She wagged a finger at me as she said, “Don’t you believe that, missy,” she warned. “People can say the society ranking system is dead, but it really isn’t. Old money and distinguished titles are still valued, and nouveau riche are looked on as social climbers. It’s gotten better over the years, but England is steeped in centuries of tradition, and the English people love their heritage, especially the old money and titles. Nobody has dared to tell them that if they cut themselves, they aren’t going to bleed blue.”

  “Damian isn’t like that,” I mused. “And neither is Leo.” I certainly wasn’t about to argue with her. I’d met enough of the elite crowd to know that she was correct.

  Bella smiled. “My husband and I didn’t want our sons raised that way. We kept them far away from the cameras and ridiculous gossip among the uppers. I can’t take credit for who they’ve become now, though. They chose their own value system as adults, but I can’t say that I’m sorry they’ve basically shunned the snobby, elite crowds. They work, just like their father did, because they realize that they’d be incredibly bored if they didn’t. Damian has taken all of his responsibilities a little too much to heart, but I’d rather see him go that direction than to be an unfeeling society twit.”

  “He works too hard, and takes full responsibility for everyone’s welfare,” I said with a sigh. “But at least his headaches seem to have stopped, at least for now.”

  Bella looked at me sharply. “You know about his headaches.”

  “Of course. How could I not notice? I can see the signs of stress on his face when he gets them, and he gets as white as a sheet. He hasn’t had one since the day we were flying across the pond. He’s been working from home, so he seems more relaxed, and I’ve forced him to eat and sleep when I’m around. He’ll probably be happy to see me leave.” I forced my lips into a smile I didn’t quite feel.

  “He’d be far better off if you stayed,” Bella said adamantly. “But I don’t suppose he’s gotten around to talking to you about that yet.”

  “I can’t stay, Bella,” I said wistfully. “I’m American. My entire life is back in California. My business is there, too. Besides, Damian hasn’t asked me to stay longer. All we need to do now is sign our contract for Lancaster International and I’m done.”

  “Oh, he will ask,” Bella said in a sly tone. “I’ve never seen Damian as crazy about a woman as he is about you. He’s not the kind of man who seeks out relationships, Nicole. He swore he’d never marry, but I knew he’d change his tune when he found the right woman. I knew when my eldest son fell, he was going to fall hard, and I was right. He’s like his father that way. There was only one woman for my husband, and that woman was me. Like his father, Damian will chase you to the ends of the earth if he has to until you agree to marry him. Mind you, that kind of love is pretty intense, but it’s also exhilarating. You’ll never accept anything less after a man has loved you that way.”

  Unfortunately, I was well aware of the euphoria that came with loving Damian Lancaster. I knew what it felt like to have all that intense male attention focused directly on me.

  “I’m in love with him, Bella,” I confessed before I could think better of doing it. I didn’t have a mother anymore, and she was the closest thing I had to a parent figure. “But Damian has never claimed to want anything permanent. He’s never said that he loves me. All of this was a game we played to fix his reputation, and a brief interlude of sightseeing. Let’s get real. He’s a billionaire duke. His life is here in England.”

  Bella shot me a dubious look. “Strange how all of that can be worked out if the feelings are there,” she said in a gentle tone. “Don’t give up on him, Nicole. He might be a little slow to say the words, but Damian is crazy about you. He’s just so tied up in knots about the way that he feels that his head isn’t on straight. He’ll ask you to stay. The question is: do you care enough to do it? If you don’t say yes, I fear he’ll end up moving to America to camp out on your doorstep.”

  I let go of a startled laugh. “I doubt that very much, Bella. Damian belongs here.”

  “Maybe you should consider whether or not you could eventually call England your home then,” Bella instructed. “Understand, sometimes those private jets come in handy if you want to spend some time in the States with your family.”

  I shook my head slowly. “I don’t really have any family there anymore. My mom died over a year ago. She was pretty much all I had. I have some great friends there, though.”

