“He seems preoccupied with you,” he said.
Fiona didn’t have to ask what he meant. She had sensed Giles’s concerned gaze on them throughout the dance. “He must be worried that I am acting disrespectfully, my lord.”
“A greenhorn like him who steps on his own feet has no business worrying about other people’s dancing.” The earl gave a soft snort, but somehow, he looked pleased.
Fiona chanced a glance in Giles’s direction and saw his mother telling him something. Once the Earl of Bancroft was certain his son was no longer staring at them, he danced Fiona even further away from Giles and the countess.
“We never had the chance to be acquainted,” he said.
“I’m terribly sorry, my lord, for dishonoring you by—”
“Leave it. I don’t care for trivial politeness. I deal with enough bluster and mind games at work.” The swift way he truncated her groveling made him seem even more dignified to Fiona, and his slapdash tone made her feel even more insecure. Seeing Fiona’s rapid blinking, the earl raised an eyebrow sharply. “What is it.”
“Um, nothing, it’s just…I see a very strong resemblance.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“You’re both so logical, yet sincere.”
The earl frowned and fell silent, apparently surprised by Fiona’s statement. There was an earnestness, she saw, deep beneath the blunt surface of his words. He could have easily put on a facade around Fiona, but he hadn’t; she could tell he was being genuine with her, and that made her own protective walls fall down around her.
“Don’t we look alike?” the earl asked eventually.
“Oh, um, yes, you also resemble each other in appearance.” Fiona smiled.
“I…see.” Once again, he seemed surprised by her response. Perhaps she should have mentioned the physical resemblance first?
As she twirled in his arms, trying to think of what to say, it occurred to Fiona that the earl had wanted to talk to her, not the other way around. That was why he had asked her to dance. Did he want her to stop seeing his son?
It was painfully obvious that Fiona was no match for Giles in either upbringing or appearance. There was nothing objectionable about Fiona or the Clayburn house, but that didn’t mean that the earl would accept her, much less welcome her with open arms, and under no circumstances could she confess to him that her romance with Giles was an act.
Fiona was certain the expression on her face must have looked strange, but what the earl thought of it, he did not show. To distract herself from the anxiety, Fiona thought about how much he looked like Giles when Giles was being the Icy Scion.
Silence hung between them for a while as they danced, until finally, the earl murmured, “My son has changed since he met you.”
“He…has, my lord?”
“He’s taken his work more seriously ever since rumors of your courtship spread.”
Fiona didn’t know what to say. From what she had seen, Giles was always more than capable when it came to his job. Apparently, his father had thought there was much to be desired—and from the way he spoke now, it didn’t sound like Giles’s transformation was limited to his work ethic.
“It seems he finally realized he was relying too much on his talents and neglecting his work,” the earl continued. “Took him long enough, but better late than never.”
Harsh words! Fiona thought, shocked. That was an earl for you. She quaked to think of the scale of what was expected of an earl’s son but managed through sheer willpower not to let her emotions show.
It felt quick because a lot of time had passed before they’d begun to talk properly, but the waltz was already coming to an end. In truth, Fiona suspected that the earl still hadn’t told her what he’d come to tell her, but for her, it was more than enough to just have danced and exchanged a few words with him. The earl turned her one last time, and then they stilled. He released her fingers, and his ashy eyes—a deeper blue than Giles’s—bore into hers.
He looked as if he were at peace. At length, he said, “I’m grateful to you.”
Fiona stared at him, not quite believing what she had heard. The earl spun on his heel to leave just as Giles jogged over to them.
“Fiona,” Giles said, catching her hand.
“Don’t worry, Lord Gil, I’m all right.” She smiled and extracted her hand from his so that she could take the hem of her grayish-blue dress. “Lord Bancroft…”
The earl stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder.
“Fiona Clayburn,” she said, meeting his gaze and smiling softly. “It is an honor to meet you, my lord.” She gave him a heartfelt curtsy and hoped he saw her gratitude in every inch of it. It was a gesture beautiful enough to take the breath of anyone who saw it.
With a glimmer of a smile on his face, the earl raised a hand. “I know.”
Fiona and Giles watched him return to his wife and then left the circle of dancers.
“Let’s have a little rest,” Giles suggested after a while.
“All right.”
They left the great hall, which was booming with endless music, and headed for the terrace in a different room. The dining area between the ballroom and the terrace was heavily populated, but nobody was outside yet. They navigated the jungle of party guests and made their way out there to find a stunning view completely unlike the one they’d seen during the day.
“Oh my,” Fiona gasped. The formerly pink sky was now a deep indigo, and the moon was rising over the horizon. Lanterns shone all around the lake, their reflections glowing on the water’s surface like spirits. Fiona dashed out to the terrace and gripped the railing, turning to face Giles as he caught up to her. “It’s just like a painting.”
“Would your uncle paint this?”
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t tend to paint the sort of scenery the average person would consider beautiful.”
“Sounds like a typical artist.”
Fiona shrugged, thinking of her devilish uncle, and Giles joined her at the railing with a chuckle. “He sees the same things as us…but when he paints them, they look completely different. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve thought his paintings were magical…” She tore her eyes from the lake and turned to face Giles, lowering her eyelids in a sincere apology. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about my uncle.”
Fiona hadn’t been at all surprised when Reginald told her that he had disclosed his secret identity to Giles. Her uncle had remained secretive about it for so long, so it was unusual for him to tell someone who he really was—but on some level, she understood why he had done it.
Of course, when I asked him why, he just laughed and wouldn’t tell me.
Giles shook his head at Fiona. “No need to apologize. You didn’t lie to me. I was the one who made the incorrect assumption that he was an art dealer.”
“But I said things that led you to that false conclusion. Still…I’m glad.”
“Glad? Why?”
“Because now I don’t have to keep any secrets from you anymore. I can finally relax.” With the truth out, her face softened. For a moment, Giles looked dazzled.
“I…see,” he said. “So that redpoll painting—do you have it?”
“Yes. It’s in the house on our land.”
“I wish I could have seen it…but it’s on your land, huh?” he murmured, sounding disappointed.
Fiona giggled. “Yes, quite a distance to travel to see one painting.”
The Clayburn barony had been Fiona’s home since birth, but there wasn’t anything remarkable about it. Sure, maybe its pastoral quality would seem unique to a nobleman like Giles who spent his life in the royal capital, but the Bancroft lands were spacious and lush.
Giles will probably never see the redpoll painting. It made sense, yet she felt empty inside at the thought. She laughed silently, scolding herself for getting too attached, and leaned forward to support herself on the railing and look down at the lake below.
The lights from the lanterns reflected off the water like a kaleidoscope, rippling and sparkling in the night. Were they a bridge, she could have walked on them all the way to the other shore.
“Careful now,” Giles admonished her. However, he did not stop Fiona from indulging her childlike curiosity. Instead, he held a protective stance behind her.
“It feels like we’re on a boat,” Fiona remarked.
“The great hall and this terrace do give that impression, yes.”
Fiona twisted her neck to look up at the palace and saw that the guest rooms above the second floor had an excellent view of the lake. She marveled over the luxury of enjoying the exquisite view from the privacy of her own room, until Giles distracted her by changing the subject.
“Sorry about that little surprise back there,” he said. “Did Father want to speak to you about something?”
He probably assumed the earl had given her a stern talking to. Fiona turned around and looked up at Giles, and giggled when she saw the worry in his eyes. “He praised you, Lord Gil.”