Garrett knew the viscount was a harmless rake, but he did not like to imagine him with Natalie. Danbury was Cortland’s best friend but not considered nearly as honorable as the duke. In fact, he’d frequented a few of the establishments where Garrett had found pleasure.
“What happened?” Garrett prodded her.
Perhaps he did not wish to hear this. The thought of Natalie with Danbury, especially after this evening’s earlier confrontation, was enough to make him wish he’d gone ahead and laid Danbury out with his fists after all.
“Unlike my fiancé, Danbury lacked any reluctance to…step out of line with me. Not that he would have done so had he thought Cortland held me in any true affection.” She gave Garrett a stern look. “Danbury can be a rake, but he does follow a moral code of sorts.”
“Of course,” Garrett replied, clenching his fists for the second time that night. Was this jealousy? Garrett dismissed it and returned his attention to Natalie’s words.
“It was a lazy afternoon. We’d consumed a good amount of wine and were lying on the blanket in the sunshine.” Garrett did not like the scenario she created in his mind. He didnotlike the mental image of another man taking liberties with Natalie.
“And then he kissed me, oh, so very different from when Cortland kissed me. Michael had always seemed to holdhimself apart. He is so very controlled. But Danbury, his kiss was savage…carnal even.”
Garrett wanted to growl. Instead he asked, “Was it the same as it is—” He stopped walking and kicked at some loose stones on the ground. “—between you and me?”
He looked over just in time to see a warm blush crawl into her cheeks. “Oh, no! I mean, it was nice…but not…”—she seemed to be searching for her words— “not at all the same.” Her words ended in a near whisper.
“Do you have feelings for Danbury?”
She’d surprised him. He had thought his kiss had been her first.
“Gratitude.” She laughed. “For showing me so clearly what my betrothal lacked. For showing me the difference between tolerance and passion.” And then she met his eyes solemnly and shook her head. “Nothing more.”
Danbury could live, then.
God, he was besotted.
He needed to get back to his original line of questioning. “And so, after the picnic, you were even more reluctant to go through with the marriage?”
“Yes.” Natalie tugged at Baby Bear’s string, pulling him back onto the path. “The thought terrified me.”
“What were you afraid of?” There must have been other things that had put her off the marriage so carefully arranged by her parents. “Were you not looking forward to gaining such a lofty title?”
“I looked forward to being a wife. I looked forward to being a mother. I did not look forward to being a duchess.” She took a few steps and then turned to look at him. “Do you know that I did not even know which of his properties we would have made into our home? I was expected to begin my marriage in a place where I would be a complete stranger to everyone around me. As a duchess, I would never know if people werefriendly to me or to my position.” She warmed to her topic. “I was to become involved in large charities and fundraising. That is what duchesses do, you know.”
“And this was not something you wanted?”
“I like visiting tenants with my mother.” Natalie scooped Baby Bear into her arms. “I like that she can make a difference in their lives and that they have come to love her for this. It is not that any title matters to me, it is just thatIwish to matter,me, as a person, not just as an asset in a business arrangement.” She pulled a face. “I feel selfish when I say it out loud.”
Garrett shook his head slowly. “You should not.”
The crack of a branch nearby alerted him that their solitude was about to be interrupted. As the sounds drew nearer, the commotion revealed itself to be unpleasant, indeed.
Men’s voices rose in slurred, foul, drunken language. Realizing how far from the manor they’d drifted, Garrett took Natalie’s arm with the intention of moving her and the dog away from the approaching sounds. He had an uncomfortable suspicion as to whom the voices belonged.
The dog began barking, however, and Farley and Trident stumbled into their path, effectively blocking the way.
Farley, flushed from drink, took in the sight of the two of them together, alone, and spat on the ground. “How the mighty have fallen, Lady Natalie. Now you are not to be a duchess, you’re willing to take up with just about anybody?” His eyes gleamed with malice, and he laughed vindictively. “Does your papa know about this tête-à-tête?”
“Step off, Farley. You’re foxed and have obviously forgotten you are in the presence of a lady.” Garrett would like to have planted the bastard a facer but would not expose Natalie to violence. He was half concerned she would take it upon herself to join in the melee if one were to erupt.
Unpredictable chit.
With a wobble and a belch, Farley reached for the trunk of atree to keep from tumbling to the ground. “Right you are, Hawthorne. But if that is the case, what is she doing out here with the likes of you?” Trident laughed and whacked Farley on the back.
The hearty slap was more than Farley could withstand, however, and ironically sent him flailing to the ground. Trident’s drunken momentum tumbled him into some bushes.
They were too sloshed to present any real danger.