  “They’re just a plane ride away, and it doesn’t hurt to have the Lancaster fortune at your disposal.” Bella held up a hand as I started to protest that I didn’t want Damian’s money. “I already know you’re not after his money, Nicole. All I’m saying is that it’s a nice perk that comes with loving a billionaire, and the Duke of Hollingsworth.”

  Since I was certain Damian and I were never going to be married, I placated her by murmuring, “I’m sure it is.”

  “Well, here I’ve been prattling on and on when I actually came here to give you this.”

  I noticed, for the first time, the box she was holding as she offered it to me with an explanation.

  “Damian called me. He’s tied up with something work-related, so he wasn’t sure he’d get here before the gala to give this to you.”

  The rectangular wooden box was heavier than I expected when I went to take it from her. “What is it?” I asked curiously.

  She nodded at the gift. “You’ll see. Open it.”

  I fumbled with the old-fashioned catch on the box before it finally unlatched, and I was able to lift the lid. My hands began to shake as I saw exactly what was hidden inside. “Oh, my God. These are beautiful.”

  I had no doubt the necklace, bracelet, and matching earrings were also worth an outrageous amount of money.

  They had to be vintage, but the sparkling diamonds were timeless. The necklace was made up of a large string of diamond-studded dainty flowers that were shaped like daisies. The bracelet and earrings matched the necklace in design. Together, the set was extremely flashy, all of the diamonds sparkling in a nest of red velvet.

  “Damian wanted you to have them,” his mother said with a touch of smug I-told-you-so vibes in her tone. “They belonged to my husband’s mother, Damian’s grandmother.”

  “Then they really are priceless. I can’t take these,” I said, my voice more than slightly panicked.

  “Nonsense,” Bella said as she took the box, set it on a small table, and took out the necklace to fasten it around my neck. “They’re perfect with this dress, and every female at the party will be sporting their own collection of jewelry. Don’t you like them?”

  “O-of course I-I like them. But they look like something from the Crown Jewels. I can’t wear them. I’ll be terrified all night that I’ll lose something. Don’t they belong to you?”

  “They did,” she acknowledged. “They were given to me when I was younger, and I gave them to Damian. The design is way too young for me. I stopped wearing them years ago. My son is lucky I held on to them for him. He’s never had any desire to gift them to a woman until you came along.”

  I stood still, unable to move as she fastened the bracelet around my wrist, and then handed me the earrings to don myself.

  She waved for me to put them on, and I had to turn toward the mirror again to put the posts into my ears. They were heavy, but not unbearably so, and when I turned back to Bella, she beamed approvingly at me.

  “Gorgeous!” she exclaimed happily. “They do look lovely with that dress. You sparkle now, dear.”

  Bella was right. I’d caught a glance of myself in the mirror. But… “Bella, I can’t do this. I can’t wear these. I’m not one of those women who can flash jewels like they’re nothing but a status symbol, and without thinking about the fact that what I’m wearing in jewelry could probably purchase a nice house in Newport Beach.”

  She snorted. “Not even close. I have a dear friend who has a vacation home there, and that set of jewelry wouldn’t do much more than make a down payment. Don’t think about the cost, Nicole. The Lancaster fortune is vast. For my son, the cost is a pittance. Think about the sentiment. Damian wants you to have them.”

  I fidgeted nervously. “I know he was being considerate and sweet. But we don’t have that kind of relationship. He’s not supposed to give me lavish gifts. I don’t want him to do that.”

  I was so torn. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Damian by not wearing something he’d given me. On the other hand, it was just too much.

  Bella took my shoulders and turned me toward the mirror. “Look at yourself, Nicole. The set suits you perfectly. Isn’t it better for the jewelry to be worn and appreciated than to sit in a box, collecting dust?”

  Well, when she put it that way, yes.

  I put a careful finger on the glittering diamonds around my neck. “I’m still terrified.”

