Marriage. Isobel. A future he couldn't control with practiced seduction and easy smiles.
For a moment, he allowed himself to remember what that old life had been like. The freedom of it. The simplicity. No expectations beyond pleasure, no complications beyond the next conquest.
But even as he thought it, he knew the truth: that life was already gone. It had ended the moment he'd seen Isobel standing in the street with Darling in her arms, all fire and vulnerability wrapped in a disheveled wedding dress.
He didn't want to go back; he wanted to move forward.
And then, to hear her beg for him. To feel her shudder beneath his fingertips. To taste her skin.
Andrew shifted to the side, trying to think of anything else. There was a cold chill to the air as he tucked his hands into his pockets.
He was prepared for whatever was to come next.
“You seem ready enough to get married,” Norman said while walking up the street toward him.
Having his cousin there now eased Andrew’s tension just a touch.
"I needed a moment before going in," Andrew said, his voice steady. "To clear my head."
"Second thoughts?" Norman asked carefully.
"No." Andrew's response was immediate and certain. "Not about marrying her. I'm simply... adjusting to the reality that starting today, I'm a married man. That I'll be responsible for someone other than myself."
"That's quite a shift for the notorious Mayfair Fox."
"It is." Andrew allowed himself a slight smile. "But I find I'm rather looking forward to it. Isobel is a complex woman. In one breath, she challenges me and in the other…” He allowed his words to fall away because he realized that he did not want to reveal too much about his darling wild cat.
“Go on,” Norman urged.
Andrew gave his friend a rueful smile. “But she's also the most intriguing woman I've ever met. And I'd rather spend every day sparring with her than go back to empty pleasures with women whose names I can't remember."
"Then why are you out here instead of in there?"
"Because I'm taking one last moment as a bachelor before I walk in there and become a husband." Andrew straightened his coat. "And because I wanted to be certain, truly certain, that this is what I want. Not for the business. Not for respectability. But for myself."
"And?" Norman prompted.
"And it is." Andrew's confidence settled into his bones.
Andrew sighed and kicked some of the snow covering the ground as more flakes fell from the sky. It would only be a couple more weeks until the warmth of spring started to set in and he could hardly wait. He was never much one for the cold.
“The ceremony is due to start soon. It’s only going to be a matter of time before your bride arrives and if you’re not in there and waiting for her, thetonis going to talk. And then you might have to deal with her father.”
Andrew’s lip curled at the mention of Lord Leyton, his blood starting to boil. “Her father is nothing but an opportunist who was planning on selling his daughter to a brothel because he could not control himself while gambling.”
“It sounds like you will all be one happy family then.” Norman said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “As your friend and cousin, I will go in there and keep your cousins from coming out to find you for ten more minutes. In that time, you need to gather your strength and face the consequences of your actions.”
Andrew nodded, feeling like he could breathe just a little as Norman marched around the corner of the church before disappearing from sight.
For a few moments, Andrew wandered through the gardens, trying to calm his nerves. Marriage would hardly be the most exciting thing he had ever done, or the most dangerous.
A sound behind him caused Andrew to turn. Standing there was Isobel, a pale silk dress hugging the curves of her body in a way that had his breeches feeling a little tighter. He stepped closer to her, slipping out of his coat when she started shivering and handing it over to her.
“Are you trying to catch your death of cold before the wedding?” Andrew asked, holding the coat shut, his knuckles brushing against her slightly. “Because if that’s how you intend to get out of this arrangement, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you into that church right now.”
Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink as she rolled her eyes. “Someone said you were out here and might run. I figured if that were true, I should come to claim my victory.”
“Your victory?”
