When she fell asleep, the darkness outside her window had started to lighten.
Chapter Nineteen
Malcolm couldn’t believethat he had had the audacity.
He hadkissedMiss Scarlett Perkins.
No, he hadmorethan kissed her.
He had caressed her, too, and moaned hotly in her ear.
Yes, of course, they had been intimate before this moment.
But in the first case, he had been largely unconscious.
And in the second, the heat of the moment had been so intense, and her fear so searing, that they had been acting on pure instinct.
This time, however, he hadchosento kiss her.
Even though he knew she didn’t want to marry him.That they couldn’t be more than friends to one another.He had taken an action that, all his life, he had refrained from—he had acted the part his father had so often played, the scoundrel who took favors from a lady who was not his wife.
But she had looked up at him with such a beseeching, searing expression.She had notaskedfor him to kiss her.And yet he did not think it possible that a lady could look more like she wanted to be kissed than Miss Scarlett Perkins had in that moment.
And that was before she had touched him, her fingertips just scraping the fabric of his waistcoat.
He had been unable to resist.
He had wanted to bellow when they had been interrupted.
Even though he knew it was for the best.
Who knew what other liberties he would have taken if they hadn’t been?
He hardly need mention what happened when he returned to his room.
His furious, frenzied strokes had been an inadequate substitute for the pleasures he had taken from her in the entryway.That gasping release was nothing in comparison to actually being allowed, in full possession of his wits, to kiss and hold Scarlett.
When he awoke, he groaned—at the memory of the night before and what awaited him this afternoon.
Today, his sister and Mrs.Salisbury had planned an excursion down to the spring pond on the edge of the property.
As he crested the ridge now, he took on the pond itself.It was a rather large pond, almost an acre, and the water was deliciously pure—it was one of the best features of the property.He saw it as a special haven, and he hated the idea of it being invaded by the visitors.
And even though he had grown used to many of the festivities and frivolities attendant to a house party, he still dreaded the enforced hilarity and silliness that would be attendant upon such a scene.
Still, he had to admit, as he looked down at the partygoers, that everyone looked quite picturesque spread out on the green grass, the pastel shades of the ladies’ gowns making them look like so many summer flowers.
In the water itself, there floated several small wooden boats, which confirmed that Beatrice had made good on her threat to introduce boating as an activity.
He glimpsed Scarlett, sitting with Tilly on a blanket near the water, in a light-pink frock.He could imagine how, up close, the sun must make her skin shine, and her plentiful curves would tempt him.God, already, he wanted to strip that dress off her and claim her for himself.
He was half hard at the thought.
He needed to master himself.
Heneededto keep his distance.
“I hope you were not affronted, brother, by the question I asked you yesterday evening.”
