Page 59 of The Season of Lady Chastity

Chastity could only nod as she took Bastian’s arm and followed Lady Mansfield from the ballroom. If she had been more aware of those surrounding her, Chastity would have noticed that her sister, along with Ophelia, Edith, and Luci, fell in line behind them.

She heard Luci, now the Duchess of Montrose, instructing her guests to enjoy themselves; to drink and be merry until she returned in a moment’s time.

The soft strings of the waltz restarted as the group stepped into the corridor and moved toward the library.

Chapman fell into step next to Bastian, and she heard bits and pieces of their whispered conversation.

“…gone within the hour, my lord.”

Bastian pulled Chastity closer to his side. “See that they are, or notify me immediately.”

“I shall,” Chapman said before disappearing.

“This way.” Doc Durpentire gestured to the open library door, the same room she’d spoken with Lady Camden in on her second day at Oxburgh Hall. “You will find the privacy needed here, and I will endeavor to make certain you are not interrupted.”

She was whisked into the cavernous room, every wall covered in books and antiquities as a yuletide log burned in the hearth. The pleasant, comforting aroma of the wine-drizzled bark as the flames licked at the wood reminded Chastity of her childhood, but now, she suspected it would always make her remember Bastian and his love for her.

The library door latched shut, and she could faintly hear voices in the hall.

There was only one person who she needed to hear from, and he was in the room with her.

“Did you mean what you said, Bastian?” she asked. “Our affection is mutual?”

His brown stare had never been so serious as he took her gloved hands in his, his thumbs gently caressing the tops of her hands through the material. It was almost as if they were skin-to-skin. She knew the sensation well, had memorized it during their time in her bedchamber because she’d believe it would be the only time they had together.

“I meant every word, and I have so much more to tell you.” Bastian pressed his lips to hers, pulling her against him in one swift motion. Their mouths moved in unison as if they’d danced together like this more than just the once. All too soon, he pulled back and stared down at her as hesitancy clouded his eyes.

“What is it?” she asked.

Bastian glanced toward the closed door. “It sounds as if we shall not have many more moments of privacy before your brother bursts through the door. However, I need to ask.”

“Ask what?” she sighed, reveling in the warmth of his strong hold. “Anything.”

“The note you held that first day,” he said. “You said it wasn’t yours.”

Chastity wanted to laugh, but she did not want to give Bastian the impression that she laughed at him. “Prudence and I found it in my mother’s belongings. It was a letter written to the man who held her heart. Though, it seems it went undelivered.”

“Do you know who the man is?”

Chastity shook her head. “No, though given what Lady Camden told me earlier, it seems as if it was from before she met and wed my father. It was tucked into this very dress.”

“Mayhap I can be of some help solving the mystery,” he offered.

“What if the truth proves that my mother was unfaithful to my father, and Prudence or I are deemed not of Downshire blood?”

Chastity watched Bastian closer than she’d ever scrutinized anything. If she were found to be a bastard, what would that mean for their budding courtship?

“I care naught of such matters, only that you are happy,” he confessed. “Nothing about your past can change how I feel about you now. The past has dictated every aspect of my life thus far, and I won’t allow that to continue.”

It was everything Chastity had longed to hear. Bastian cared for her regardless of what was discovered about her mother.

Bastian stepped back, admiring her from head to toe. It was clear he wasn’t thinking about the letter any longer, just as Chastity’s gaze took in the sight of him as her chest fluttered.

“You were the most stunning lady at the ball this evening,” Bastian confessed.

“I cannot believe you jabbed Lord Comstock in the nose.” Defending her honor before an entire ballroom had cast Bastian in a new light. Certainly, he was reserved, but no longer was he quiet in his fierce loyalty. “I must confess, I longed to do the same.”

“It was gratifying.” He chuckled.