"YOU'RE LATE," Juliana said when Griffin arrived at Lady Hammersmithe's ball Saturday night.
"Fashionably late," he corrected, spotting Rachael talking to her sisters. She was wearing another clingy dress, a sapphire blue one with a wide, low neckline and tiny sleeves that left her shoulders and most of her arms bare.
"Where's Corinna?"
"Still in the doldrums." He looked back to Juliana. "You can blame her for making me fashionable. She refused to leave the house."
"Yet you came anyway," she said, appearing speculative. "Why is that?"
He wasn't about to tell her he'd come to see Rachael. Juliana meddled enough without him encouraging her. "Am I not allowed to socialize without an agenda?" Since she looked even more speculative, he changed the subject. "I expect tonight's buzz is still all about yesterday's revelations?"
"Mr. Delaney, you mean? Actually, no. The chitchat tonight is about how everyone's been invited to the reading of Lord Lincolnshire's will on Monday."
"Everyone?"
"When James and I arrived home last night, there was a letter waiting. Alexandra and Tristan got one, too. As did every other household in Mayfair, if one can believe the talk."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"The reading is going to be a shocking squeeze." Juliana sounded thrilled at the prospect. "Lord Lincolnshire cannot have left bequests to everyone, so I wonder what could be the reason."
"You'll know soon enough." He looked over toward Rachael, only to find she was gone. "Have you seen Noah or any of his sisters?"
"Last I noticed, Rachael was talking to Claire and Elizabeth." She glanced around. "Oh, Rachael's dancing now. And Noah just walked into the refreshment room." That speculative look came into her eyes again. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering if they received a letter, too," he said casually. "I'll go ask Noah."
Leaving Juliana, he ambled toward the refreshment room—then went right past it. And around to the far side of the ballroom, where she couldn't see him. He couldn't care less whether his cousins had received a letter. But Rachael dancing…
Well, that was another matter altogether.
He shifted uneasily, watching the rake Rachael was dancing with pull her closer, watching him run a hand slowly down the back of her clingy dress. When the music ended and she curtsied to the rake, Griffin moved quickly to block her path off the dance floor.
"What are you doing, Rachael?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing?"
"Why are you dancing?"
"I'm at a ball, if you haven't noticed. What else should I be doing but dancing?"
"I don't recollect you dancing at a ball in the last two seasons, except with me. You told me you didn't like men pawing you."
"Well, I thought I didn't, at the time." Watching him, she licked her lips. "But a certain experience last night changed my mind."
"I didn't paw you last night," he protested, fighting an urge to paw her now. He'd wanted to paw her last night as well, but he'd managed to control himself then, too. She was Rachael, for God's sake. He'd known her since she was in the cradle. She'd asked only for him to kiss her, and he wouldn't have presumed to do anything more.
"Maybe I wanted you to paw me," she suggested. "It crossed my mind that might have been enjoyable."
Clenching his jaw, he looked away. Bloody hell, she'd accused him of disrespecting her and all he'd done was kiss her for half an hour. After she'd asked. Now he wasn't allowed to kiss her again unless he proposed first, but it was all right if another man pawed her?
In the distance, Juliana caught his eye. Standing in a clutch of jabbering chatterboxes, she glanced between him and Rachael and raised a speculative brow.
"Instead of dancing," he gritted out, "why don't you just gossip like every other female?"
Rachael followed his gaze. "I'm not Juliana, if you haven't noticed."
Now, that he'd noticed. He'd never once been tempted to stick his tongue in his sister's mouth.
"I prefer dancing to gossiping," Rachael informed him archly. "Especially now, since I'm looking for a husband."
"You're doing what?"
"You heard me. Since you don't want to marry me, I've decided to find someone who's ready to make me his wife." The lips he'd kissed last night curved into a satisfied smile. "Stop gaping, Griffin. You look better with your mouth closed. Not that I care what you look like anymore," she added, and sailed off.
Three minutes later Griffin was still standing there, and Rachael was dancing with another man. Another rake. This one seemed to be whispering secrets in her ear.
Ten minutes later, another rake was holding her too close.
Ten minutes after that, another rake was making her laugh. Had Griffin ever made her laugh? With him, that was, not at him?
It stuck in his gizzard, seeing her in the arms of other men. When she came off the dance floor for the third time, he pulled her aside again. "Why all of a sudden do you want to get married?"
"I'm twenty-four years old, Griffin, and I wasted two seasons chasing down my father. I'll be on the shelf if I don't marry soon. That's what decided me."
"You don't just decide to find a husband, Rachael."
"Odd statement, coming from you. Is that not what you've decided for Corinna?"
"I've changed my mind. I'm thinking it would be better to wait until she falls in love. I'd suggest you do the same yourself."
"I have fallen in love," she informed him. "But since it took twenty-four years to happen, I don't think I can afford to wait for it to happen another time. Your mouth is open again," she added before she turned in a swish of clingy skirts and walked away.
Not a minute later, she was dancing once more.
Griffin's mouth remained open for quite a while.
She loved him? Hardly a word passed her lips that didn't disparage him. And if she loved him, why the devil was she dancing with yet another rake? One with the gall to put a hand on her luscious derrière, no less? Just for a split second, but Griffin had seen it. He wanted to strangle the man.
Juliana sauntered by. "Close your mouth, Griffin," she said as she passed, her voice filled with speculation. She turned to walk backward, a smug smile emerging as she studied him. "You look jealous," she said before turning again and walking away.
Now he wanted to strangle her.
Was he jealous? Could he possibly love Rachael back? He'd thought what he felt for her was just lust, but mere lust shouldn't incite jealousy. It was easy enough to find someone to satisfy lust, after all. Women did tend to throw themselves at him.
And if this was what jealousy felt like, he didn't care for the emotion one bit.
By the time Rachael curtsied to the rake who'd touched her luscious derrière, Griffin was standing next to her. "You must have misunderstood me yesterday, Rachael."
She turned to him. "How is that?"
"It isn't that I don't want to marry you. I just don't want to marry you now. I'm not ready to take on a wife. At the moment, I've too many other responsibilities. I'm quite concerned about Corinna. Before I even think about settling down myself, I need to concentrate on getting her married. To a man she loves."
"I'll tell you what you need to concentrate on, Griffin, and that's growing up. You're thirty years old. For God's sake, Noah's growing up, and he's only twenty-two. If I wait until you're ready, I'll be waiting forever."
"I'm not asking for forever, Rachael. Just until Corinna's married."
"Corinna won't be married for another year at least. The season's more than half over, and she hasn't shown interest in any man yet. In fact, your sister seems rather wed to her art career, which means she may not ever marry. Have you considered that?"
He hadn't, and the thought struck terror in his heart.
And Rachael wasn't finished. "If I agree to wait until she's married, I could end up a shriveled old lady, and you'll still be asking for time." She shook her beautiful head. "Thank you for the offer, but no."
"But I love you."
He couldn't believe those words had come out of his mouth, but even more than that, he couldn't believe her response.
"I know that, Griffin. But I want children. I'm going to find someone who's willing to marry me while I can still bear them." She rose to her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you at Lincolnshire's solicitor's office on Monday."