Hunting the Hero (The Wild Randalls 4)

Constantine grinned. “Then you should practice. There is a pianoforte in the drawing room. I’ll ask Cunningham to have it tuned soon.”

“No, thank you. I’m sure I’ll be too busy.”

He bounced his daughter on his knee in time with the music. “Did you play for many years before you became out of practice?”

Meredith slanted her gaze in Constantine’s direction. Why bother getting to know her if he planned to marry someone else? “Fishing again?”

“I like fishing,” he told her. “It requires patience and trickery.”

If he would just go away, she’d have a hope of controlling her temper. But the man was blind. Every time he looked at her, he smiled. How could he when she was so angry with him? Did he think he had the right to toy with her affections like this? “I played poorly till I was sixteen.”

“What happened after sixteen?”

“I never played again.” Meredith rested her cheek on Maisy’s head and listened to the rest of the tune in fuming silence. When the next one called for dancing, she immediately declined Constantine’s invitation to dance with him. He studied her a while before he passed Poppy to Miss Cunningham to entertain and then requested a dance with the housekeeper, then Cook, before he finally collected Willow for a dance.

Meredith watched the laughing pair as Constantine struggled to juggle his smaller dance partner while holding on to his dignity. It appeared to be quite a stretch and in the end he lifted his daughter into his arms and waltzed her about the room.

That seemed the sign for the remaining servants to partner together. Sets were formed as the tune changed. Mrs. Smith and Cunningham made a regal pair while the younger ones moved a little awkwardly. Willow pulled Maisy away to dance together, turning in circles without any real idea of what they were doing. They were beautiful. The lost, sad children she had first met had fled.

When another dance concluded, Constantine approached. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Clark?”

How could any woman deny such a gallant invitation? Even when she was in a temper and there were servants all around. Meredith reluctantly placed her hand in his. “Of course, my lord.”

He called out to the players. “A waltz, if you please.”

The other servants drew back to give them space and to stare. Meredith was not sure she wanted to be center of attention, but Constantine did not give her a choice or a chance to back out. He pulled her into his arms and smiled. “What didn’t I do?”

“I’ve no idea what you mean,” Meredith muttered as the music started. When the dance ended, she intended to leave the party.

From the first step, Meredith knew she was in the hands of an accomplished dancer. His sure grip and measured tread proved him a master at the art. She succumbed to instinct, remembering the discipline a former dancing master had drummed into her head with such condescension. A lady must follow a man’s lead. How those words had made her angry when she was young. At least in Constantine arms, there was no danger of having her toes mashed as her brother had used to do. Constantine was born for the best life had to offer, which made Meredith even more bad tempered.

A chill raced over her and she quickly brought her mind back to the here and now. It was best to never think on what she’d run away from. Regrets were for the foolish and weak.

Constantine spun her to the sidelines and stopped in front of the fire before the tune ended. The room broke out in applause. She glanced around with an embarrassed smile and was relieved when another set formed and the dancing resumed.

Constantine’s hand fluttered over her back. “Cold again, or was that an unpleasant memory?”

Meredith increased the space between them and regarded him warily. “Whyever would you think such a thing, my lord?”

A frown tugged at his lips and he glanced around them. No one was near enough to hear. “Your mood has changed considerably as the day has worn on. I much preferred the way you looked when you snuck from my bed this morning. I hope you found no fault with my dancing.”

“None, my lord.” Meredith drew a deep breath. “You dance so well I forgot I was out of practice. I merely remembered that my toes were once squashed by a terrible dance partner.”

“A former suitor?”

“No.” She smiled sadly. “A brother.”

His brows rose at her admission. On a normal day Meredith did not like to think of the past. She’d not lose any more peace than she had previously with thinking of them. It was only at Christmastime that she couldn’t bury her memories completely. At Christmas she missed her family so much she ached, but finding out Constantine planned to marry had added far more pain to the season.

Instead of pressing for more information, Constantine smiled and gestured across the room. “Well, I for one am pleased to spare your feet from mischance. You dance very well. Would you like to sit again?”

For the number of hours Meredith had spent in lessons when she’d rather have run free, it was not surprising that some part of her former life had remained. “Thank you.”

That twinkling light returned to his eyes. As they made their way back to the couch, he took Poppy from Miss Cunningham and set her between them. “Now, while we are alone, I wanted to tell you we’re leaving the Hall for a short holiday after the new year begins.”

A ripple of anger filled her. Her breath grew difficult to catch. “Oh?”

Constantine’s eyes softened. “Nothing too arduous. But we will need to pack for a weeklong sojourn, maybe two. I’ll leave my daughter’s preparations in your capable hands, if I may. Be sure to pack warmly.”