Would she?
To her sister, to all of them, Melanie was the same girl she’d been earlier that evening—quiet, dutiful, predictable—aside from her near-interrogation of Northwoods at dinner, maybe.
But Melanie was not, in fact, the same. How could she be?
She’d crossed a pivotal threshold, and now everything—every breath, every heartbeat—felt different.
She felt different.
Oddly enough, though, as her mother finally concluded her goodbyes and they stepped onto the street, the world went on as though nothing had changed.
By the time they were seated in the carriage heading home, Melanie’s composure was hanging by a thread.
She’d asked him what it meant, but he hadn’t given her an answer, and perhaps he hadn’t understood what she’d truly intended with her question in the first place. She’d wanted to know not what the consequences were, but what it had meant to him.
Had it been nothing more than a physical act, similar to the ones that took place at theDomus?
Not for her.
No. No, it had meant much more than that.
“Melanie…”He’d said her name just before Josie had come looking for her.
The carriage hit a bump and Melanie gripped the edge of her seat.
The subtle scents clinging to her seemed even more obvious in the close confines of the dim interior—Malum’s smoky cologne, and the grass, of course, but also… something musky and sensual, and what she could only imagine to be the scent of…
Sex.
She shifted awkwardly, horrified at the thought that her mother, who was seated beside her, might notice.
As for Josie, however, aside from a frown and a comment about Melanie’s wrinkled gown, her sister merely flicked a few annoyed glances in her direction. Of course, Melanie already knew why Josie was displeased with her, and it had very little to do with her little… tryst in the garden.
Josie’s frown lingered in Melanie’s thoughts during the silent ride home, a quiet reprimand for the way she’d spoken to Lord Northwoods at dinner. As the carriage wheels clattered along, Josie stubbornly stared out the window.
By the time they rolled up to the townhouse, Melanie exhaled a deep breath.
She followed her mother up the steps, handed off her reticule and gloves, and then, long after the door was locked behind them and everyone else had gone their separate ways, wasn’t at all surprised to find Josie waiting, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
“I cannot believe you were so rude,” Josie said through clenched teeth. “I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life. And then, to disappear like that… Were you really alone? Because I couldn’t help but notice?—”
“Of course I was alone!” Melanie forced a laugh, shaking her head. “And I’m sorry.” She moved toward the staircase, her sister following closely. Melanie lowered her voice to a near whisper. “But we need to talk.” And then she added, “About Lord Northwoods.”
“What about him?”
But Melanie didn’t think it wise to have this discussion on the staircase, where anyone could hear.
“Not here.”
She had hoped for a moment of solitude to gather herself, but given how fleeting opportunities to speak privately had been lately, she couldn’t delay. Once they’d entered her bedchamber, Melanie closed the door behind them and then moved to the small table by the window, lighting the waiting candles with practiced ease. Shadows flickered across the walls before the tiny flames settled into a steady burn.
Josie’s brow furrowed. “First, you spend nearly a year shaking your head at us, hardly saying anything. Now, you’re haranguing the one gentleman in all of thetonwho has decided to court me, in spite of that horrible article—which was your fault, by the way.”
The room brightened as the candles cast their warm glow, highlighting the porcelain figurines on the mantle, a small collection of Melanie’s favorite books, and the embroidery samplers she’d completed when she was younger. They seemed to belong to an entirely different person now, someone Melanie was ready to leave behind.
But Josie was waiting for an explanation.
Gathering her thoughts, Melanie chose her words carefully. “I don’t…” She swallowed. “I don’t think he’s a good match for you.”
