"Lord Williams!" The woman squealed, a bright smile on her face. “I'm so glad you could make it!”

Gretchen could see from the corners of her eyes that a frown immediately settled on Ethan's face as his hold on her tightened.

"This is Lucy! See how grown she is?!" The woman laughed, shoving the visibly uncomfortable Lucy forward, "grown and ready to settle with an eligible man such as you."

A wave of jealousy and an overwhelming desire to shove Lucy aside, washed over Gretchen.

“Pleasure to meet you, Lucy," he murmured, and she found herself hoping he wasn't really pleased to meet Lucy.

Lucy stood there, appearing uncertain of how to respond.

"Yes!" The woman slapped Lucy on the back and the poor girl responded by letting out a pained yelp. Gretchen felt sorry for Lucy.

"Do have a lovely evening, Mrs. Grayson." Ethan answered simply, and began ushering Gretchen away rather hurriedly.

Still, she wasn't bothered by the way he seemed to practically drag her out of there. As a matter of fact, pride washed over her as he led her away with his arm still around her. And unlike before, she didn't see the need in scolding herself for reacting the way she did to his closeness. Instead, she leaned slightly into him, enjoying every second of it.

Chapter Twelve

“Lord Hardly is throwing a ball.” Jacob announced, placing yet another invitation on Ethan's desk that evening.

Sighing, Ethan turned his attention from the work before him to the invitation. He thought it was strange that his disappearance from the social scene since his wife left did nothing to deter people from sending invitations his way.

“Send my regrets to Lord Hardly; I won't be attending.” He said, turning his attention back to the pile of paper that sat on his desk.

Returning to the social scene of London would pass across the wrong message to the wrong people. It wouldn't just mean he was ready to socialize, it would mean he was ready to get married; a lesson he learned quickly enough two weeks ago when he had made the mistake of attending a play and Mrs. Grayson had practically shoved her daughter in his face.

Ethan's life hadn't just come to a halt since Juliet left, it had ceased completely. He had transitioned from being one of the most respected members of the society, to being a man to be pitied, and a man in hiding.

A tired sigh escaped his lips as he ran a weary hand through his hair. A part of him was tired of hiding and even running —his decision to attend the play at the theater was spurred by that tiredness. But he hadn't done much socializing since then, choosing to resume hiding behind the walls of his mansion.