She smiled in obvious relief and walked off with him.
Gawain was left standing alone on the terrace.
It did not take long for Katie to approach him. “You are wasting your time with her,” she said quite matter-of-factly. “She is the demanding sort and will expect a proposal of marriage out of you if you so much as kiss her.”
Had he not been thinking this very thing? But he resented Katie’s mention of it.
He arched an eyebrow. “And what have you to offer me?”
He knew he sounded surly and perhaps insulting, but what did she expect after decades of lies and not a single apology from her?
“I can offer you your heart’s desire, Bromleigh. Anything you want. I am free now to give you all of myself.” She drew close and held her perfumed body against him. Hers was a heavy scent, cloying and sweetly stale.
He eased away. “Out of curiosity, Katie, why did you marry Albin?”
“He was rich, titled, and doted on me. He was also my father’s age, so I knew he was likely to pass on before I got too old to enjoy myself.”
Gawain snorted. “That’s touching.”
“I loved you, not him. What do you want me to say? I saw the opportunity and took it for us.”
“Us? I never asked this of you.”
She sniffed. “No, you wanted me to be the wife of a soldier. How were we to live off your meager wages?”
“My father was the Duke of Bromleigh. He would have taken you in and looked after you. You could have made a comfortable life for yourself at Bromleigh Hall or in London if that was your preference. My father would not have stinted on your allowance. Nor would my brothers, had they survived to assume the title.”
“A comfortable life? To be your proper and meek wife, left to sit about embroidering handkerchiefs for you while awaiting your return? To be dependent upon the largesse of your family and forced to behave as they saw fit? Never to rule a home of my own? No, this was never something I desired. Why should I be at their mercy if they disapproved of my friends or my style of life? And what if you had died in battle? What would have become ofme then? You were third in line to succeed your father. What was the wife of a third son ever going to inherit?”
He said nothing, merely eyed her coldly.
She tipped her chin up in defiance. “Did you expect ourloveto provide all the nourishment I needed? You ought to appreciate the sacrifices I made for us.”
“Usagain? You keep dragging me into this decision completely of your own making. That’s rich.”
“But it is true.”
“No, it was never true, and I don’t appreciate your so-called sacrifice.”
“Because you are still angry at the thought of losing me. You were never a good loser.”
“That hasn’t changed. Did it never occur to you to reach out to me and explain? I know I was away from England much of the time, but there were years when you could have contacted me. Do you think I remain so besotted that I will once again fall for your lies?”
“Our hearts are bound to each other, Bromleigh. Why won’t you admit it?”
“Yours was never bound to mine. Why have you come back, Katie? Is it because I am now a duke?”
“Will you pretend it is not an attractive quality? Every girl here is hoping to marry the Duke of Bromleigh.” She moved closer to him again. “Marry me or don’t. I do not care. Give us a chance, why don’t you? I know we can rekindle the love we once had.”
“No.”
She sighed. “I am in Brighton until the end of August. I know you are here for another few days. Think about us. If you are not ready to come to me here in Brighton, then come to me in London. I’ll be waiting for you.”
He watched her walk away. She moved like a cat.
And just like a cat, she was now circling Cherish as though ready to spring upon an unwary mouse. He did not like that Katie had her eyes on Cherish.
Gawain rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. How much clearer did he have to be with Katie? Was an outright refusal not enough? There would be no rekindling of their relation. She was no longer the woman he wanted.
