Trent kept his gaze on Whitney’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry if I inconvenienced you.”
She stilled immediately. “Apologies are not like you at all.” She had the funniest lopsided frown on her face. “What are you trying to get me to admit?”
Trent struggled not to smile. “Nothing really. Though it did occur to me, you might be trying to manipulate me into courting Audrey. I specifically told you I did not think Thortonberry was good company for her and yet you invited them both to the theater last night and today to this picnic. You knew if you did that, I would come to both, though I had declined your invitation to get me in close proximity to her.”
Whitney tugged on her dress, then pressed a hand over her hair. “Good gracious, the grand scenarios you conjure with you mind! As if I could predict you would come scrambling to be by Audrey’s side when you realized Lord Thortonberry was with her.”
Trent grunted. “You lie so prettily, cousin dear. If I did not adore you I might be irritated that you seem to be disregarding my expresses wishes for you to understand I never want to marry, therefore Audrey is better off without me, and certainly without Thortonberry.”
Whitney bit her lower lip and then huffed out a long breath. “Fine. Fine.” She stood before shrugging. “I ignored you. I admit it. I cannot say I’m sorry for it either.” She set her hands to her hips. You are my favorite cousin and Audrey is one of my dearest friends. Things seemed so promising when the two of you first met. All sparks and smoldering looks, and despite your explanation that it was only because you thought her a woman of loose morals, I refuse to believe that.”
Trent snorted. “That is not the first time you have chosen not to accept reality.”
She pressed her lips together. “No need to dredge up the past. It may have taken me almost a year to realize I needed to tell Drake the truth about why I had fled him and our betrothal, but at least I realized I had to do it, so I would not lose him. I was not blind to what was before me. You need spectacles.”
“My sight is splendid,” Trent said. “Perfect, in fact.”
She frowned. “Then you should see you are about to lose Audrey to another man, unless you act to court her and get over whatever ridiculous fear is holding you back.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the tree. He refused to be forced into anything by anyone. “I fear nothing.” The lie rang hollow in his ears.
Whitney arched her eyebrows. “Nothing? That is probably for the best, if it’s true, because it seems my plan has backfired. Look at Audrey.” She waved a hand in Audrey’s direction. “I believe she likes Lord Thortonberry, and to think all this time I thought she truly cared for you.”
Jealousy pricked him, which exploded when Thortonberry reached over to the dense azalea bush beside his blanket, plucked a bright pink flower and tucked it in Audrey’s hair. Trent stood, his head spinning with his thoughts. He could not stand by and let Thortonberry swoop her into his web of deception. Simply trying to watch over her was not working. He had to act. But what to do? The first thing was to make sure Thortonberry had no other opportunity to be alone with her today. Once that goal was accomplished, Trent would contrive another plan.
“I’d like you to partner me with Audrey in the scavenger hunt.”
Beside him, Whitney chuckled low. “I think I can manage that since I am the one pairing everyone off. Luckily, I invited Lady Caroline, and I know she will be thrilled to be paired with Lord Thortonberry.”
He winked at Whitney. “You are a minx through and through. I hope Sutherland knows what he is getting into by marrying you.”
She winked back. “It’s because I am a minx through and through that he wants to marry me. Watch me work and save your compliments for later.”
In a swirl of green skirts, Whitney rushed to the center of the picnickers who sat in a semicircle on the grassy knoll. As his cousin clapped her hands and called out eagerly for everyone’s attention, the conversation slowly died and left a shocking quiet in its place, punctuated by the whistle of a low breeze and the chirping parakeets that lived in the trees of the park.
Within moments, Whitney had explained the rules for the scavenger hunt and called, “Get with your partners, everyone.”
Trent closed the distance between himself and Audrey and, leaning close to her, said, “Hello, partner.”
The happy smiled that stretched her lips and lit her eyes turning them from a deep lush green that matched the leaves on the azalea bushes to a color more reminiscent of the crisp grass caused a tightening in Trent’s chest.
