“And yet here you remain when you could so easily have left my company.” His face was clouded with smug amusement, as though her very presence proved him right.
Charlotte was annoyed with herself, and although she was trying to guard against Edmund being spotted, she thought that retreating from this conversation was the only way to maintain her sanity.
“If that is an invitation to leave, then I shall gladly accept.”
“Then treat this as such, and perhaps we can put this unpleasant matter behind us.”
And that was the crux of the matter, really. For all her fears of Edmund being caught, it was she who was currently in a corridor speaking with a stranger with no chaperone in sight. As the stranger’s words rose through the air, she glimpsed two strangers approaching behind him.
There was a titter of laughter. For now, they seemed to be lost in their own company, but soon enough, they would see Charlotte and the stranger. If they overheard the argument, they would surely come to investigate. In this quiet corridor, even low noises carried far. If she were seen, then she would be the subject of the very scandal she was trying to avoid.
Dark thoughts turned in her mind—thoughts of Mary falling to her knees and weeping, of lamenting her dire fate and giving up on life itself, of her daughter, Clara, growing up like an orphan.
Acting on instinct, Charlotte shot out her hand and clamped it around the stranger’s mouth. His eyes widened in shock at this improper touch, which went against everything she had just said. However, it was necessary.
He raised his hand slowly. His fingers were slender but strong. They curled around her wrist. The pressure he placed upon her was enough for her to feel his coiled strength, but not enough to cause pain. His gaze was unwavering. He pulled her hand away with ease, and his voice rose a notch, the words twisting with confusion.
“What are you doing?”
It was still very loud. The voices were coming closer. She had to do something to silence the stranger for long enough that the others would pass by.
And there was only one thing to do, even though the thought made her skin crawl.
She rolled forward on her tiptoes and closed her eyes in disgust, aiming for his mouth. It was the barest brush of lip against lip, but still enough for her to sense the heat of him. There was a strange aching sensation in the pit of her stomach, something that she had never experienced before, but there was no time to try to identify it.
It lasted only for a moment, but it left an indelible mark on her soul. All this to save Mary from ruin. Nobody would ever know. Nobody would ever thank her for her sacrifice.
He pulled away, and at least she received the effect she wanted. He stared at her in disbelief and released her wrist from his grip. His hand rose to his mouth, touching the echo of her kiss. She waited for the harsh rebuke, the insults, but nothing came. He stared at her unblinking before he slipped away like a ghost, receding into the shadows, and she was left alone.
The strength was sapped from her legs. She leaned against the wall and clutched her stomach, breathing heavily. The two people about whom she had been so concerned passed bywithout paying any attention to her at all. The victory was a pyrrhic one, however, because of how much it cost.
She had given her first kiss away to an insufferable stranger. Not only that, but she had lent credence to his assumptions about her. Her cheeks burned, and she quelled the memory of his warm lips. The less she thought about them, the better.
Instead, she directed her anger at Edmund. This was all his fault. If he had just done what she asked, then she would never have had to resort to such desperate measures!
She dabbed her lips with a cloth in the hope of wiping away the shame. The only consolation was that there had been only one other witness, and given the way he spoke to her, she doubted that he would want people to know about this private episode. There was darkness in her eyes as she continued her search for Edmund. Now, she did not care if she interrupted him. He deserved a little misery considering all she had to suffer.
As for this stranger, well, she hoped she would never have to see him again. The Iron Duke would not find any scandal in her family if she had anything to say about it.
She breathed deeply before she returned to the ball and prayed that she would never see this man again. The noises and sights of the ball poured over her. Lydia caught sight of her and waved her over.
“You must listen to this joke,” Lydia said, gesturing to Gubbins. It was almost as though Charlotte had never left, although hergaze kept darting back toward the dark corridor, and she kept licking her lips, wondering if she would ever forget the kiss.
Chapter Three
“…and the poodle ran away with the baroness’ hat right into the fountain! Oh, you should have seen the look on her face. The baroness, that is, not the poodle. One was having a fine time, and the other was rather sour. I’m sure you can guess which one was which,” Agatha tittered with laughter, which reached a higher pitch as the carriage wheels rolled over uneven ground.
Edmund offered polite laughter and shared a beleaguered glance with Charlotte. He then stretched out three fingers on his leg. Charlotte, wedged between her robust grandmother and Lydia, who was anxiously adjusting her gloves, did not enjoy the same freedom of movement.
Four, she mouthed silently. Edmund frowned and shook his head.
“What are you doing?” Agatha asked, the laughter coming to an abrupt stop.
“Nothing, Grandmother,” Edmund looked away quickly. Charlotte cleared her throat. She and Edmund had been counting how often they had heard the same story, although neither of them wanted to offend their grandmother. Agatha might have been a little absent-minded, but she still possessed a sharp tongue.
“You three are always getting into some mischief or other. It’s been the same ever since you were children. I remember one time when you got into the jam, Edmund. It was all over your face, in your hair… my goodness, what a state you were.”
“He still is,” Charlotte replied, offering a wry smile, which Edmund did not appreciate.
