Tempted at Every Turn by Robyn DeHart

head that she had spent considerable time thinking about the dance.
    Even though she had, in fact, spent quite a bit of time replaying the moments back in her mind. Where his hands were, what they had felt like against her body. She shivered. No, it was best if it wasn’t mentioned.
    But why was he being so quiet all of a sudden? Was he avoiding discussing their dance as well? No, that was foolish. Men didn’t waste time on such frivolity.
    “Willow, I hope my having asked you to dance has not made you feel uncomfortable. If you want to rid yourself of my presence, we can put an end to this silly wager and you can return to your life.”
    “I should think not,” she said. Make her feel uncomfortable. He was so arrogant. “Precisely why did you ask me to dance?”
    “I wanted to dance with you,” he said.
    If he was lying, he was doing an admirable job, because he seemed rather sincere.
    “Willow, is it so farfetched to believe a man would want to dance with you?” he asked, his voice gentle and soft.
    She wanted to be defensive. To say something caustic and protect herself, but she found herself completely stripped of tart retorts. If she were not careful she would end up trusting this man. Something she simply could not afford.
    “I should go,” she said. She inclined her headand stood to leave.
    He rose to his feet. “Allow me to call for my carriage to take you home. That will be easier than trying to find a hackney.”
    She nodded and James swore he briefly glimpsed a blush staining her cheek. He’d seen it once before, earlier today, but it was so subtle, he wasn’t certain it was there.
    After he’d seen she was safely tucked inside his carriage and on her way home, he sighed in relief.
    She would have her meeting tomorrow morning with the other ladies. The opportunity he’d been waiting for. A chance to speak with her mother and father without her present. It should be easier to get honest answers without Willow taking offense to every question.
    He ignored the nagging voice that told him it was wrong to keep this from her. It was guilt and he refused to answer to such a futile emotion. Were they anyone else’s parents, he would have no qualms about questioning them. Why was Willow so different?
    But something was different, something that called his actions into question. Something he wasn’t yet willing to put a name to.

Chapter 7
    H er mother was having another of her episodes. It had only just started when Willow had arrived home the day before, and was in full swing by that evening. Last night her mother had tried to get out onto the balcony to dance beneath the diamond-studded sky. Willow and Edmond had spent more than two hours going over the entire house and making certain that every door and window was locked. Aside from the fact that she could fall off the balcony, it was quite frigid in the evenings, and they couldn’t allow her to catch cold.
    This morning she wasn’t any better.
    Willow did her best to smooth her hair down and pin it back. She didn’t have time to do anything ornate. She needed to get dressed and get to her mother’s side as soon as possible.
    There had been a time when Willow and Edmond had followed their mother outside at nightto dance under the moonlit sky. It seemed her childhood was full of wistful imaginings such as that. But she was all grown up now and didn’t have time for fanciful thoughts. She had to take care of her mother before she injured herself.
    Not ten minutes after dressing, Willow descended the stairs to reach her mother’s parlor. It was a bright room full of windows that allowed the light to pour in and reflect off the polished furniture. Her mother had always liked shiny things, so this room, decorated mostly in yellow, fit her perfectly.
    Her mother stood at one of the windows watching some birds play in a puddle of water.
    “Darling,” she said gleefully when she saw Willow.
    “Good morning, Mother. How are you feeling?” She caught