Not this man. This man made her yearn for more.
She returned hiskiss with a hunger that took him by surprise—and that drove him wild with desire. He let his hands travel down her back and moved his mouth across the length of her jaw and down her neck. His hands came to rest on her round, firm bottom as he sucked the soft, pale flesh on her neck, desperate to taste her and take in her sweet scent. She pushed her slim body against his, arousing him further, and he momentarily wondered if she could feel his manhood through her dress. The thought gave him pause, and he pulled his lips from her neck.
“No,” she gasped.
“I’m sorry.” He lowered his gaze and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what came over me. I should not have taken such liberties. It seems I could not help myself.”
“You took nothing I did not willingly give,” she said. “Perhaps I should feel ashamed, but I liked what you were doing—I didn’t want you to stop.”
Hearing her say those words aroused a deep passion within him. He yearned to grab her and take possession of every inch of her body. “Don’t say such things,” he said, “it’s dangerous.”
“Is it?” She cocked her head as if trying to read his expression in the darkness. “I’ve always prided myself on doing right—living my life as a dutiful daughter and honorable young lady in society. The only thing I have insisted upon for myself hasbeen a marriage of my choosing, and that has presented little challenge as my papa would never force me into a marriage of convenience. Perhaps—” she said with a slight laugh—“he simply wants to keep me at home as long as possible. Either way, I believe I concluded that I could be happy without marriage were it not for the fact that I wanted a family of my own one day. But, until tonight, I never realized that marriage in itself—separate from the joy of motherhood—and all that it entails between a husband and a wife could bring pleasure and fulfillment to a woman’s life in other ways. Indeed, I don’t think I have felt more like a woman than I have tonight.” She shook her head. “I feel foolish saying this to a man I barely know, but it’s the truth.”
Hugh’s heart drummed in his chest. It was true they hardly knew each other, but something about her—perhaps the mystery surrounding her—coupled with her sweet scent, her soft lips, and the way they’d responded to his kiss…
“I have something to confess to you,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “But it’s important that I explain everything completely and without interruption before you react—”
“Can it not wait,” Hugh said, taking her in his arms and kissing her again. He didn’t want to hear her confession now. Whatever it was, it could wait. He didn’t want reality to crash in on this moment and ruin the magic.
Working his mouth down her neck, he planted kisses on the bare skin of her chest and along the edge of her scooped neckline, while gently squeezing her breast over her silk bodice. He could feel her tremble under his touch, as he worked his mouth back up her neck, kissing her gently at first and then with more ardor. He wanted to bury himself in her—her taste, her smell. She clutched his hair, and threw back her neck, surrendering to him.
A great ruckus sounded behind them, and they parted instantaneously. Hugh spun around to see two men stumblingacross the garden. One clutched a torchlight, and the bright flame momentarily blinded Hugh.
Then he heard a gasp and turned back to his companion. For a brief instant, he glimpsed her face, illuminated by the torchlight. And though there was no time to take in the details of her features or the color of her eyes before she pulled her veil back in place, he drew in his breath, taken aback by her sheer loveliness.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he said, even as she turned and fled the garden.
The torchbearer attempted to follow her, but Hugh stepped into his path.
“Step back!” he ordered. But the drunken fool refused to comply.
Acting swiftly, Hugh punched the man, not so hard as to inflict damage but hard enough to surprise him so that he was able to grab the torchlight from his hand. The drunk stumbled backward in surprise, crashing into his equally intoxicated friend so that both men fell to the ground.
Hugh didn’t wait to see how they fared. He needed to find his rose—hell, he still didn’t know her name.
Chapter Seven
“It was Lucas,I tell you, Mama! I know he recognized me. I saw the shock in his expression.” Charlotte covered her face with her hands. “Oh, what are we going to do? I knew this was a mistake.”
“Calm down, my love,” Lady Rose said as the carriage rolled toward Mayfair. “You say he was inebriated, so he likely won’t remember a thing in the morning.”
“And what if he does remember? He will go straight to Papa. You know how much he’s hated me ever since I turned down his proposal.”
“Do you think your papa will listen to my cousin’s horrid son over his wife and beloved daughter? Never! He’ll no more entertain that little wretch than he would have allowed him to marry you.”
“Papa will listen if Lucas tells him the man I was with was Hugh Warsham. And he wasn’t the only witness. He had a friend with him, so it’s not only his word against mine. And even if Papa dismisses Lucas for the drunk fool that he is, I’m afraid he will cause Papa more stress and further affect his health. The whole point of this plan was to bring peace, not create more strife.” A tumult of emotions churned through her, each one more horrid and powerful than the last. This was going to killher papa, in more ways than one. She’d never forgive herself. Charlotte buried her face in her hands as she recalled Juliet’s famous lament:Oh, that I must love a loathed enemy!Her life really was turning into a Shakespearean tragedy.
“Now, don’t you worry one minute more about Lucas Richmond. I’ll see to it that he stays away from our house. Papa’s not likely to go anywhere now that he has been banished from his club, and I will instruct the servants that he is not to be disturbed by anyone.”
“But what do we do? I cannot go back to that gambling den and risk running into Lucas or someone else who might know me. The entire plan has failed.”
Lady Rose sat back in her seat and sighed. “I’m unsure how to proceed. We must speak with Mrs. Dove-Lyon. If there’s anyone who knows what to do, it is she.”
The next day,both women sat in Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s office and nervously awaited her advice after they’d explained Charlotte’s predicament.
“Well, I think the pertinent question here is: why did you feel the need to remove your disguise, Miss Rose?”
Charlotte could feel Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s eyes boring into her from behind her black veil. Should she reveal the truth—that she’d lifted her veil so that Mr. Warsham could touch her face, kiss her lips, ravish her neck? No. She’d prefer it if the room swallowed her whole rather than do so.
