him and continued past without acknowledgment. No doubt he, too, was going to request a dance.

At once, it hit him squarely. He was supposed to ask other ladies to dance. Edward couldn’t simply lurk by the curtains or the terrace doors and await his turn with Lady Radiance, all the while trying to find flaw with her other partners.

What a nuisance! He’d imagined as her escort, he would be with her all evening, until she said, “Two dances.” The old rhyme from university had come back to him:

One dance and you might fancy a bedding.

Two dances and you’ll be at your wedding.

Nevertheless, he had penciled in for two without hesitation. And now he ought to put his name on some other willing females’ quires.

Radiance kept her gaze on Mr. Lockwood while she danced with other men. Some, she had met before. Most in fact. And they had all been of little interest except for Lord Castille.

But her geologist, despite not being titled nor behaving in the least like the gentlemen to whom she was accustomed, had captured her attention. On the other hand, her dance with Lord Castille was also yet to come, and she greatly enjoyed his company.

Meanwhile, she noted with whom Mr. Lockwood danced, wondering if he would take a fancy to Lady Terrence or Miss Stark, or any of the others.

Finally, it was the dance before dinner. Mr. Lockwood’s gaze found and held hers as he approached. Radiance couldn’t help the silly smile that sprang to her lips. He looked so unlike his normal self, which was understated and often a little scruffy. That evening, he was downright dashing in a charcoal gray suit with a dark-blue satin necktie and black gloves. His hair was even tidy.

With a start, she realized he probably dressed and combed his hair himself, rather than employing a valet as her father did. As many of the gentlemen attending the ball did, too.

Strangely, it made Mr. Lockwood even more attractive.

“What are you thinking?” he asked when they stood facing one another while the other dancers got into place.

Radiance felt her cheeks warm. She couldn’t tell him. Instead, she admitted, “Only that I have been looking forward to dancing with you.”

“As I have with you,” he said, sending a thrilling shiver along her spine.

With that, the music started. One of his hands took hold of hers while he rested his other on the small of her back. Her body’s instant and heated reaction, sizzling under his touch, was something that hadn’t happened all evening with any other man. The evening took on a rosy new appearance.

When the dance ended, she nodded to her parents and accompanied Mr. Lockwood into the grand dining room where a buffet meal was spread out. People began at one end where a footman handed them a plate and then made their way down the expanse of a twenty-foot table. After wending their way up the other side, guests found a place to dine in one of the public rooms that had been opened for just such a purpose with extra chairs.

“How lovely,” she said, thinking the garlands of fresh flowers on the chandeliers and the swaths of roses on the mirrors and sconces around the room transformed the usually stark chamber. “Hasn’t Cobble House been decorated beautifully for tonight?”

Mr. Lockwood released her arm in front of the footman with the plate and took his place in line behind her.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t know, having never been here before. But it appears satisfyingly festooned.”

She nodded at his description while removing her lace gloves and putting them in the small satin reticule hanging from her wrist alongside the slightly curled and crumpled dance quire. To keep from insulting him with any other question that might bring up his inexperience with the world of the nobility, Radiance concentrated on the dishes laid out before her.

There were so many to choose from, she wouldn’t taste even half. Sticking to those which were easiest to eat while standing in case they didn’t secure a seat, Radiance placed a savory cheese roll, a small-cut sandwich of tongue and another of sliced cucumber on her plate, then caught herself humming with happiness. Mr. Lockwood was making his choices behind her, exclaiming at the selection.

At the far end of the table were iced wafers, sweet biscuits, and little squares of lavender sponge cake, which her mother loved. Radiance hoped her parents were having a good time and finding old friends, but when she glanced around, she didn’t see them.

“I am famished,” Mr. Lockwood said.

They each accepted a glass of wine from a server’s tray before making their way through the large crop of single people searching for a lifelong mate that evening. Just as fervently, Radiance would now search for a secluded spot to eat and chat.

“How the deuce am I supposed to eat with both hands full of plate and glass?” Mr. Lockwood asked, sounding truly baffled and even a little annoyed.

She couldn’t help chuckling softly. “We are meant to find a table, an alcove, or even a hearth mantel to rest our glass upon while we eat. Let us try in the library or the music room.” From her experience, those often remained empty.

As expected, guests were taking up places all over the upper chambers. There were far fewer on the ground floor where she led Mr. Lockwood. In fact, the library was empty and with a table and chairs for their convenience. Although not entirely sure they ought to have strayed so far from the throng or from her parents, she could see no harm in eating privately.

Yet she hadn’t expected Mr. Lockwood to shut the door behind them.

Radiance opened her mouth to advise him of the impropriety, but he sprinted forward to set his plate and glass down so he could pull out a chair for her.

“This is unexpected,” he said. “I wonder if the hosts would be annoyed to know we ate sandwiches near their book collection. It seems they have maps, too.” He ran a hand over the map cupboard and then peered down to see what newspapers were in a stack by the window.

Radiance imagined the learned geologist might start perusing the shelves and examining the books rather than eating. At last, he took the seat opposite and raised his glass.

“To your health and to our first meal together,” he said, then winced at his own odd toast intimating there might be more to come. She didn’t mind his presumption one bit.

“To your health, Mr. Lockwood.” She sipped the wine before giving in to the hunger pangs after a long day and a couple of hours spent dancing. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

And then he surprised her. “I feel as if I have you at a disadvantage.”

Her heart picked up its pace, and her imagination ran wild. Was he going to press his advantage of strength by taking her in his arms?

“How so?” she whispered.

“I know your first name, and it’s not ‘Succulent’ as I first thought. Yet you don’t know mine.”

Radiance let the prickling tension dissipate, while feeling a little disappointed. His advantage was nothing as fun as an embrace or a kiss.

Besides, 0f course she knew his name. She had made it a point to discover it months ago, even before his mother had formally introduced them. Moreover, Radiance thought it manly and fitting. He seemed eminently like an Edward .

“I do know your given name. It is Edward.”

“It is George,” he corrected.

“No, it isn’t,” she immediately retorted.

His eyes widened. “Isn’t it?” It was his turn to chuckle. He sipped his wine and cocked his head. “Then tell me my own name.”

Oh dear! She ought to have thanked him for telling her and said it was a fine name. But she had thought of him as Edward for a while now and could not possibly think of him as George, although it was also a fine name.

Looking at him from under her lashes, she shrugged and mumbled, “I thought your name was Edward.”

“Did you?”

Her gaze shot to his. He was teasing her. She could tell by his crooked smile with his single dimple — one that made her pulse race and sent a feeling of excited expectation sizzling through her.

“Well, isn’t it? Even your mother introduced you thusly.” Radiance waited, popping another bite of an iced wafer between her lips while staring at his handsome mouth, still hoping he had a notion to kiss her.

After all, they were scandalously alone. They might as well make use of the shocking situation.