Evading the Lieutenant (Apsley Family #3)

Prologue

Annette

A lady did not take a chaperone into a shadowed alleyway of London, for everyone knew that such a place was reserved for underhanded dealings or, in my case, secret rendezvous. Chaperones approved of neither.

After a quick glance up and down the street to ensure no one paid me any heed, I tucked myself into the darkness, disappearing from view so that gossips would not take note of me or who I intended to meet. The last thing I needed was to cause a scandal, thereby chaining my name to him indefinitely.

My nose wrinkled, both at the thought and the smell of the alley.

It was empty but for a few crates, most of which were cracked or deteriorating, but the air stung my nose with a pungent mix of alcohol and what I feared was human excrement.

They mingled together to form the most fetid scent, and I wanted nothing more than to rush to the nearest hot house and rub rose blooms beneath my nose.

I pressed my back against the wall and ran my gloved fingers over the roughness of the bricks, my breath shallow to avoid inhaling as much of the stench as possible. If the lieutenant did not show up post-haste…

Well, I would likely do something foolish in my irritation.

Mother always said I was far too brash, but I had done my very best to behave over the last several weeks. I had made my parents a promise and kept it with perfection. So long as one did not include my snappy retorts to Lieutenant Paget, that is.

I could hardly be blamed for it, though. The man found joy in teasing me. Taunting me. I was willing to bet ten pounds that he woke up each morning with a firm determination to spoil my day. In fact, he frequently went out of his way to do so.

Wretched man.

And now he was forcing me to wait for him in this disgusting alley.

Never mind that I had been the one to request this location. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Close enough to my family’s townhome that I could escape without notice, I had thought the deserted space might afford us the privacy we needed.

Something told me this conversation would not be taken well.

I ignored the guilt that swelled in my chest. The lieutenant and I had an agreement, but surely he would not fault me for breaking it, given the circumstances?

My fingers tapped against the brick wall.

No, if I had learned anything during my fake courtship with Edward Paget, it was that he would not let this go without a fight.

He needed me, and I had needed him. I would not have considered our arrangement otherwise.

Engagements and courtships were the furthest things from what I wanted, and our temporary ruse had been a means to an end.

That end had come for me. We were to return home to Kenwick Castle, where my father could rest, which meant I no longer had need of a faux suitor.

“Enjoying the scenery?”

My eyes flew toward the deep voice of the most obnoxious man in all of England.

Having spent a great deal of time with him, I could give him the title with confidence.

He stood right in front of me, close enough that if I reached forward, my hand would brush down the burgundy and white-patterned waistcoat he presently wore.

Not that I had any desire to run my hands along his chest, no matter how masculine it happened to be.

I was still a woman and, objectively speaking, would admit that the lieutenant was a handsome man with his dark-as-night hair and matching dark eyes.

Even the shadows couldn’t hide that particular truth.

My eyes trailed up his chest and neck until they met his gaze. His lips were quirked in that mischievous grin he always seemed to wear.

At least around me.

He cocked his head to one side, his grin turning smug. “Ah, you are certainly enjoying the scenery now that I’m here. Not that I blame you.”

I scoffed, though heat crept into my cheeks. “Do not flatter yourself. I would much rather stare at these crates or even the rats I’m certain are living in them.”

“And smell them, too, no doubt.”

“As opposed to what? Smelling you? I can think of little else that would be so repulsive.”

It was the wrong thing to say, sparking a challenge.

Lieutenant Paget stepped closer, and to my dismay, I sucked in a breath—a breath full of his cologne.

It was warm, like foreign spices, and somehow carried the salty scent of the sea.

Over the past three weeks, I’d been close enough to this man on enough occasions that I’d recognize that smell anywhere.

But what was worse, I did not find it repulsive in the slightest. It invited me closer, intriguing and adventurous, like a boat ready to set sail to some far-off land.

He took another step forward. The tip of my nose almost brushed his coat, and the proximity set my pulse to pounding. The lieutenant leaned forward, his mouth at my ear and his breath teasing the loose hair at my neck. “Are you certain you find me repulsive?”

The word croaked out of me. “Yes.”

“Hard to believe, Miss Apsley. You requested to meet me in a dark alley. In private. But I won’t succumb to your seductive ways.”

“Seduc—” I shoved hard against his chest, and not because I wished to test its solidity for myself. He allowed the distance, that ridiculous grin more smug than before.

Dreadful man.

“I asked you here because we need to discuss our agreement. That is all, Lieutenant. Though I doubt your delirious mind will ever believe a woman would only want you for a conversation.”

His lips pursed as he nodded. “You're right. I cannot believe that is true. You must want something more from me.” He wet his lips, slowly and on purpose, so my eyes would follow the movement.

“You are insufferable,” I said.

“Yet you are still sending me love notes and staring at my lips.”

“I was not staring at your lips, and they are not love notes. I make a point to insult you at least twice each time.”

“But they are such lovely insults. Poetic, even.” He fluttered his long, dark lashes at me.

I rolled my eyes and bit back a groan. Best to get this over with so I could be done dealing with this man. After today, I never had to see him again.

I ignored the strange tightness that constricted my stomach at the thought. “Our ruse is at an end. I’m leaving Town tomorrow morning and no longer need you to keep suitors at bay.”

