Pierced by Her Gaze

 

The ballroom shimmered with candlelight and whispered secrets. Silk gowns glided across polished marble floors, and laughter rang like crystal against the grand chandelier overhead. It was an evening hosted by the Crème de la Crème of society—an affair where alliances were made and hearts occasionally lost.

She stood near the edge of the gilded room, a vision in midnight blue silk, her hair swept into a regal twist. The Duchess of Windmere—widowed too young, a paragon of grace, known for her quiet poise and guarded smile. But it was her eyes that held legends—eyes the color of ocean storms, eyes that pierced through pleasantries and peeled back façades.

He saw her before she saw him.

The Duke of Ashbourne—unwed, untamed, and unwilling to play the polished games of his peers. With a reputation as mysterious as his past, he was more likely to be found chasing storms than sipping champagne. And yet, this night, dressed in sharp black and silver, he was here. For reasons unknown even to himself.

When their eyes met across the floor, time stilled.

She felt it immediately—his gaze bold, unrelenting, a challenge wrapped in curiosity. But when she turned to look at him, truly look, the room fell away. Her soul flinched under the weight of connection. And he… he was undone.

He crossed the ballroom like a man chasing fate.

“You shouldn’t look at me that way,” she said softly as he approached, her voice steadier than she felt.

“I didn’t know I was capable of looking at anyone that way,” he murmured, stopping just close enough to feel the tension between them. “But your eyes—they held something I didn’t know I was seeking.”

She held her chin high, afraid of how easily he could dismantle her armour. “You speak as though I’ve bewitched you.”

He smiled, not the polite kind, but the slow kind that meant trouble. “Or saved me.”

The orchestra swelled, but it was no longer music—it was the sound of hearts risking everything. As he held out his hand, ungloved and unguarded, she hesitated… then placed hers in his.

And just like that, amid silks and shadows, the Duchess and the enigmatic Duke began a dance that neither society nor sorrow could contain.

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