by Olivia Kelly
The chocolate velvet of his eyes warmed her. "It’s rare among the women of the ton, and one of the things I like most about you."
A flush of pleasure at his words rushed through Audrey.
"Do not be fooled, Your Grace, I can be quite devious if it is called for." She wrinkled her nose at him. He sent her a slow smile, dimple winking, and her stomach flipped.
"Shall we dispense with the Your Grace this and Miss that?" Halford rose from his seat and strolled closer before stopping a few feet away and resting one hip against the railing. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at Audrey. She wondered if he could hear the thump of her heart from where he stood. "Perhaps we can merely be Audrey and Will."
Audrey and Will. As if they were somehow linked.
"When we are alone, of course," she hedged, a buoyant feeling rising in her as they carried on the scandalous conversation. She had not realized how thirsty she was for interaction with someone who valued her opinions and wit, until the duke had nearly plowed her down in the hallway the other night.
"Does that mean we will have another opportunity to be alone?"
Halford watched her still, his gaze intent. A yearning hunger that she thought she had tucked away after her fruitless and humbling Season last year, awakened and stretched.
"Perhaps." Audrey had ever been blunt, something that had landed her in the suds more than once, but a new boldness rose within her under his caressing gaze. She felt positively forward, and liked it. "Would it matter to you if we did not?"
The duke’s expression went hot at her flippant question and he slowly straightened from where he had been leaning. He stepped forward and grasped her hands, drawing her to her feet and pulling her forward, in one fluid motion. The movement took her by surprise, causing her to stumble a bit and bump against him, and he slid one arm around her waist. Losing her breath, Audrey tilted her head back to look into his shadowed face, his broad shoulders blocking most of the moonlight. Will leaned in and she wet her lips without conscious thought, full of nerves and anticipation.
This time he was really going to kiss her.
His voice was low and almost too soft to catch as he answered her question. "It shouldn’t matter. I shouldn’t let it matter, but then, I am a fool."
With that inexplicable statement left hanging in the air between them, he crushed his mouth to hers.
Audrey’s head spun, the feeling of his firm lips against hers provoking a heady feeling. She gasped and he took immediate advantage, his tongue darting out and tasting her.
She had been kissed before, but never with the intent to devour her whole. Halford kissed her as if she was a map and he was reading her plains and valleys, highest heights and deepest depths, all with the touch of his mouth on hers. No corner was left unexplored, every path traced with gentle caresses, tiny nips and kisses.
Her teeth tingled with the sheer lushness of his mouth moving against hers.
With a moan, she threw her arms around his neck, letting her lids drift shut, concentrating on the sensations racing through her body. He made a humming sound deep in his throat and strong hands slid down her back to settle on her hips. Fingers tightened minutely, crushing the delicate silk of her dress, and he pulled her lower body flush with his. Something hard and long and warm pressed against her belly through the thin layers of her evening gown and Audrey’s eyes snapped open.
A kiss was one thing, and very lovely, but she would not allow him to make love to her in her parents’ garden.
Even if he was a duke.
She would find her willpower buried underneath the longing and the tingling and heat. In just another moment. Halford broke the kiss with a groan and nuzzled her neck beneath her ear, before travelling south to her collarbone. The moment had come and she must seize it, before it became a moment too late.
Audrey thumped him on the shoulder with the flat of her hand and he jerked back, letting her go immediately. His face half in the shadows, Will looked a bit dazed but as he stared at her, his expression changed. The look of guilt could not have been clearer, had they had been standing in Hyde Park at noon.
"Christ," he swore, spinning away from her and resting his forehead against a wooden post.
Audrey stood where he had left her, stunned and rumpled. Those blasted tingles ran rampant over her skin. No, this hadn’t been the first time she had been kissed, but the fumbling of a neighbor lad was nothing compared to Halford’s passionate embrace. Men tended to look upon her, if they looked at all, as a friend. But Halford had looked at her as if she was Diana, Venus and Helen of Troy all rolled into one. Like he was helpless against the urge to kiss her.
She raised her hands to her cheeks, knowing by the heat in them that she must be flushed as pink as a sunrise.
"Miss Ellis—" Halford did not move from his position halfway across the gazebo, merely turning his head from where it still rested against the wood. He looked for all the world as if he had just stepped on a nail. Audrey's stomach clenched at his formality and she knew instinctively what was coming before he even made a sound. Her floating wonder shattered into small, sharp pieces at her feet.
"Don’t." She couldn’t look at him. "Don’t spoil it with an apology."
"I must," he insisted, straightening, his dark brows drawing together. "If I am to call myself any kind of a gentleman, I must apologize for taking advantage of you."
"I can see you are determined to make amends. Should I fetch you a hair shirt?" Arching one eyebrow, Audrey forced her expression to show only idle amusement. She wouldn’t let him see how it hurt to have what they had shared brushed off as a momentary impulse.
"Your reputation would have been ruined if we had been caught," he persisted, narrowing his eyes at her, the lines of his jaw tight and stubborn. "It still can be. You should go."
