Serena felt her heart race when she saw Charlton as he stood by the door leading to the drawing room. Then, quickly like an idiot, she took three steps back to hide herself behind the wall so that he wouldn't be able to see her.
Continuing her idiocy, she peeked at him. It was good that he didn't seem to have noticed her as he was engrossed in a conversation with Christopher, who she recognized by the color of his hair, standing opposite him.
The midafternoon sun was streaming through the crystal windows of the Cross ducal mansion and shining on Charlton like a halo, highlighting his chiseled features. His dimple was showing as he smiled, and she doesn't know what he found funny, but he chortled, making his dazzling eyes crinkle. He was so incredibly handsome in her eyes that she felt her cheeks heat up.