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“No. She was seen kissing me.”

“Isn’t that a matter of semantics?”

At his expression, a seedling of hope sprang to life in her heart.

“I explained the difference to her and to her fiancé as well, since he was present,” Joshua said. “The earl appreciated the clarification. She did not.”

“But I thought—” She broke off.

“Lady Regina appears to believe that telling people her version of the truth will make it a fact,” Joshua said. “I immediately informed her that I would not marry her. I left the room when she and her fiancé began arguing.”

Livie was at once stunned and unsurprised by Regina’s presumption. “Yet she informed people that you are engaged?”

“That seems to be the case,” Joshua said, his tone unbothered. “Fair warning, Livie, my reputation will be destroyed once it becomes known that I refuse to marry a duke’s daughter. Frederick told me that I’ll never again be admitted to Almack’s—though of course, he was drunk and seemed to consider that a badge of honor.”

Livie swallowed. “I don’t care about Almack’s. I don’t want to go there again.” Thinking of Regina’s face, she added: “Ever.”

“I will marry you, Livie. Or, if you won’t have me, I won’t marry.” Joshua’s brows drew together. “That sounded as if I meant to blackmail you, but I don’t mean it like that.”

“I refused you,” Livie repeated, knowing that her words had no force.

Only one candle and moonlight—but she saw laughter in his eyes. And tenderness, along with hunger.

“You did say no.” He pulled her closer, tilted her head back, and kissed her again. “I made myself wait until after the meeting to ask you again. I was hoping that finding Bernadette would work in my favor. But then your father—”

“No,” she choked. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

Joshua’s mouth came to hers again, tasting spicy and male. Heat burned down Livie’s body, and she swayed into the hard slab of his chest. Those callused fingers slid into her hair, and their kiss deepened until he made a hungry noise in the back of his throat. His fingers slid down her neck and then shoulders.

Livie suddenly remembered she was wearing only her nightgown. It was too late to gasp—besides, his touch was tender, his hands slipping down her arms until their fingers entwined.

“I do think we have to talk about the captain, love.”

“All right,” she said with a gulp.

He looked around the chamber, at the bed, sheets rumpled and thrown back, glowing white in the moonlight.

Livie’s heart thumped. “We could go downstairs.”

Joshua shook his head, drew her over to the bed, curled his hands around her waist, and put her at the head. “I’ll sit at the other end.” His voice seemed to rumble from his chest.

Livie watched as he pulled off his boots and sat opposite her, knees up, his hands dangling between them. Light from the window behind him caught his face, moonlight edging the strong lines of his jaw.

“I feel as if we’re on a raft,” she said.

“Floating on a dark ocean? Just the two of us?”

She followed Joshua’s gaze to the pale curve of her breast, just visible through the lace edging of her bodice.

“If it were a raft, I would be next to you, making certain you didn’t unbalance,” he said, hunger threaded through his words.

Livie took a deep breath and then pulled her bodice up.

He made a fierce sound, like a groan, and she couldn’t help smiling. Her biggest, most joyful smile. The one her father never saw, and wouldn’t welcome. The one that Daisy said was a “naughty” smile.

Joshua froze and then said in a deep growl, “How was I lucky enough to find you?”

The smile fell away. “I lied when I refused your marriage proposal,” Livie said, blurting out the words she had rehearsed in her head.