  “Feel the fear and then learn to ignore it,” Bella advised. “That’s what I did. Take Damian’s gift in the spirit that he gave it to you.”

  I let out a long sigh. “I’ll wear them, but I’ll talk to Damian about keeping them after this gala is over.”

  He was getting his grandmother’s jewelry back, but I didn’t want to drag Bella into the argument.

  Bella shrugged. “Then my job is done. You look ravishing. My son can take it from here. He can be very persuasive.”

  I caught her eyes in the mirror. “Bossy, you mean?”

  She winked. “Sometimes, the Lancaster male tendency to be a little bit domineering isn’t all bad.”

  My heart tripped as I thought about the way that Damian had taken complete control of my body the night before, after the theater.

  I certainly didn’t mind surrendering to him in bed when he was in the mood to be bossy.

  But is that really what Bella had meant?

  As I looked at the gleam in her dark eyes, I was pretty sure that was exactly what she’d been getting at, but she just hadn’t said it outright.

  “Are we all ready to get this party started?” Leo boomed as he strode through the open door. He offered one arm to his mother, and the other to me.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I mumbled as I took his arm.

  “Watch out for the women who look like helpless kittens,” Leo said, bending his head toward me. “They actually do have claws.”

  “Meow,” I answered with a little purr, letting him know I had a very sharp set of teeth, too.

  “That’s my girl,” he said with a grin.

  CHAPTER 31

  Damian

  “COME DANCE WITH me, gorgeous,” I demanded as I laid my hands gently on Nicole’s shoulders.

  Maybe I had been a little late because I’d run into traffic on my way to Surrey from London, but I was here to claim my woman now.

  When I’d entered the residence moments ago, I’d made a beeline for the ballroom, only to find a major crush of people filling the large room almost to capacity.

  Nicole’s back was to me, and there was an abundance of pretty blonde women present, but I’d identified her immediately. I’d know my woman in a crowd at any time, under any circumstances. It seemed that I just gravitated toward her naturally.

  Maybe it was her height that ultimately gave her away, but I hadn’t been paying much attention to that. It was the more subtle nuances that seemed to beckon me.

  The way her shoulders shifted a little as she used her hands to talk.

  The tilt of her head when she was listening.

  The fact that she always stood still with one heel perched slightly off the floor.

  The graceful arch of her neck and back.

  I couldn’t miss the fact that the young Baron Whitewood looked completely enthralled with Nicole, and perhaps needed some help getting his tongue back into his mouth.

  The two men flanking him looked equally enamored.

  So I’d pushed through the crowd to stake my claim.

  Those three bastards could just look elsewhere.

  Nicole Ashworth was already mine.

  I had to literally catch my breath as she turned, smiling broadly as she saw me. “Damian. I was getting worried,” she said, sounding as breathless as I was right now.

  “I’m sorry,” I said with real remorse. “I got tied up in traffic.”

  “You’re here now,” she said softly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” She threaded her arm through mine.

  “Gentlemen, please excuse us while I have a dance with Nicole.” Honestly, I didn’t give a damn if I got their approval or not; I was hauling her away from all three of them.

  Baron Whitewood slapped a hand to his chest dramatically. “I’m not sure I can endure the disappointment of losing the company of such a spectacular woman. Bring her back to us when your dance is over, Damian.”

  Yeah, over my dead body will you ever get within shouting distance of Nicole again, Baron.

  I was a man, and it was perfectly evident that he’d been trying to charm Nicole out of her knickers. Bastard.

  “It was very nice to meet all of you,” Nicole said to them with a gracious smile.

  “Not that nice,” I growled into her ear as I escorted her to the dance floor.

  The only damn thing I was grateful about at the moment was that Mum had left her with three people who would never mention Dylan’s name.

  Other than that, I saw no redeeming qualities in any of them, and I sure as fuck hadn’t liked the way they’d been looking at Nicole.

