Chapter Twenty-One
J ulian couldn’t believe that he had kissed Ariadne again. And not a mere peck on the lips. No, the kiss had started out fiery and only increased in passion from there. He could no longer lie to himself.
He loved her—and he was miserable without her.
Yet he refused to ruin her life. Ariadne was a special woman. He might have only met a small sliver of Polite Society since the Season began, but it was obvious she was unique. It was only fitting that she wed a man worthy of her. Already, thanks to his connection with Con and Val, he had met several gentlemen at White’s and other social affairs. Julian had always considered himself a good judge of character, and he recognized a handful who stood head and shoulders above others. Those were the kind of gentlemen Ariadne needed to consider for her husband, not an undereducated dockworker who had only become a marquess because of a turn of good fortune.
The current situation he found himself in was one entirely of his own making. Julian had already told Ariadne he had no wish to pursue her. He had avoided her at social events. Yet he had done the unthinkable last night, dragging her into an alcove and kissing her senseless. It had not only been the absolute wrong thing to do, but he also knew it was dishonorable to trifle with her feelings in such an irresponsible manner. He was no different than the selfish blighters who toyed with a woman’s feelings, only to discard her as rubbish.
Julian determined to apologize to her a final time—and then never speak to her again. It would likely mean cooling his friendship with Val and even Con, but things simply could not continue the way they were. He needed to get as far away from Ariadne as possible so he wouldn’t be tempted to give in to his baser desires as he had last night. He shuddered to think about the outcry which would have occurred if anyone had discovered them together in that alcove. It had only been thanks to the voices he’d heard which had helped him cool his ardor and leave her before he took things further.
Still, he needed a wife. Though it would do a disservice to wed one woman when he was in love with another, he vowed to treat his wife kindly and respectfully. Of all the ladies he had met so far, the one who interested him the most was Lady Alicia. Where a majority of the wallflowers were painfully shy, Lady Alicia was spirited and intelligent. He had enjoyed being at her table for cards last night. It was her third Season to be out, and it didn’t seem as if she had any prospects.
His mind was made up. Julian would offer for Lady Alicia. Con had even told him about something called a special license, an expensive way to wed, but one which allowed forgoing the calling of the banns and the three-week wait that process entailed. He would speak first to Lady Alicia and if she seemed willing to proceed, he would then go to her father and ask the earl for his daughter’s hand. That settled, he would purchase the special license and wed as quickly as possible before retiring to Aldridge Manor for the remainder of the Season. Ariadne would be out of sight.
And hopefully, out of mind, both now and in the future.
Dreading today’s tea, he would go anyway. It would give him an opportunity to spend additional time with Lady Alicia and also meet her parents. Hopefully, they could get to know him a bit, and his offer would not come as a surprise to them. Julian would pay special attention to Lady Alicia today. She was a very nice person and deserved better than what Polite Society had tossed her way.
He arrived at the same time Con and his parents did, finally meeting Lord and Lady Marley. They were accompanied by Con’s aunt, whom he introduced as Lady Traywick. Parsons took the five of them upstairs to the drawing room.
“We are quite a large party for teatime this afternoon,” Her Grace said after welcoming them. “Ariadne will pour out for you young people over there.”
Julian glanced and saw a teacart already in place next to a grouping of seats near the windows. It would be easier to maneuver into a position to sit next to Lady Alicia in a smaller setting.
She and her parents arrived and were introduced to the duke and duchess. All three seemed in awe, being in a duke’s drawing room.
Con said, “My aunt has designated the young people to sit over here, Lady Alicia.” Taking her arm, Con led her across the room.
He had wanted to be the one who did so, but it would seem churlish to chase Con away at this point. Unfortunately, Val had followed them, leaving him alone with Ariadne.
“May I take you to tea?” he asked lightly, offering his arm.
She took it, and Julian felt the heady rush of her touch, as well as inhaling her vanilla scent.
As they crossed the room, she sternly said, “Do not leave today until we have talked.”
“I do not think we have anything to talk about,” he said, trying to put her off.
She halted, gazing up at him, fire in her eyes. “You do not get to kiss me the way you did last night and not explain yourself.”
Her icy tone froze his blood. “What if I said I merely lost my head?” he asked, trying to make light of it.
“You owe me more of an explanation than that, my lord. And I will have it. Today.”
She tugged on him, and they continued across the room until they had reached the others. Con and Lady Alicia settled on a settee together, while Val sat in a chair, his back to the windows. Reluctantly, Julian took a seat beside Ariadne on another settee.
Pouring out for them, Ariadne handed saucers and cups to everyone, with Lady Alicia saying, “You do that with such ease, my lady.”
“Thank you,” Ariadne said graciously. “Or rather, thank my governess. Miss Nixon not only taught me good penmanship and how to conjugate French verbs, but she also put me through many a practice of being a hostess. Miss Nixon said pouring out is a great art, not one to be underestimated, and we did so on many occasions until she was pleased with me. She is governess to my two younger sisters. Lia and Tia will make their come-outs next spring.”
