Chapter Twenty
B efore she knew what was happening, Ariadne was kissing Julian. This kiss was even more unexpected than the first one had been. It proved fierce from the start, as he took charge of it.
And her.
His arms were about her now, crushing her to him, so there was no avenue of escape. Of course, escape was the last thing on her mind. She had dreamed nightly of being captive in his arms again, never thinking it could become a reality. She knew she should be sensible. Push him away. Scold him for trying to take advantage of her. Forbid him from ever speaking to her again. For once, though, she would follow her heart.
Damn the consequences.
She began kissing him back, her fervor equal to his. She had learned enough about kissing from the last lesson he had given her. Not only passion, but also confidence soared through her. His tongue swept into her mouth, sending a humming through her body. The familiar sensations began to grow inside her again, feelings only Julian Barrington brought to her.
He broke the kiss, and she murmured a protest low in her throat, needing more. His lips trailed down her throat, finding her pulse point, his tongue lapping at it, causing it to jump even more erratically. His mouth moved even lower, his tongue following the arch of the top of her breast, sending shooting desire through her. Ariadne whimpered, causing his mouth to return to hers. Then voices sounded in the corridor, merely feet from them.
This was madness.
He broke the kiss, his lips hovering just above hers as they waited for whoever was nearby to move on. As the conversation grew fainter, Julian kissed her once more, a deep, lingering kiss which set her afire. Everything about this situation was wrong—but his kiss felt so right.
Ending it, his lips moved to her ear, and he whispered, “Let me leave first. Stay here for another minute or so. If anyone is present in the hallway, I will distract them so you can make your escape. Return to the retiring room. Make certain you look presentable before you come to the library.”
She nodded in understanding, his lips grazing her earlobe, causing her breath to hitch. He released her, and his warmth left her. Ariadne wanted to cry out for him to come back to her. To hold her and kiss her again. To never leave her side. She remained silent, though, watching him slip from the alcove, leaving her in darkness again as she tried to catch her breath.
Why had Julian kissed her?
Despite telling Ariadne he no longer had an interest in her, it was obvious he had a great deal he needed to explain to her. A man did not kiss a woman like that for no reason. She determined she must speak to him. Alone. Try to understand why he had pushed her away and deny what existed between the two of them.
Hearing no voices, she composed herself, smoothing her skirts before parting the curtain slightly. As she glanced out, she saw no one to her right, where the retiring room was located, but to her left, Julian was engaged in conversation with someone she didn’t recognize. Julian faced her and nodded for her to make her move. She supposed he had waylaid the gentleman he spoke with, maneuvering him so his back was to the alcove.
Quickly, she hurried down the hall and once more entered the retiring room, spying a maid clipping the thread and tying it off from where she had rehemmed Lady Alicia’s gown mishap, which Ariadne already knew was no mishap at all.
“Lady Ariadne, are you all right?” asked Lady Alicia. “Your cheeks are quite flushed.”
She fanned herself with her hands. “I found myself overheated in the library,” she lied smoothly. “I thought to come and splash water upon my cheeks to try and cool down.”
Hearing her words, a maid leaped into action, pouring water from a pitcher into a basin. Ariadne scooped some water into her hands and splashed it onto her cheeks several times, accepting a linen cloth from the maid to pat her face dry.
The maid handed her a hand mirror, and she caught a glimpse of herself, seeing her color was still high and her lips slightly swollen. Hopefully, it was not as noticeable now.
“Are you ready to return to the drawing room?” she asked her companion, slipping her arm through Lady Alicia’s.
“I am,” the young woman replied. “And eager to see who our next card opponents will be.”
As they strolled down the corridor, she saw Julian and his companion were now gone.
“I wish I had not been so clumsy,” Lady Alicia fretted. “At least there was a maid who could repair the hem on my gown.”
Deciding to clue this woman in as to what she had observed earlier, Ariadne said, “I saw what happened, my lady, and it was no fault of yours. I believe Lady Eliza deliberately stepped on your gown and continued to hold her foot upon it as you moved away.”
Lady Alicia looked puzzled. “Why would she do such a thing?”
Ariadne said, “I am not one who wishes to spread gossip, but I have heard some most unfavorable things about Lady Eliza. She is very competitive, as well as petty. I think she was trying to prevent you from returning to play in a timely fashion, meaning you and Con would have to forfeit your next match.”
Her companion halted their progress, her eyes round and wide in surprise. “You truly believe she would do something so wicked?”
She nodded. “I witnessed it myself. While it is conceivable Lady Eliza could have accidentally stepped on your gown, the fact that she did not step away immediately but waited for you to move lets me know her action was intentional. I would do my best to avoid her in the future if I were you, my lady.”
