A shiver ran down her spine.
His hand slid to her waist, his fingers spreading over her hip, gripping her just enough to make her burn.
And oh God, she wanted more.
When he finally pulled away, she was breathless.
“Well?” he murmured, his forehead resting against hers, his breathing slightly labored. “Did that erase Marsden’s kiss from your memory?”
She grinned, wicked and triumphant. “What kiss with Marsden?”
Then, before he could respond, she gathered her skirts and turned toward the door. “Thank you,” she said.
“Wait,” he called, frowning.
She paused, her hand on the latch, glancing back. “What?”
Ash hesitated, looking as if he didn’t quite know what he was about to say.
Then, finally—quietly—he asked, “Why me?”
Clare blinked.
He swallowed, his voice softer now. “Why did you askmeto kiss you?”
A long sigh left her lips, her shoulders rising and falling. Then she let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “I suppose now would be the time to confess that I’ve been infatuated with you for absolute ages.” She winked. “Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
Then she was gone.
ANDASH,still standing there, could only stare after her, wondering what the hell had just happened.
CHAPTER SIX
The gardens at Southbury Hall were in full autumnal bloom, the air thick with the scent of orange roses and black-eyed rudbeckia as Clare, Meredith, and Gemma strolled through the winding paths, wicker baskets in hand, gathering flowers for the evening’s centerpiece arrangements. There was to be a ball tonight, and all the house party guests would be in attendance.
The afternoon sun cast a golden glow over everything, but their conversation was far from idyllic.
“It’s a lost cause trying to get Lord Trentham to pick a wife,” Gemma Banks said, carefully selecting a pale-yellow daisy. Gemma was several years younger than the other two ladies, but they both adored her.
Gemma’s small brown terrier, Oliver, ran around his mistress’s heels, jumping at the butterflies that circled in the air.
Meredith sighed, rubbing her temple and placing a gloved hand atop her burgeoning belly. “How can you tell?”
“He ignores the lot of them—the debutantes you so carefully picked out,” Gemma replied with a sympathetic smile. Gemma herself had recently married the Duke of Grovemont. After a contentious start to their marriage, she and Lucian were nowmadly in love, though they’d been embroiled in a scandal that Clare had helped them navigate.
“And I spentso muchtime picking them,” Meredith groaned.
Clare smirked, snipping a rose from the bush. “Hearing all of this makes me quite glad I don’t have to deal with any of it.”
Gemma suddenly stilled, her expression turning thoughtful as she reached out and touched Clare’s arm. “Oh, dear. I’m sorry to have brought it up in front of you. It was thoughtless of me.”
Clare waved her off with an easy shrug. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m long since past it.”
Gemma bit her lip, hesitating before speaking again. “May I ask you a question, Lady Clare?”
“Of course, dear. And how many times have I told you that you may simply call me Clare?”
Gemma smiled and nodded. “You helped Lucian and me when we needed you. You fixed our scandal. You clearly know how. I’ve always wondered…why have you never employed those same skills to restore your own reputation?”