“Those are beautiful names, Lia and Tia. They sound so musical,” Lady Alicia observed.
“They are actually named Cornelia and Thermantia,” Val explained. “Our father was interested in history and insisted on unusual, historical names for all his children. Aunt Charlotte, Con’s mother, did the same with her children, as did Uncle George with his. Aunt Agnes, Lady Traywick, is my uncle’s widow.”
Julian chose two sandwiches and a slice of cake and listened more than he spoke. He still felt odd at times in Polite Society, even amongst his two friends here, and he worried about making a faux pas, what his valet referred to as an embarrassing social blunder. He wanted to present himself in the best possible light so when he did offer for Lady Alicia, she would have no qualms in accepting him.
When they finished eating, Val said, “It is much too pretty a day to stay indoors.”
He worried Val would suggest a drive through Hyde Park. It was a place Julian had avoided, knowing if he were seen there, his name would be coupled with any woman with him.
“How about a walk in our gardens?” Ariadne suggested. “I would appreciate a leisurely stroll in nature. I endured another dress fitting today at Madame Laurent’s and then was busy for morning calls before tea.”
“Excellent idea,” Con said, coming to his feet and then assisting Lady Alicia to hers, something which Julian wished he could have been able to do. Instead, he offered his hand to Ariadne to assist her to her feet.
“I will tell Mama where we are off to,” Val offered, heading toward the older people.
The four of them left the drawing room and went downstairs, exiting through a set of French doors, which opened onto the terrace.
“The gardens are this way,” Ariadne said, leading them down the stairs of the terrace and to the garden’s entrance.
By now, Val had caught up to them. He began talking with Lady Alicia, with Con moving to her other side. They set off down the pathway, leaving him with Ariadne.
“You are stuck with me, my lord,” she said, no humor in her voice.
Forcing himself to behave as a gentleman, he slipped her hand through the crook of his arm and followed his friends. They were quite a ways ahead of them, though, and Julian could feel Ariadne deliberately keeping their pace to a crawl. He knew it was so they might speak privately. He owed her that much.
Continuing to move slowly, she said, “We are alone now, Lord Aldridge. I need for you to explain yourself. Your actions of last night. Do you know how frustrating it is to have you tell me in no certain terms that you have no interest in me and then avoid me entirely, only to have you kiss me with no warning? Your behavior is perplexing. Though your kiss was most welcomed,” she added softly, gazing up at him.
She would never stop hounding him until she got the truth out of him, so Julian decided to give it to her.
“I am attracted to you, Ariadne. More than attracted. I have an intense physical desire for you. One which has caused me to behave in a very ungentlemanly fashion. For that, I apologize.”
“Those same feelings are inside me, as well, Julian,” she said earnestly. “I have not understood why you pushed me away in the first place, only that I am grateful I am not alone in these feelings.” She hesitated. “I know ladies are supposed to refrain from such frankness, but I desire you, Julian. Your kiss transports me to the heavens. I feel as if I cannot live without it.” She hesitated before adding, “Without you.”
Guilt ran through him. “You cannot feel this way,” he said harshly.
Anger sparked in her eyes. “And you cannot tell me how I may feel.” She looked pleadingly at him. “Why are you fighting this, Julian? This thing between us cannot be denied. It is powerful. I have been so unhappy when I should be relishing my come-out. All I think about is you, though. You are the only person I wish to be with.”
“Enough!” he said sharply. “We cannot be together, Ariadne. Do not continue to pester me this way.”
Her cheeks flushed with anger now. “I am annoying you? Here I am pouring out my heart and soul to you, trying to let you know I understand the connection between us. That I want something permanent to come from it. Yes, I will say it, Julian, because you seem to be a coward and wish to ignore it.”
Ariadne yanked her hand away, placing fisted hands on her waist. “I love you. I love kissing you. I love how it makes me feel. And I want more of it. More of you. Call me wanton, but I burn with desire for you.”
He was too late. Her heart was engaged. This was going to prove messy, but she needed to hear him out.
Coldly, he said, “You need to listen to reason, my lady. With your head—and not your heart. I am not the one for you. I will never be worthy of you. I lack all the social graces necessary to be your husband. I have but two years of schooling because I was needed to earn money to survive. Survive , Ariadne. I labored to put a meager amount of food on our table, and it was never enough. I went to bed nightly with hunger pangs gnawing at my belly, listening to my mother cry herself to sleep because she could not provide enough for the two of us with her sewing.”
He paused, seeing her eyes mist with tears. “I do not need or want your pity. You are a duke’s daughter, and you should wed a man of good breeding. I am the grandson of a tailor, a working man, who tossed his daughter out when she became with child. I may possess a title now, but deep inside, I am still that barely educated, crude man of the docks, lacking in tact and social graces. You deserve a man who is polished in speech and manners. One who will never embarrass you. A man worthy of you.
“Because you are the most beautiful, wonderful creature in all of the ton .”
