Chapter 24 #2
To her surprise, he stopped dancing, took her by the hand, and pulled her off the dance floor. Marianne, Charlotte, and Evelyn noticed the movement and turned, looking on in concern.
He led her through the ballroom, and together they made their way outside. Once they were in the large garden that sat behind Marianne and Lucien’s townhouse, the music from the ballroom faded, and it was just the two of them.
“Let us go to the park,” he suggested. “Green Park is just over yonder. Most improper, but necessary.”
Frances nodded.
They made their way across the street in their fancy attire and then into the park. It was already dark, save for the moon and stars that dotted the sky.
“I did not want to risk anyone overhearing us,” James murmured. “The ton thrives on scandal and gossip.”
“I understand.”
“What I was going to say is that after Marcus died, my father entirely blamed me for the incident. Laid the whole tragedy at my feet. He said if I had kept my temper in check, if I had not addressed him the way I had, if I hadn’t provoked him, his temper would not have flared, and we would not have scuffled, and the entire thing would not have happened. ”
“That is beyond the pale!” Frances burst out. “Your father was a wretched man. A wretched—”
“I agree,” James cut in, amusement lacing his voice. “But it is what it is. In any case, I believe him. I have always had a temper. A choleric disposition, my father called it. You remember Wentworth? I struck him once. Planted a right facer on him. He lost a tooth.”
“I am aware. But it sounds as though he deserved it, given what you and Gideon told me.”
“Perhaps. But it is not the sort of behavior becoming of a duke. It is the sort of behavior that has always caused me trouble. It is why I must keep my wits about me.”
They walked in silence for a few moments, but then she looked at him again.
“Have you ever considered that your father was wrong in blaming you and in the way he treated you all along?”
He nodded. “Yes, and a part of me knows that he was wrong. But there is another part that cannot quite believe it. You see, for the longest time, after Marcus died, my father held the incident over my head, saying if I did not do as he pleased, he would reveal that I was the one who killed my brother.”
“That is ridiculous! Your brother was killed by your father. Yes, it was an accident, but it was your father who swung the fire poker.”
“Yes… But who would believe the spare over the Duke? He told me that he would tell everybody that he walked into the room while Marcus and I quarreled, and then I hit him with a fire poker, killing him. He said that his telling everybody that Marcus died from a gunshot wound was doing me a favor.”
Frances snorted, even though she was aware that it was not ladylike. “He protected himself. He killed Marcus, the wicked villain. In any case, what happened to the young man who actually shot him in the duel? Hollingsworth?”
James shrugged. “To this day, Oliver Hollingsworth believes that he is the reason my brother is dead. Another burden on my shoulders. And his, I suppose. Although I must say that he has taken it quite well. He is a nobleman, so there were no repercussions for him in that regard. Rank has its privileges, as they say.”
“Why are you telling me all of this now?” she asked.
“Because you deserve to know. I should’ve told you the night I made my confession, but…” His lips snapped shut.
But she had kissed him, and he had run away.
Should she remind him of that? Clearly, he knew. It was evident from the way he could not face her, the way he continued to look straight ahead.
“You deserve to know,” he reiterated.
“Thank you,” she replied.
“In any case, I also wanted to remind you that this in no way binds you to me anymore than you were bound to me before. Once we have convinced Somerset Trust of the validity of our marriage and our ability to run the estate, I will try to buy them out. And once that is done, you are free to seek an annulment, live separately—whatever you wish.”
“Free?”
He had just made another confession, something he clearly hadn’t told anyone in a long time, and now he was talking about her freedom again?
“What if I want to stay married to you?” she asked.
He stopped and turned to her. “You would wish to stay married to me, even though I’ve told you my greatest shame?”
“I have told you, your greatest shame is not a shame at all. It is not anything you did. I… I do care for you,” she admitted. “More than I ought, perhaps. More than is wise. Surely you must know that.”
He turned his head to the left, his jaw working as he ground his teeth.
“I do know that,” he said quietly.
He turned to her and held her hands tighter, when out of nowhere, a horse’s hooves thundered their way. Frances turned to the left just in time to see a riderless horse galloping toward them.
She was frozen in terror, rooted to the spot like a statue, unable to move, when James yanked her forward with strength born of desperation. She fell hard onto the sandy ground as the horse sped past them. It ran so fast that the gust of air lifted the hem of her dress as she lay on the ground.
James turned and covered her body with his, even though the danger had already passed. She blinked and looked up at him, and then she saw something that told her everything she needed to know.
His expression was sheer panic. Naked fear, raw and unguarded. His lips were parted, his eyes wide, and all color had drained from his visage. He was breathing hard, and not only from the sudden exertion.
He was scared. Scared that something might have happened to her. If he hadn’t yanked her out of the way, the horse would have trampled her, and then who knows what would have happened.
“Such idiocy,” he said. “To let a horse run in such a manner… You could’ve been…”
“But I wasn’t.” She raised her hand and gently rested it on his cheek.
Then, James lowered his head and placed his lips on hers.
The kiss wasn’t searching or questioning the way hers had been. It was demanding. Full of desire. It was as though he was claiming her with this kiss.
She kissed him back, her arms wrapping around his back as they lay in the middle of the park. Scandalous beyond measure, kissing in public.
It was most uncouth, but at that moment, Frances did not care. His weight pressed her down, and she was certain that this time, everything between them would change.
For this time, it was not she who had made the move. It was him. He had let her know what he wanted and what he needed, and clearly, what he wanted was her.