Chapter 143: Waiting

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Waiting

Chapter 144 — Waiting

By the sixth week of the Season, Adrian had developed an unfortunate habit.

He noticed changes.

Particularly when those changes involved Marian.

The realization was irritating.

Because there had been no reason to notice the ribbon.

Or the hairstyle.

Or the fact that she appeared to favor lighter colors lately.

Yet somehow he did.

Again and again.

And increasingly against his will.

At first, the differences had been subtle.

Easy to dismiss.

A new ribbon.

Different earrings.

A slightly altered hairstyle.

Nothing remarkable.

Nothing worth remembering.

Except Adrian remembered all of it.

The habit had become increasingly difficult to justify.

Especially because the changes did not stop.

At one gathering Marian appeared in pale blue.

At another, pink.

At a third, a shade that matched her eyes so perfectly that Adrian found himself staring for several seconds longer than was appropriate.

The realization irritated him immediately.

Because he had no business noticing such things.

Yet somehow he did.

Again and again.

The unsettling part was not that Marian looked beautiful.

That had always been true.

The unsettling part was that she somehow seemed to become more beautiful each time he saw her.

The thought was absurd.

And profoundly unfair.

What bothered him even more was that he could not determine why.

The dresses alone could not explain it.

Nor the jewelry.

Nor the ribbons.

Something else had changed.

Something less tangible.

Marian seemed...

Brighter.

The word arrived reluctantly.

Yet no better alternative presented itself.

She smiled more.

Laughed more.

Moved through gatherings with an ease Adrian did not remember seeing before.

Not because she had been unhappy.

Marian had never been unhappy.

But because she seemed to be looking forward to something.

The realization lingered.

Uncomfortable.

Persistent.

And increasingly difficult to ignore.

Marian appeared in silver that evening.

The color caught the candlelight whenever she moved.

For a moment, Adrian simply looked.

The reaction was immediate.

And deeply unfortunate.

Because she was beautiful.

Not merely beautiful.

Breathtaking.

The sort of beauty capable of stealing thought itself.

For one brief moment, the ballroom seemed to disappear.

There was only Marian.

Laughing.

Smiling.

Alive.

And somehow more radiant than he remembered.

The realization struck with surprising force.

Six weeks had passed.

The effect should have faded.

It hadn’t.

If anything, it had become worse.

Without realizing it, Adrian began moving.

The crowd shifted naturally before him.

As crowds always did for the Crown Prince.

Guests stepped aside.

Conversations continued.

The distance between them gradually shortened.

She had not noticed him.

Of course she hadn’t.

She was listening to something one of the ladies was saying.

Smiling politely.

Then laughing.

The sight held him there.

For reasons Adrian preferred not to examine.

The distance between them continued to shrink.

Ten paces.

Eight.

Six.

Near enough now that he could distinguish the silver threads woven through her gown.

Near enough to notice that the ribbon matched the earrings.

Near enough to see the faint brightness that seemed to linger around her these days.

And for one brief moment, the impulse felt perfectly natural.

As though crossing a ballroom to speak to Marian required no explanation at all.

Only then did awareness return.

Adrian stopped abruptly.

The realization landed like cold water.

What exactly was he doing?

For several moments he stood perfectly still.

Because the answer was obvious.

He had been walking toward her.

Not deliberately.

Not consciously.

Simply because he wanted to.

The discovery was profoundly unwelcome.

A second realization followed almost immediately.

He still wanted to.

The impulse remained.

Persistent.

Irritating.

Entirely inappropriate.

And increasingly difficult to ignore.

Marian was no longer his fiancée.

He had no claim upon her.

No right to her attention.

No right to stand beside her.

The facts were clear.

The problem was that his instincts appeared unwilling to acknowledge them.

Only then did Adrian become aware of his surroundings.

The ballroom had not fallen silent.

Nothing so dramatic.

Yet he became unpleasantly aware of several lingering glances.

A conversation nearby faltered.

Then resumed.

Someone looked away slightly too quickly.

The sensation was deeply uncomfortable.

Had anyone noticed?

The thought was mortifying.

Adrian immediately decided the answer was no.

The decision brought very little comfort.

Across the ballroom, Marian remained entirely oblivious.

Still speaking with the ladies around her.

Still smiling.

Still unaware that she had become the center of far more attention than she realized.

Unfortunately, Adrian was not the only one looking.

Requests for introductions continued.

Conversations lingered longer than necessary.

More than one nobleman appeared remarkably eager to remain near her.

The sight irritated him immediately.

And for reasons Adrian preferred not to examine too closely, the irritation felt suspiciously similar to possessiveness.

He disliked that realization even more.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"His Grace should return soon."

Adrian glanced toward the speaker.

A viscount.

Speaking to another nobleman nearby.

The conversation itself should have been unremarkable.

Instead Adrian found himself listening.

"...northern estates are apparently in excellent condition."

The second man nodded.

"I heard much the same."

"Ashford works quickly."

Ashford.

The name landed with surprising force.

Adrian said nothing.

Neither nobleman noticed his attention.

The conversation continued.

Apparently the Duke expected to return within the next few weeks.

Sooner than originally planned.

Nothing extraordinary.

Nothing particularly important.

And yet suddenly several observations aligned.

The new dresses.

The ribbons.

The brighter smiles.

The anticipation.

The happiness.

The realization arrived quietly.

Without drama.

Without resistance.

She was waiting for him.

Adrian looked across the room.

Toward Marian.

She was smiling again.

Not at anyone in particular.

Not because of anything immediately amusing.

Simply smiling.

The expression was small.

Private.

Unconscious.

And suddenly Adrian understood.

Not completely.

Not enough.

But enough.

The smile was not for the ballroom.

Not for society.

Not for the conversations surrounding her.

It belonged somewhere else.

To someone else.

Something unpleasant settled in his chest.

Not anger.

Not jealousy.

Not yet.

Something quieter.

More difficult to name.

He disliked it immediately.

Which unfortunately did nothing to make it disappear.

Across the room Marian laughed at something one of the ladies said.

The sound reached him a moment later.

Light.

Carefree.

Happy.

For some reason, that made the realization worse.

She was waiting for him.

And for the first time, Adrian found himself wondering whether Ashford’s return would be as difficult as he suddenly suspected it might be.

--

Tbc