“I want to win,” she exclaimed with a twinkle in her eyes, “so be prepared to keep up with me.”
“You shall have to endeavor to match my pace,” he teased, enjoying the moment of levity. He could not remember the last time he had relished simple bantering so much. When Thortonberry cleared his throat, Trent flicked the man an annoyed look. Why was the marquess still standing here? “You should make your way to Lady Caroline, Thortonberry. The hunt is about to begin.”
With a pinched face, Thortonberry turned on his heel and strode over to the rocks where Lady Caroline stood.
Audrey shook her head. “He is acting so odd. I do not understand it. He told me he has a tender for Lady Caroline, but he has ignored her so far and he did not seem very eager to pair with her, did he?”
Trent shook his head. “He did not. I’d say―”
The chiming of the bell to start the scavenger hunt cut off his intended warning about Thortonberry to Audrey. Laughing, she grasped his hand and tugged. “Come on,” she called over the laughter from the participants taking off. “I know just where we should look for our item.”
His warning died away, replaced by a surge of warmth and desire for the innocent beauty so eagerly tugging on his hand. He allowed her to pull him in the direction of a hill covered with purple wildflowers and away from the scattering pairs. The flowers brushed against his breeches as they trudged up the slope.
Audrey moved slightly ahead of him, but he did not hurry to rush to her side. Instead, he enjoyed the gentle swaying of her hips as she walked. Once at the top, he followed her lead to the far side of the hill and glanced down at the city displayed below.
“Breathtaking,” she murmured.
“Yes,” he agreed, not sparing another look at the city when such a beautiful woman stood by his side with her hand still firmly curled around his. He drank in every detail about her. The long slender slope of her neck. Her silky tresses cascading around her shoulders. Her high cheekbones and those generous lips. He curled his fingers tighter around hers. Desire pounded through him. He wanted to feel her lips once again. A sudden errant thought assailed him. If she were his, he could kiss her quite often. Yet she was not his, and never would be, but it did not matter. He wanted to kiss her one more time. Just once. Never again.
“Where is your chaperone?” He winced at the hoarseness of his voice.
She swiveled away from him, crossed back to where they had ascended the hill and peered over. “She’s coming. Rather slowly but surely.” Turning back, she tilted her head to the side. “Whatever is the matter, Trent? Are you afraid to be alone with me?”
A bark of laughter escaped him. She was teasing him. Tempting him. And he would crumble. He was only human, after all. “Come here,” he commanded, curling his index finger at her.
She moved toward him without hesitation. He gently grasped her shoulders and drew her near. “I want to kiss you.”
“Then why do you not?” Her cheeks colored to a bright pink.
“Because I can promise you nothing. I am taking without giving.” What the hell am I doing? He was not sure what he might be considering, but he was certain there was no time to think on it now, not with her chaperone pressing down on them.
Unblinking, she gazed at him. “Take. Later you can give. I believe in you.”
Good God, he didn’t even believe in himself anymore, but her words battered his control to nothing
. He cupped her delicate face in his hands, and as his lips descended on hers she exhaled with a sigh and her sweet breath filled his mouth. Knowing it was dangerous to let go completely, he started the kiss slow, but when Audrey delved her hands into his hair and tugged him closer, he could not hold back. The tether that held him snapped.
He ravaged her mouth, wanting to consume and possess her. Questions ceased, replaced by wonder. Her soft lips molded to his and she met each stroke of his tongue with a velvet one of her own. Behind him, the snap of a twig and the huff of an exhausted breath alerted him to the approach of her chaperone. With a growl, he ended the kiss.
Bemusement flittered across her face and as much as he did not want to turn away, he did in time to greet her chaperone and offer a helping hand up the last step of the hill.
“Now you help me,” the silver-haired woman muttered and pushed past him to waddle by. She plucked her hands on her hips as she faced them. “You two must slow your pace. I cannot keep up and I will not be lapse in my duties.”
