Page 70 of Unmasking the Diamond
Luca turned his charming smile upon Lady Benson. “You are looking robust this evening, my lady, and might I add, a touch scandalous in that red gown.”
Lady Benson’s laughter was immediate and genuine. “You do flatter shamelessly, my dear boy. It is always a pleasure to see you. How is your father?”
“He is well, though still at the House of Lords. He should arrive shortly,” Luca replied.
Lady Benson gestured towards her son. “I had to drag mine away from the same tiresome proceedings, though he is ever so happy to be here.”
Lord Benson’s jaw ticked. “Yes, absolutely thrilled,” he said, his tone as stiff as his cravat.
Luca offered his arm to Charlotte. “We mustn’t hold up the line.”
Knowing her role, Charlotte placed her gloved hand lightly upon his sleeve. “Of course, my dear,” she said sweetly, though the words nearly choked her.
Once they were a safe distance from the receiving line and out of immediate earshot, she turned to him with a narrowed gaze. “Was that kiss truly necessary?”
He grinned. “How else was I to greet my intended?”
“That is the last kiss you will ever get from me,” she insisted.
“I doubt that,” he replied with a smirk. “I suspect you wantto kiss me, but are too afraid to admit it.”
“That is not the least bit true.”
“Pity. I’ve been told I’m an excellent kisser.”
Her eyes darted towards him. “A gentleman does not kiss and tell.”
“I can’t help it if women fawn over me.”
“You are positively delusional.”
“And yet, you are the one engaged to me,” he teased.
She halted, forcing him to stop beside her. “If this is to work tonight, we must at least appear enamored with one another.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “People are staring. Say something funny.”
Her brows furrowed. “Something funny?”
He chuckled, and in an exaggerated voice loud enough for a nearby couple to hear, declared, “You are such a delight,darling.” Then lowering his voice so only she could hear, he added with a grin, “Do try harder. I can’t do all the work myself.”
His mockery lit something inside her—a spark of challenge. He wanted a performance? Well, she would give him one.
Charlotte took a deliberate step closer, and rested her hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath his waistcoat. Tilting her chin up, she smiled—notthe practiced, charming smile she gave to other gentlemen, but a softer, truer one. “You are looking very handsome this evening.”
His lips curved. “Don’t I always?”
She should have looked away, but didn’t. Their eyes held, locked in a silent contest neither wished to end. For one dizzying moment, the laughter and music around them blurred. Something unspoken passed between them. Feelings, real and deep, that could not be named or denied.
Luca’s hand rose, covering hers, his voice low. “Charlotte…”
But before he could finish, Alistair’s voice broke through. “Perhaps you two should tone down the show.”
Charlotte blinked, snatching her hand back as her cheeks flamed. She hadn’t meant to look like a fool, or worse, like a woman besotted. She had only meant to win their little battle of wits.
And yet, as she stepped back, she couldn’t shake the uneasy truth. Somewhere between pretending and playing the part, her heart had begun to forget which was which.
Luca leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear as he murmured, “You could have a career on the stage if you so desired.”