His incorrigible smirk disappeared in an instant. “What? We had an agreement.”

I lifted my chin. “Indeed, but as my family is for our country estate, I cannot see how it can be helped.”

Something flashed in his eyes, an emotion I couldn’t quite name. “Did you orchestrate this? We had a deal, Annette. You and I were to fake a courtship, so I was free to go about my business without being hounded by every eligible lady of the ton.”

“Not every lady has an obsession with you,” I snapped, choosing to ignore that he had, once again, used my Christian name without permission.

Though even I would admit that he did have a rather persistent group of admirers.

They had eased off since rumor of our courtship began, and part of me felt guilty for throwing him to the wolves again.

A very small, minuscule part.

“Not every lady. Clearly.” He shook his head. “Not the untouchable Miss Apsley, whose impenetrable heart makes no room for me.”

I poked a finger into his chest. It was very solid, much to my chagrin. “Why would I make room for you? Our courtship is a ruse. There is nothing real about it. We are not even friends.”

He inhaled, and I must have imagined him shifting closer.

Still, I had to lift my chin higher to hold his gaze from beneath my bonnet.

He laughed, but there was no humor in the sound.

“Perhaps if you had not been so set against me from the moment we met, we might have been friends. Regardless, it is not just me you push away, but every potential suitor, no matter how decent and good his character may be.”

“I do not want a suitor. I do not care if he has a title or is rich beyond reason. He could be the most handsome man in the world and rescue orphans on the daily, and I would still not want him. I wish for a life of independence and will manage well enough on my own.”

His jaw clenched. “I’ve no doubt, but that does not erase the fact that we had an agreement.”

“Which is now at an end. I’m certain you can find another woman to replace me. Surely any one of your devoted admirers would take up the mantle. As there were never any genuine feelings—”

“Only feelings of profound loathing.”

I scowled, though I should have welcomed the remark. It should not have stung. It did not. “Agreed, I loathe you completely, and it shan’t be difficult to terminate our relationship.”

His fiery gaze flicked to my lips, and he leaned forward until our faces were inches apart. “Walking away will be easy.”

My heart drummed against my chest, and I fought a ridiculous desire to reduce the distance between us. “A trifle.”

“Effortless.” His voice, now a low whisper, sent a chill through me.

We were too close now—closer than I could ever recall being to a man. I could see the differing hues within his dark eyes, which were more than the deep brown I had assumed them to be. They held flakes of gold and even green, dotting his irises like colored stars against the night sky.

And they pulled me in with some strange, mystical force until our breaths intermingled and the warmth of his body enveloped me. My gaze dropped to his lips, and my chest rose and fell at a pace meant for something far more exhilarating.

Edward Paget was not responsible for this heady sensation. He simply could not be. But, oh, how I wanted to find out. To prove myself correct.

Which of us eliminated the distance, I could not say, but his mouth found mine in the shadows of the alley.

His movements were eager—hungry—and I might have chided him were my own not a mirror.

With his kiss, I felt every ounce of his passion and desire, things I had not thought him capable of before now.

He was a flirt and a tease, but this zeal exceeded any expectation I could have imagined for a kiss, especially from him.

It was all-encompassing.

His hand found my waist and gently pressed me against the brick wall.

The other found its way to my neck, and his thumb caressed my skin, sending a pleasant shiver through my body.

I wrapped my arms behind his neck, pulling him closer still.

His cologne engulfed me. I wanted more—more kisses, more him.

My heart jolted at the thought, and I pushed him away with all the force I could muster.

No, no, no! How could I have allowed this to happen?

I had promised myself I would die a happy spinster.

I would not allow anyone to steal my independence.

There were too many risks to marriage—risks I had no intention of ever accepting.

I had seen the consequences. I did not want them.

“No.” The word came out breathy and weak, as if to betray how little my body wished to comply.

Lieutenant Paget blinked, momentarily dazed. He took me in, and his expression shifted to one of remorse. “Annette—”

“Our agreement is at an end,” I said, an embarrassing shakiness in my voice, then shuffled around him. I needed to leave, needed to get as far away from this man as possible until my confusion settled.

No, not until—forever. This was the last time I would ever see him.

A hand caught me by the wrist and tugged me to a stop. I spun around, ready to snap at him for grabbing me, but his surprisingly tender expression chased my frustration away.

“Forgive me,” he whispered. “I should not have…please don’t go. Stay. In London, I mean. I need you.”

I need you. Those words, those wretched wretched words! Why did they burrow through my walls so easily? Why did some part of me want to be needed by this man? Surely the feeling would flee the moment we parted—it had to. I did not want this.

“I cannot stay.” My voice choked. “My father’s condition has worsened. He wishes to return home.”

Understanding dawned on his features, and he released me. “Annette, if I had known—”

“I should have told you from the start. It is not your fault. We could have avoided all of…this.” I backed away from him, my heart still beating the rhythm of a war drum, the pull toward him achingly tangible. “Goodbye, Lieutenant.”

Tears clouded my vision. I whipped around and, lifting my skirts, rushed to the entry of the alley, away from the shadows.

Away from what should have been the biggest regret of my life.