The last vestiges of that lovely, shivery feeling faded away. Audrey pressed her lips together, her throat too raw with unhappiness to answer. He was determined to spoil it. She had finally been kissed good and proper, but couldn’t take any pleasure in the experience, as he insisted on self-flagellation and contrition.
It was fair insulting, actually.
She swallowed past her disappointment. "I accept. Just stop apologizing, please."
Her tone was sharper than she had intended, but she couldn’t drum up any concern for her lapse in manners. Audrey pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders, bruised by the relief that had flashed across his face.
That burned.
The corners of her mouth drew down and she turned away, needing time alone. Everything had tilted on its side and nothing was the same as it had been just an hour ago—at least for her. The duke seemed desperate to set everything back just the way it had been. Well, she would do him a favor and relieve him of her company.
"Miss Ellis." Halford’s deep voice stopped her at the threshold of the gazebo, but she did not turn back to face him. "Please understand—it’s not you. It’s me."
Her laugh was soft and mocking, but she managed a jerky nod.
"If I could, I would never apologize for kissing you. I would steal a million kisses and demand more. But I cannot. I wish I could explain, but I cannot do that either. Just understand it’s not you."
Oh, but it was.
She was not the sort of woman to inspire legions of men, or even one it seemed, into throwing caution to the wind to claim her. That fact had never before inspired mourning within her. She was pretty enough and had always valued her intelligence and good humor, even when others did not.
Until this evening, she had thought herself reconciled to the idea that she would not find a husband among the gentlemen of London, and she was fine with that. Wealth and status had never been her goal. Friendship, civility and a comfortable household had seemed the best she could hope for, considering men were not exactly beating a path to her door. She had not been overly bothered by the idea, knowing many women who lived such a life and were content to do so.
Until H
alford had taken her into his arms and kissed her, she had not realized what she would be giving up.
Audrey managed a dignified turn and faced the duke, desperately trying to keep her mask of careless amusement in place. She just wanted one last look before she returned to Hampshire and settled down in a comfortable marriage with a comfortable man, who made her...comfortable.
Surely she was allowed a last look.
Halford stood in the beam of moonlight. His eyes were dark, fathomless pools, his jaw tense, lips compressed into a flat, unyielding line. He looked like every romantic gothic hero she had ever read about, staring at her with a brooding intensity.
Perhaps what Will said was true, that he felt he had no choice but to deny what could be between them. He looked unhappy enough...but still. He gave her up so easily, tossing out a handful of words to smooth his path. It had cost him nothing, and her far too much.
Without a sound, Audrey dipped into a shallow curtsey just shy of mocking, and walked away.
Chapter Five
When Will stepped into White’s three days later, his mood was dark and brooding. Viscount Claremont, the dishonorable snake, was proving more elusive than he had anticipated. The man’s usual bachelor lodgings had been vacated, no forwarding address left behind. Although many of their mutual acquaintances had claimed to recall seeing him around over the last few weeks, no one seemed to be able to pinpoint exactly where or when they had seen him last.
Will dropped into a chair close to the large bay window with a sigh of frustration, signaling for a brandy.
"Bring another right away, please," he said when the footman brought the snifter of amber liquid. "In fact, bring the whole bottle."
He tossed back the expensive liquor as if it was a medicinal shot. Hell, it nearly was.
"Rough day, Halford?" Alexander Rutledge, the Earl of Devlin, settled into the seat opposite of his. Will grunted and signaled for a second snifter. When it came, he poured his old school chum a glassful and shoved it across the table.
"I will take that as a yes."
"Yes." Will swallowed the last of his brandy with a sigh of satisfaction. The liquor was giving him a nice warm glow, smoothing the frustrations and sharp edges of the last few days. "I am having a rough week."
"Ah. Why do I sense the hand of a woman in this?" Alex grinned, the light from the window glinting on his golden hair.
The sun, and the brandy Will had already hastily imbibed, conspired to give his friend a soft halo, making him look the fallen angel many women found him to be. Devlin had always had the devil’s own luck when it came to the ladies, leaving his friends in awe of his powers of persuasion. The thought of his friend’s good fortune with the opposite sex drew down Will’s brows and he poured himself another full glass.
He squinted at the earl’s peacock blue coat and striped vest over his brandy, uncharitably deciding the man was fortunate to have an athletic figure, as he had atrocious taste in clothing.
Will quietly hiccupped. Was this his second or third drink?
"Not a woman, but women," he finally replied, waving his perilously full snifter for emphasis and sloshing brandy over the side. Devlin just laughed and removed his arm from where it had rested on the table. "Women are the plague on my life right now. Clearly in need of my protection—but too stubborn and willful to allow me do what’s necessary, when all I am trying to do is make things right again."
"Uh, oh. That doesn’t sound good." Devlin sounded highly amused.
Well, it was all well and good for him, wasn’t it?
Wait until his sisters found themselves in a sticky situation and refused his help. Wait until he found the only woman who had ever intrigued him enough to even consider courting and then realize she was the most obstinate, hard-hearted creature to ever hold a grudge.
Will had reconsidered his stance almost immediately after Audrey left the gazebo the other night. She was beautiful and warm, and genuine—something that was important to him. He had grown used to women seeing the title before the man, though he despised it. But it was imperative to shield her from any scandal that might soon be attached to his family’s name and so he had sent her from him.
