Two warm hands gently tugged at mine, pulling them away from my face. I looked down at the blue-and-hazelnut-brown carpet at our feet.
Then Charlie’s finger lifted my chin. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were a perfect lady. The only sounds you made were sounds of protest when I rolled away.”
My eyes widened and met his. “I would never have—”
His eyes brightened as he struggled to keep from smiling. “And I had to return your wandering hands a few times as well.”
“Enough,” I begged, burying my face in my hands again and curling over my lap. I could take no more. The man could say whatever he wanted to embarrass me, and I’d never know if he spoke the truth because I’d let it all happen willingly. And Benjamin had almost seen!
Charlie chuckled, then cleared his throat. “Your brother is looking at us.”
I jerked upright, patting my hair and my assuredly pink cheeks and plastered a grin on my face so Ben would not think me overset. He turned his gaze back to Liza and the pianoforte.
“You are a rotten liar, Charles Winston,” I whispered through my false composure, half hoping he’d admit to exaggerating, half thinking back on his claims.
Had I actually reached out for him while sleeping? I peeked sideways through my lashes. Where had I touched him? His broad shoulder? His chest? His neck?
“Either way, I paid the price, did I not?”
His words sobered me. “I should never have let Liza leave. I cannot apologize enough for my part in this. For your pain.”
He shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said it was not worth it.”
Our knees brushed, and my heart thrummed roughly against my chest. “You don’t mean that.” Not in the way it sounded.
But instead of agreeing or denying my claim, he smiled to himself in private thought. “About our conversation,” he mused, “before we fell asleep—”
“I shall forget it all,” I hurried to say. The stories he confided in me about his brother, Henry, were his to tell, and I would never share them. Though the more he gave, the more I wanted. I wanted more of his past. I wanted it all.
But Ineededto forget that Charlie had a heart. That he could be more the handsome gentleman and less the brooding boxer. That he was kind and insightful. That he somehow, without even trying, saw more of me than I allowed anyone else to see.
The only person who had that right was Marlow. He only needed the opportunity.
Charlie rubbed his jaw and the new bruise Ben had marked on him. “Speaking so intimately isn’t proper, I know, but—”
“We were both in quite a vulnerable state.”
He watched me under a furrowed brow. “We were.”
Was there something else he was trying to say? Did he wish for a different reaction? “But, of course, my engagement does not mean we cannot be friends.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Friends, yes. Of course.”
Friends? Why was I so utterly daft? And childish? What grown adult offered friendship? I could feel him watching me, and I cringed. Here I was, blubbering on like a fool. “If you wish it.”
His eyes were set on mine. “I do.”
Could it be so easy to move forward pretending we hadn’t exchanged our hearts so willingly only the day before? Should I? I was engaged to be married in less than two weeks. My heart spoke before my mind could catch up. “As do I.” As though nothing and no one could stand in the way of our new devoted friendship.
Charlie nodded and returned his gaze to the window. His eyes were heavy, unsatisfied. But why?
“And thank you,” I said. “For taking Ben’s hits and not retaliating.”
“I have had much, much worse, so do not give it another thought. Your brother did what he thought was right according to duty and in response to your honor. I will not fault him for that.” Charlie gave me a little smile as though to prove himself amiable and unharmed. “Indeed, this entire trip has been much more eventful than I anticipated. I really believed I’d be stuck in the house all this time. Liza and I get on, but she was quite angry with me when things came to light.”
I listened to Liza’s gentle Mozart, a new melody than before, and asked, “Lord Langdon’s broken arm?”
“I did not mean to break his arm. I only meant to knock him off, but the man’s bones are more fragile than a China plate.”