She gazed at him, her astonishment evident. “That is why you are pursuing a wallflower,” she said, understanding lighting her face. “You think to make one of them your marchioness and retreat from Polite Society.” Then stubbornness tightened her jaw. “I will not have it, Julian. You are mine.”
Before he could react, Ariadne had flung herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck, forcing his mouth down to hers. She kissed him, but Julian refused to yield, keeping his lips tightly together.
She broke the kiss and glared at him. “You better kiss me before I enter the nunnery.”
“What the bloody hell are you talking about?” he asked, totally confused by her statement. “You are not a Catholic.”
Grinning, she said, “Well, I suppose I will become one now. Because you are the only man for me, Julian Barrington. The only one I wish to kiss. The man I want as the father of our many children. If you deny me, then I will quit Polite Society. I will never wed. Never know the touch of a man. I will become a pious nun and spend twenty hours a day at prayer.” She paused. “You are the only man I will ever want. My future is in your hands. Either I can become a very satisfied wife whom you make love to regularly—or the joints of my knees will become enflamed and painful because of all the time I spend on my knees in prayer.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “You little minx,” he said, his resolve to keep the woman he loved at a distance crumbling.
Ariadne frowned. “I am not certain I have ever heard that term. Is it good—or bad?”
“Shall we say it is not something any daughter of a duke should be called.”
Her eyes lit with mischief. “Is it a wanton?”
“Yes,” Julian said, sliding his arms about her waist. “But you are only to be a wanton in my bed. No other,” he commanded, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake in accepting him.
“I can agree to that,” she said saucily. Then she frowned. “But I do not wish to be your mistress, Julian.”
“I would never ask that of you, love.” When her eyes widened hearing that word, he said, “Yes. You are my love. My one and only love. I will worship you until the day I die and even from beyond the grave.”
He kissed her, hard and demanding. She yielded to him, opening, and he plundered her mouth, tasting her sweetness and innocence, joy filling his heart.
Ariadne broke the kiss. “Are you offering for me, Lord Aldridge?”
“I most definitely am, my lady.”
“We should tell Val first,” she insisted. “Then he can go with you to Papa. Papa has charged Val with approving my husband.”
Taking her hand, he said, “Let us go find him—and share our good news.”
They caught up to their companions, and Con grinned wickedly at them. “Do you have something to say, Aldridge? You look as if you do.”
“I do.” Looking to Val, he declared, “I am in love with your sister, my friend. We wish to wed as soon as possible.” He did not think Ariadne would mind a quick engagement, especially after she had expressed her love for him.
Val looked at them, his smile broadening as he offered Julian his hand. “I am happy to welcome you into the family, my friend.” Then he embraced his sister. “I assume this is what you want, Sis?”
“Most definitely,” she said, her voice filled with happiness, her face radiant.
“My, a betrothal!” Lady Alicia proclaimed. “And so early in the Season. Why, you will be the first couple to announce your engagement. My congratulations to you both.”
Julian turned to her, the woman he had thought he would wed. “I hope someday, my lady, you will find someone who loves you as much as I love Lady Ariadne.”
Lady Alicia’s eyes filled with tears. “We shall see, my lord.”
“We need to go speak with Papa,” Val declared. “Come along, everyone. Julian, I will have you wait in the study for us. Papa and I will be there shortly.”
Val had Parsons take Julian to the study, where he paced nervously. He was filled with euphoria. A part of him was still uncertain that he was the right man for Ariadne, but his stubborn love would accept no one but him. For that, he was immensely grateful.
The door opened, and His Grace and Val entered, the duke looking stern, while Val grinned from ear to ear.
“Claibourne says you wish to speak to me about an important matter, Aldridge.”
He bowed to the duke. “Yes, Your Grace. I have grown most fond of your daughter and wish to make her my marchioness.” Julian swallowed, waiting, knowing this man could make him the happiest soul on the planet—or break him.
“My son tells me you are his first choice for Ariadne to wed,” Millbrooke told him. “He claims you are a fine gentleman, one who will love my daughter and care for her always.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” he said resolutely.
The duke nodded. “Then you have my permission to wed my eldest daughter.”
They returned to the drawing room, where His Grace made the betrothal announcement. Everyone congratulated them, welcoming him to the family. He thought how it had only been his mother and him all his life, but now he would be a part of a very large family.
Her Grace called for champagne, and while it was being brought, Ariadne quietly asked, “You mentioned you wished to wed quickly.”
“I may have spoken out of turn,” he admitted. “I should have first consulted you.”
Her eyes shined brightly at him. “I would be happy to wed you tomorrow, Julian, but I have longed to wed at home. There is a small village near Millbrooke. Willowshire. I would like our wedding to take place inside the church there.”
“I will purchase a special license tomorrow,” he told her. “It is good for thirty days.”
“Do so,” she agreed. “I will help Mama work out the details.” She beamed at him. “By this time next week, we should be man and wife.”
Man and wife . . .
Julian decided he quite liked the sound of that.