As he stood there in the dark of the garden, her taste still on his lips, he knew he was being a fool. It was too late to retract words already spoken, but he had sent her flowers the morning after her mother’s dinner party by way of a peace offering. Will had hoped they would smooth the way, that he could call upon her and explain his mistake.
The bouquet had been returned within the hour, not a petal disturbed.
"I am doing the best I can, by God." Will poured the last of the brandy into his glass, feeling sorry for himself. He picked up the bottle and peered inside. It was empty.
When did that happen?
"My sister got herself into some hot water, and I—" He thumped himself on the chest soundly, then coughed, eyes watering a little. "I offered to ex…extract her. She told me no. Is that not the most ludicrous thing you have ever heard?"
Devlin just shook his head in commiseration, his blue gaze twinkling.
"Well, I am in charge. I am the one responsible for her, even if she is older by four years."
He frowned. Where had all the footmen had gone? His glass was still empty.
"So I came up to Town to see what I could do anyway. This morning I got a letter lecturing me on sticking my nose in other people’s business!" Wounded at the memory of the curt tone of her missive, Will added, "She was really quite nasty about it."
"And the other?" His friend’s words drew a blank.
"What the Hades are you talking about? This is no time for dancing around things. Plain speaking, man." He shook his head in mild disgust, but the earl just sent him a cheeky grin.
Kicking his legs out in front of him, Devlin clarified. "The other woman? You said women, as in plural."
"Ha! She’s an entirely different kettle of fish." Will scowled darkly, sitting forward abruptly.
His head spun and he felt slightly sick. He had not been this drunk since he was a lad up at Cambridge. The blame must be placed squarely where it belonged, on the heads of his stubborn sister and the lovely Miss Ellis.
Carefully leaning back in his chair, he considered the idea of not moving for a while, and found it a solid one. "There was a gazebo and moonlight, and well, I let it go to my head. I kissed her quite passionately, and inappropriately. She has yet to forgive me—even after my apology. Even after flowers."
Devlin choked on his drink. "You kissed her, then you apologized?"
Will shifted in his chair. He knew he had been a fool. No need to push his face in it. "I did as any gentleman would have in the circumstances."
"Well, there’s your problem. She obviously enjoyed the kiss and was insulted that you felt the need to atone for it." Devlin leaned forward, shaking his head. "Is the woman a lady or one of your mistresses?"
"Don’t have a mistress, never have." When the earl’s eyebrows shot skyward, Will defended himself. Why did everyone assume these sorts of things about him? "I live mainly in the country, hardly ever come to Town. Where would I keep one?"
"Why, Halford, I never knew you were such a dried up prude."
"Oh, shut it. I confess I have never understood the allure of a woman paid to warm my bed."
"If I have to explain it…" His friend left off laughing, holding up his hands, as Will glared at him.
"Do you like her—your lady?" Devlin asked.
Audrey’s teasing laughter drifted through his mind, her warm brown eyes and lush, curvy figure shimmering before him like a mirage in the desert. It made him thirsty. Just the memory of her, wrapped in his arms and kissing him back as enthusiastically as he kissed her, cleared his head a bit and he sat straighter in his chair.
"I am not in a position to do anything about that at the moment, regardless of how I feel. Not until I resolve this… situation of my sister’s."
"Well, then I suggest you resolve it, and fast," Devli
n said, setting his snifter on the table and rising. He paused, his gaze turning inward, mouth twisting a bit. "She will not wait forever, you know. Women never do. She will find someone else and move on."
With a shake of his head, the earl pulled himself from whatever memory held him in its grip, and gave Will a hearty slap on the back before striding out of the room. He sat for a long time after Devlin left, staring into the fire.
His friend was right. Waiting to court Audrey until everything was settled was tempting Fate. He didn’t want to lose his chance with possibly the only woman in England who thought of him as Will, rather than the Duke of Halford.
There was no reason he could not present his suit and resolve his sister’s situation at the same time, if he was careful to act quickly against Claremont. Although a week ago the idea of marrying had not crossed his mind, he knew that it was beyond rare for someone in his position to find a woman who valued him for who he was and not what marriage to him would bring her. They had met less than a handful of times; however, Will prided himself a very good judge of character. He had acquired it over the last few years of ducking ambitious mamas of eligible girls and dodging lords in the House who thought to press him to vote their way. Will did not for one moment believe Audrey was anything but sincere in her dealings with him.
In his experience, that made her unique.
He was eager to introduce her to his mother and sister, knowing they would value her pluck and wit as he did. The idea of creating a family with her, filling the empty, echoing endless rooms of Halford Castle with children and life, sent a warm rush through him. Children with her soft brown curls and saucy laugh.
He would be beyond a fool to walk away from all that.
First, to find Claremont and recover Lisle’s letters from the bastard. And make sure the man understood that if he breathed a word against Will’s sister that he would be living on borrowed time. Once he had assured himself that the matter was taken care of for good, Will could turn his attention to the lovely Miss Ellis. He sat forward, staring out the window, and began to plan.