“My shadow?” Charley turned her head and found her face ridiculously close to his again. He shattered her equilibrium most effectively.
But this was a fake courtship, she reminded herself.
He wasn’t a fake gentleman, the other half of herself argued back.These feelings aren’t fake.
“Your cloak, Miss Jackson.” Mrs. Crabtree’s voice broke through the fog of awareness Charley had fallen into.
“Will youwalk with me, Miss Jackson?”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded again. Perhaps all the scotch she’d drank earlier was having a delayed effect on her ability to speak.
“It is rather warm in here.” Rachel Somerset waved a fan below her chin. “How thoughtful of you to suggest it, my lord.”
Sounds of conversation buzzed around Charley as the other guests discussed the prospect of an evening stroll outdoors. When her cloak appeared before her, she thanked her chaperone and went to rise.
“I sent my sister to fetch ours. We’ll be ready shortly,” Rachel Somerset volunteered.
But of course, Jules had invited them all. Why had Charley thought he wanted to be alone with her again?
A few maids arrived with armfuls of winter coverups, and Bethany steered Felicity in Julian’s direction. It seemed his courtship of Charley remained a private one. He’d said he would inform his family’s choice for his intended “soon.” How soon was soon? A few days? A week? At the end of the party? And when he did, would he make it known to her that he was only doing so out of duty?
This was a foreign land and everyone around her had been strangers up until a few days ago. Homesickness washed over her slowly at first and then, when Julian assisted Felicity into her coat, another emotion crept in, a far more disturbing one.
A wave of heat spread across her cheeks. Jealousy.
It didn’t matter that she was drawn to him. He only wanted to fulfill the requirements of the bet he’d made to her father. When her visit here ended, she would return to America. She would work on her new recipes and convince her father to try her strategies to sell the more flavorful blends.
It would be stupid beyond all comprehension for her to fall for the earl. She could never live in his world nor could he live in hers.
“Shall we, Miss Jackson?” He’d returned to her side and, smiling down at her, tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.
Charley did her best to dismiss the confusion she was feeling and nodded. A general shuffling ensued, and the entire group filed toward the terrace door. She and Jules wouldn’t be alone together, and that was for the best. She would stop imagining that he liked her for anything other than making good on his wager with her father.
“In the summer, we light torches along the paths but since it is only March, we’ll have to walk by the light of the moon.” His pleasant comment rolled out easily as they stepped onto the paved promenade. He was perfectly at ease while his nearness sent all her nerves jumping. Was it possible she was simply that American girl to him? Another lady to charm?
And then an altogether different doubt nagged at her.
“Did you tell me about your wager with my father so that you could court me in a manner that I would not wish to accept your offer?”
He stopped abruptly and glared at her while another couple skirted around them. By his furrowed brows and clenched jaw, it was easy to see that he was not at all pleased.
But along with his displeasure, confusion clouded his beautiful blue eyes.
“I had no such intentions.” His chest rose and then fell. With a slight jerk, he made that cracking sound with his neck. “I’ve simply tried to be honest with you. If I was you, I would be none too pleased to discover that I had been deceived regarding something so important as marriage.” Facing her, his back to the windows, he stared off into the darkness. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Charley.” He met her eyes, his blue ones almost black as night.
“But it’s all a falsehood.”
“No. You’re wrong.” In one quick motion, he glanced around, grasped her arm, and led her swiftly around a corner. Sounds of the other couples conversing in the vicinity faded away as he drew her farther from the manor along a path that disappeared into some shrubs and trees.
She knew she ought to resist him, but the last time they’d been alone she’d not been disappointed. They’d exchanged secrets about themselves and tasted Scotch whisky. Would he kiss her this time? His hand felt warm on her wrist and it was easy to give into his strength. That giddiness rose up in her throat, and her heart raced in a combination of guilt and excitement. “Mrs. Crabtree will come searching for me.” It was only right that she show some sort of reluctance.
“Mrs. Crabtree can hang.” He led her by the hand as the path narrowed.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m not kidnapping you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He really did not sound all that pleased with her. “Of course, you aren’t.” She chastised herself for sounding almost disappointed.
