An Unwanted Wife

Chapter 2

Between pauses with her dancing partners, her beautiful cousin Mary whispered to Lauren behind her fan that Lord Ravenwood had the reputation as that of a rake. Her cousin's stalwart opinion was Lauren best steer clear of him. It didn't matter if he wasn't the disreputable sort, the kind who deflowered virgins and then left bastard children all over the country. His incredible good looks and tall, athletic body were enough to make a more than a few girls want to stand in line at the chance of having their flowers plucked by him. That being said, no one in attendance had previously seen him in the assembly rooms at Almack's before this evening, so it was anyone's guess why he chose this season to attend. It was enough to intrigue Lauren and make her very curious to learn more about him. Every person present in the ballroom clearly noticed Lord Ravenwood not bothering to ask another girl to dance after he shared that second and rather scandalous waltz with Lauren, so it certainly didn't escape her attention either. One dance was enough of a surprise given her status as a near spinster, but the second one truly stunned the crowd into a veritable hive of gossip. She knew him escorting her to dinner would be enough fodder to cause the ton to continue speculating about them for the rest of this week.

Lauren still couldn't fathom why he'd done it. Maybe he did know the second waltz would stir rumours about them as a couple who must be courting. She searched her brain, but couldn't locate a sound reason why Lord Ravenwood would ask her to dance the first time. Not that he properly asked, mind you! He simply took her into his arms when the music restarted. They had never even seen each other before the introduction this evening. Her  conclusion was Lord Ravenwood did it out of pity thanks to her sister, Gemma, calling her a near spinster. However, that reason didn't explain his odd line of questioning about her knowing the Duke of Sudbury, his grandfather, well enough to be corresponding with the man. Her cousin, Mary, said James was in line to inherit everything from his grandfather given that his father had already died. She knew who the Duke was by his reputation, as her own grandmother had known him since their childhood; however, Lauren didn't tell any of this information to Lord Ravenwood, as she hadn't thought it would hold any consequence to him. None of his actions could explain why he asked to escort her to dinner. Thinking back on it, the words were more of a demand than a requests which seemed to surprise himself as much as Lauren at the time they were uttered.

Aside from being the tallest man with the best physical form, Lord Ravenwood was easily the most handsome man in the room. Standing with a group of other gentleman, James' lean, muscled physique reminded Lauren of those Roman god statues of young men on display at the British museum. She went once with Grammy last season and the precise detailing on the figures of naked male gods was permanently burned into her memory. His short, jet black hair didn't use any products to mimic the style currently in vogue with the dandies. His square jawline was angular, highlighted by a faint dusting of dark stubble outlining his full lips. Neither did he bother with wearing any bright colours as the dandies of the ton did. His jet black evening suit with tightly fitted breeches was perfectly tailored with clean lines to highlight his muscular form to its best advantage. She had seen women of all ages eagerly watching him behind their fans, as James made his elegant way around the ballroom. Their ages may have ranged from young debs to elderly matrons, but their eyes clearly appreciated his fine form whenever he passed by. Lauren observed how selective James was when choosing people with whom to converse. He systematically avoided the fops and dandies, as well as the men known to be heavy drinkers, preferring to stick with a very small circle of gentlemen similar to him in age. His graceful, lithe movements illustrated a level of ease with his body that few others in the ton exhibited. She wondered what types of activities he did to keep his body so fit and beautifully formed, as there didn't seem to be an ounce of fat on him anywhere.