“Thank you for your advice, Lady Ariadne.” She smiled ruefully. “It is not often I gain the attention of anyone. Surely, Lady Eliza does not think I am a rival to her.”
“Who knows what lurks in her mind?” she asked as they entered the drawing room again. “Ah, there is Con. He looks a bit flustered.”
Her cousin rushed to them. “I am glad you finally returned, Lady Alicia. Play is about to begin again. Lady Atterby has already assigned our table to us.”
Ariadne watched the pair go to a table, seeing Lady Eliza already sitting at it.
After Con seated Lady Alicia, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Ariadne returned her new friend’s smile, hoping Con and his partner would be victorious.
Glancing about the room, she saw Julian looking at her. It caused her breath to hitch, seeing him, finding him the most attractive gentleman in the room. Crossing to him, she joined the table, Julian rising to seat her.
Play began. Ariadne was determined to win every match after having given away the first one on purpose. The rest of the evening progressed. As she expected, she and Julian won every subsequent match. At one point between rounds, he escorted her to the library, where she drank some ratafia and nibbled on a tart and some cheese. She made a point of deliberately moving away from him, conversing with others. She found she liked a smaller social setting such as this as opposed to a ballroom full of guests, which could be a bit intimidating at times. Once again, she spent some time conversing with Lady Alicia, whom she liked very much. The young woman might be plain of face, but she was quick of wit, and her smile was contagious. If Julian truly wished to wed this woman, she would make a good companion to him and an excellent marchioness.
But why had he kissed her? Doing so had been incredibly dangerous for the both of them. They could have been discovered at any moment, even by another couple who might wish to avail themselves of the same actions in the alcove. Ariadne could not understand why he had taken such a risk, especially when he had had nothing to do with her since before the Season began.
What she needed were answers from him.
Play for the final match began, and Val and his vapid young lady were their opponents. The girl was quite pretty as her brother had mentioned, and Ariadne thought her neckline slightly too low, which definitely drew her brother’s eyes. Julian and she took every single game in this final round, their opponents no challenge to them in the least.
Once play ended, she spoke with others as they finished up. After every table had finished their match, scores were tallied, and the guests awaited the results.
Their hostess rang her little bell again, and all turned their attention to Lady Atterby, who declared, “The winners of tonight’s prizes are Lady Alicia and Lord Dyer.”
Lord Atterby handed over the prizes to the winning couple as the others in attendance applauded their efforts. Ariadne noticed only Lady Eliza refrained from the gesture, which seemed petty on her part.
She and Julian made their way to the victors. She took Lady Alicia’s hand and enthusiastically said, “I am delighted that you and my cousin won this evening.”
“I was happy to make your acquaintance, Lady Ariadne. It is not often I experience such kindness.”
Liking this woman very much, Ariadne asked, “Would you care to celebrate your win tonight by having tea with my family tomorrow afternoon?”
“Why, I would be honored to do so,” her friend replied, her cheeks flushing. “Thank you for such a lovely invitation.”
Ariadne turned her attention to Julian. “That invitation includes you as well, Lord Aldridge.” She intentionally included him because she hoped at one point to separate him from the others so she might get answers to her questions.
Looking to her cousin, she said, “And you, too, Con. We will celebrate your win.”
Val joined them, offering his hand to Con. “Congratulations, Cousin. You will have bragging rights at White’s tomorrow.”
She told her brother, “Con and Lady Alicia have agreed to join us at tea tomorrow.” Smiling at her new friend, she added, “Please feel free to bring you parents, as well, to chaperone you.”
Their group returned to the library for a final round of refreshments, Ariadne ignoring Julian the entire time. Only when they went downstairs did he move close to her, asking, “What are you up to, my lady?”
Giving him a benign smile, she said, “I could ask the same of you, my lord,” she countered, noting the tips of his ears pinkened slightly at her words. “We look forward to your company tomorrow during tea.”
Ariadne and Val stepped from the townhouse, her brother saying, “We will need to look for a hansom cab to convey us home, Sis, since Papa and Mama have use of the carriage.”
“I am happy to drop you,” a familiar voice behind them said.
Turning, she saw Julian smiling.
“Thank you, Julian,” Val said affably. “That is most kind of you.”
“We are practically going to the same destination,” the marquess said. “I am always happy to help out my friends.”
They stood together waiting for his carriage to be brought to them, the two men talking. Ariadne studied the marquess as they did so, trying to see if she might figure him out.
His carriage finally arrived, and she stepped forward quickly, allowing Julian’s footman to hand her up. She didn’t want him to touch her again because his touch confused her. The entire situation had her baffled, and Ariadne was determined to solve the mystery of where she stood with the Marquess of Aldridge.