Cordelia shoved the newspaper at his damp chest, partly to cover it so her eyes would not drift there as often. “There,” she said, reaching over the top of the paper to point out the Lady Prudence article.
She paced the bank of the river as she waited for his verdict. The sky was growing darker with storm clouds. They would be in for quite the squall.
“You rode out here, forthis?” he said finally, gesturing to the paper. “This bit of nonsense that nothing but toffs and bored wives read?”
Cordelia gasped, ripping the paper from his hands. “How dare you?” she said. “I was so afraid this would happen, and now it has. Lady Prudence has insinuated that we…” Cordelia had to force the words out. “That we have formed an attachment.”
“I fail to see how she’s insinuated that,” Justin replied, shrugging his shoulders. “From what I read, it says that we have been spending time together. Of course we have. I’ve been living in your family’s ancestral home.”
“Unchaperoned time together,” Cordelia emphasized. “Unchaperoned means that anything could have happened between us. It calls into question my character… and my virtue. I think you’re forgetting that it is absolutely necessary that I find a husband before this season is out. For my sisters and me, before Hollyhead is sold.”
Justin sighed, pinching his forefinger and thumb on the bridge of his nose. It was a habit of his, signaling that he was deep in thought. “We have, perhaps, been spending too much time together; but the truth is… you have been crucial to me these past two weeks. With sending the invitations and helping me manage the estate and… well, basically everything.”
Cordelia looked at her booted feet beneath the hem of a grubby skirt. Her anger ebbed a little. “I understand that. But this is more important than the two of us. I simply cannot let my sisters down.”
Justin’s blue eyes softened as he looked at her. “Cordelia,” he began, taking a step toward her. Those eyes had a way of pinning her to the spot. She felt her heart thumping in her chest as he reached for her hand.
“You can’t possibly think I’d allow you and your sisters to come to any harm or discomfort after this ordeal has passed. The truth is, I’ve grown quite fond of the four of you,” he said.
Cordelia snorted. “I thank you for your kind words, Your Grace—”
“Justin,” he corrected her. He was still holding her hand. His thumb was rubbing her skin, soothingly.
“Justin,” she replied. “But the fact of the matter is, some damage has certainly been done by Lady Prudence.”
“How can I remedy it?” he asked, softly. His other hand came up to brush a stray curl behind her ear. Cordelia could not meet his gaze.You should take a step back, stop holding my hand, stay far away from me, and stop plaguing my thoughts…Instead, she stared at the column of his neck, dusted with grime and sweat. She could see his pulse throbbing there.
“I, ah—” she started, as his hand came down to cup her cheek.
Cordelia had been kissed before. When she was seventeen, she let a young lord touch his lips to hers in a rose garden. A year later, Rhys had kissed her, as though trying to test out the hypothesis that they were meant to end up together. It was pleasant enough, but nothing earth shattering.
She had the distinct feeling that Justin Wright, the new Duke of Rothesay, Master of Hollyhead, was about to kiss her. She closed her eyes as she rested her cheek in his coarse hand. She heard him shudder out a sigh, felt his breath pass over her lips.
“Did Rhys write back?” she found herself asking.
He snapped his hand back down to his side.
“No,” Justin said, through clenched teeth. “Why would you ask? Keen to hear from him?”
“Keen to know that he’s accepted the invitation,” she said. Cordelia knew she’d hurt his feelings over this. But she couldn’t stop herself. “At least then I know there will be one eligible man there.”
Only then did she look up to his gaze. His blue eyes had turned cold and storm-like. He narrowed them at her. “Yes, I’ve received several replies. It seems like Lady Prudence will nothurt your chances, my lady. Perhaps it will have the opposite effect.”
“Indeed,” she replied. “It’s the best I have to hope for, having been disgraced by your company.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Cordelia blanched as she took in his expression.
His eyes widened, but then a smirk spread across his lips. “Believe me, my dear, you would have known if you’d been disgraced by my company,” he said, his voice low.
“And I don’t intend to find out,” Cordelia snapped, brushing past him as she made her way back up the bank. Before she could make it to the top, a hand stopped her, gripping her forearm.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Justin said, turning her to face him. “You think you can be rude to me, missy, and sack me off like a naughty schoolboy?”
“Of course, I can!” she said. “You have the same manners as one!”
She wondered how the conversation had devolved to this point so quickly. The past two weeks, since they shook hands in the drawing room, had been cordial… and rather pleasant at times to boot. Cordelia even found herself craving his company and looking forward to their meetings, where they spoke frankly about matters pertaining to the estate. After so many years being brushed off, Justin made her feel listened to, and like her opinion even mattered.
“Then perhaps this won’t shock you,” he murmured, promptly pressing his lips to hers.
It was hardly more a kiss than a possession. His lips were warm and full against hers. Cordelia gasped, and when she did, she felt the velvet of his tongue against her own. And then as quickly as he’d pressed his lips to hers, he stepped away. She nearly fell forward, but was able to right herself by windmillingone arm and pressing the other against the naked skin of his chest.