“Of course, Ms. Frompington,” Audrey replied, her voice raised.
Trent arched a questioning eyebrow at her.
Audrey inclined her head to her chaperone. “Ms. Frompington has a little trouble hearing, don’t you?” Audrey said in a loud voice.
“You say you saw a deerling?” the woman demanded. “Is that some sort of special breed of deer?”
“Yes, indeed,” Trent inserted with a smile.
Audrey rolled her eyes and pointed toward the ground. “I actually came up here for a purpose.”
“Me too,” Trent said, unable to resist baiting her.
She gave him a sidelong glance and a lovely smirk that caused his chest to tighten.
“According to Whitney, you and I are to find a pair of quizzing glasses. And I thought what better place to hide a pair of quizzing glasses than at the spot in the park with the best view.”
Admiration filled his chest. “By Jove, you are brilliant.”
“I like to think so,” she said, humor underlying her tone.
“Shall we?” he asked, kneeling to his haunches and patting the grass around him.
“I’m far too old to kneel,” Ms. Frompington declared.
Trent caught Audrey covering the smile on her face. When she moved her hand, she had impressively schooled her features. “Why don’t you sit on that bench over there?” Audrey pointed to a wooden bench a few feet away that faced out toward the city below. With a nod, Ms. Frompington walked toward the seat and plopped down with her back to them.
Audrey knelt beside him, their heads almost touching. The afternoon sun shone down on her head and made the black strands of her hair gleam like a stone polished to perfection. His breath caught in his chest. The picture was perfect, except for the offending flower Thortonberry had put in her hair. Trent plucked the bud from behind her left ear.
She raised her hand to her hair and tucked the dangling strand behind her ear. “Why did you do that?”
He threw the flower to the ground. “I don’t want you taking anything from Thortonberry. What were you doing earlier with your head pressed so close to his?”
She stopped her search of the grass and gave him a sidelong glance. “Trying to see if I could make you jealous two days in a row.”
“You say the most surprising things,” he grumbled. The devil of it was he loved that about her. She was utterly capable of artifice when needed yet somehow still seemed honest to a fault at her core. She was a contradiction, and part of him wanted to believe such honesty existed in a woman, but another part of him was attached to his vow to never allow a woman to unhinge him body and soul again.
Audrey stared at him without blinking. “I’ll take the fact I can surprise you as a compliment, though my father has assured me time and again, I should endeavor to be silent lest I drive whatever man has interest in me away with my audacious opinions.”
“Your father is an addle pate. I love your intelligence.”
“Do you?” A sly grin pulled at her lips.
Damned if he didn’t. “I do,” he admitted with some hesitation, wanting to make her feel good but not wanting her to think his admiration changed his stance on marriage.
“That’s nice to hear,” she murmured with a tremor in her voice.
He flicked his gaze to Ms. Frompington, who still had her back to them. Satisfied he was not putting Audrey’s reputation in any danger, he ran a finger down her smooth cheek. “Do not let your father quash your spirit.”
Her eyes widened and she nodded.
With a will born out of silently enduring countless nights of torture in Bagne de Toulon, Trent forced himself to pull away from her. His heart squeezed in his chest as a frown flittered across her face. He needed distance. Strange thoughts invaded his head, such as not wanting to see her marry anyone else. “We better find those quizzing glasses if we are going to beat the others back to the brook and claim the prize.”
Before she responded, a sharp cry came from the park bench. Trent scrambled to his feet, helped Audrey up, and they rushed over to her chaperone, who was struggling to stand while holding a pair of crushed quizzing glasses. The woman’s face twisted in a scowl. “I shifted in my seat and sat on these!” She shook the glasses in the air. Tiny shards sprinkled down. “What sort of beetle head brings quizzing glasses to the park?”
Trent glanced at Audrey and they burst out laughing. He held his hand out to a now glaring Ms. Frompington. “I’ll take those. I do believe you inadvertently located the item Lady Audrey and I were to find for the scavenger hunt.”