  Her brows drew together as she looked at me. “They were all very pleasant. I think I prefer the company of the gentlemen here to the ladies. The women aren’t blatantly rude, but some of them are very snide. They want to know who my people”—she made an air quote with her free hand—“are, and where they come from. They sounded like nineteenth-century throwbacks of some kind.”

  I grinned at her assessment as I wrapped an arm around her waist. “They are,” I agreed readily. “Not all of them, but a few are wrapped up in a small world that revolves around their own status, and they love putting people they don’t consider their equals down to elevate themselves. It’s all rather twisted.”

  I’d grown up in this world, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

  “Does your mother really have to invite those people?” Nicole asked as she took my hand, and I led her into a waltz.

  I was surprised by how well she followed my lead.

  “Technically, no, she doesn’t. Believe me, she already cut a large list of the cats off the guest list. But a few are daughters and sons of some of her own friends, so she doesn’t really want to offend the older generation she actually likes.”

  Nicole nodded slightly. “I could see why that would be a problem, and those women don’t matter. I think a few of them might be jealous because they think I stole a very eligible bachelor from their grasps.”

  “I wasn’t interested in a single one of them,” I denied.

  “Maybe not, but they might have been hopeful. You are the most handsome man at this gala,” she answered earnestly.

  “That man would be Leo,” I corrected her, but my damn heart was still singing some happy little tune because she thought it was me.

  She stumbled a little. “Oops. Sorry.” She got back into step easily. “Leo just taught me how to waltz earlier today, so I mess up sometimes. And just for the record, I don’t think your brother is the most attractive guy here. Maybe he was before you got here. But, now…nope. Sorry. Not even a close competition.”

  Jesus! She was learning exactly how to render me mute before I even had the chance to get jealous. “I hope Leo was a gentleman,” I muttered.

  “He was,” she answered merrily. “He was even polite every time I stomped on his foot. I’m actually surprised he can still walk.”

  “I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful you look tonight,” I told her honestly.

  I wished I could find the words to tell her that she outshone every woman present, that she was like a bright light that I couldn’t help but chase.

  I had no idea what kind of spell I was under with Nicole, but I’d stopped giving a damn about finding the answer to that question.

  She made me feel like I was completely alive after spending most of my adult life in a bubble, trying to live up to the role I had as the eldest adult Lancaster male.

  I couldn’t go back to the man I was before; I didn’t want to go back.

  I just wanted…her.

  “We have to talk after the gala,” I told her solemnly, feeling guilty as hell because I wasn’t entirely the man she thought I was. I couldn’t lie to her anymore, or evade the truth. I couldn’t keep her by my side when she didn’t know about Dylan. I’d gotten damn lucky that nobody had slipped up, or mentioned his name yet, but it was bound to happen at some point, and I wanted the truth to come from me.

  Dylan was a huge part of my life that I’d managed to keep hidden until now, and honestly, I wasn’t even afraid of telling her anymore. I just wanted Nicole to know me. All of me.

  Her face softened. “Is everything okay?”

  I swallowed the huge lump in my throat, the one that was threatening to choke me to death. “Yeah. I just need to tell you something that I should have told you about a long time ago.”

  I’d made my choice.

  And I hated myself because it had taken me so long to do it.

  If it was going to come down to protecting Dylan or this woman who I loved more than anyone else in the world, Nicole was going to win, hands down.

  My twin was making his own problems at this point. I’d help him with whatever he needed in the future, and I’d support him when and if he decided he wanted his life back. But I wasn’t willing to risk my relationship with Nicole by taking the rap for any of the idiotic things he did in the future.

  “That sounds a little ominous,” Nicole observed.

  The waltz ended, and I took her hand to lead her off the dance floor. “It’s not,” I assured her. “There’s actually a lot of things we need to discuss. Like you deciding that you want to stay here in England with me instead of going back to the States.”