Ms. Frompington nodded and set the glasses into Trent’s palm. “Excellent,” she crooned. “Now we can join the rest of the group and bid our farewells.”
“Farewells?” Audrey asked.
Ms. Frompington nodded. “I’m injured.” The chaperone pointed to the rip in her dress close to her backside. “I believe I’ve been cut in a most delicate place. I’m afraid I need to go home, my lady, and tend to my injuries.”
“Of course,” Audrey said with a sigh.
Trent frowned. He should be glad his goal was about to be accomplished. Audrey was going home and would be out of Thortonberry’s reach, at least for the rest of the afternoon. Yet he didn’t feel glad. Disappointment was more apt. She would be out of his reach as well and he would miss her company, which irked him immensely. He did not want to miss her presence. What he needed was a better plan of how to protect her from Thortonberry, but devil take it if he knew what that was at the moment.
Not long later Audrey strolled toward her carriage arm and arm with Whitney. Her friend pressed close. “You’re sure you have to leave?”
Audrey nodded. “Yes. Ms. Frompington is not the resilient kind. If I insist we stay, she’ll spend the rest of the day complaining about her wounded backside and making me and all of you miserable.”
Whitney frowned. “You should tell your father you need another chaperone.”
“No. no. I truly like Ms. Frompington. Besides that, she is half-deaf which suits nicely when I’m trying to have a conversation with Trent.”
Whitney paused near Audrey’s carriage where Ms. Frompington waited. “And did you have a good conversation?”
They’d had a great deal more than good conversation, but Audrey wanted to relish her kiss with Trent a bit more before she shared it with her friend. “I think so, and I hope he thought so too.”
Whitney touched Audrey’s arm. “You do not appear overly pleased.”
Audrey nibbled on her lip, thinking on the conversation with her father. “I am pleased with the time I spent with Trent. I was hoping to have more. My time is running out to make your cousin realize he loves me. Father told me this morning that I am to accept an offer of marriage from Mr. Shelton at the Lionhursts’ ball.”
“No!” Whitney exclaimed, gripping her arm. “Mr. Shelton is awful.”
“I know. So you see my predicament has become dire.”
“Lady Audrey.” Ms. Fromp
ington popped her head out of the carriage. “I do not mean to rush you, dear, but I’m developing a terrible megrim to go with my aching wound.”
Audrey locked gazes with Whitney. “I better go.”
“Do not worry,” Whitney whispered. “I shall think of some way to help you expedite Trent’s realization.”
Audrey nodded, though really she was not sure exactly what else they could do.
Early the next day, Audrey’s stomach fluttered as she followed Sally and the duke down the center aisle of Saint James chapel for Whitney and Mr. Sutherland’s wedding. The Primwittys’ stopped at the second row to the front to speak with Whitney’s sister Gillian and her husband Lord Lionhurst. Audrey hung back, feeling rather awkward as the two couples took turns reminiscing over how they each had met the other and their own weddings. Everyone was married or getting married.
A pang of jealousy tightened Audrey’s stomach, but she forced it away. She was thrilled Whitney was marrying the man she loved, and she refused to let envy have any part of this special day. “I’m making progress,” she muttered under her breath.
“Making progress with what?” a deep velvet-tinged voice demanded directly behind her.
She grinned and faced Trent, her breath catching in her throat and her heartbeat tripping then speeding ahead. He looked marvelous. The dark blue frock coat did nothing to conceal the fact that he was a well-built man and she rather liked that. What she liked even better was the way his light trousers clung to the muscles of his thighs.
He flashed a rather wolfish smile at her. “Have you forgotten what it is you were making progress with?”
She blinked, whipped up her fan and tried to ward off the blush that crept up her neck. She certainly could not tell him she believed she was making progress with him. That would likely make him run in the other direction. “Progress with taking my seat,” she whispered. “I did not want to be rude and ask anyone to move.”
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