Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Charlotte smiled politely and asked for pardon as she maneuvered through the crowd.
Music filled the hall, and people had already started dancing.
The event was in full swing, and a layer of excitement fizzed in the air, but Charlotte did not feel any of this herself.
Her heart thumped against her ribs, and there was an incessant throb behind her eyes from the fear that Edmund was going to ruin everything.
She slipped out of a side door and found herself in a corridor. Paintings hung on the walls, and the light was dim. The sounds of the party became muffled the further she moved away from it.
‘You’re not spying. You’re just making sure that nobody sees anything inappropriate. If Edmund were more responsible, then you wouldn’t have to resort to these measures,’ she thought.
Her brother was a good man, but sometimes, he allowed himself to get carried away and had a form of tunnel vision where he forgot that his actions had consequences for others.
Since she didn’t know where Edmund was, she had to try every room.
She came to the first door and pressed her ear against it.
Although she did not hear any sounds emanating from the room, she still pushed it open and peered inside.
It was dark and empty. She backed away, turning to continue her path along the corridor, but as soon as she did, she collided with a stranger.
It was as though she had walked into a stone wall.
The impact made her stagger back, and she had to take a moment to steady herself.
The gentleman standing before her was tall, stiff, and imposing.
He possessed a commanding aura that made it seem as though the rest of the world melted away, as if the only thing that mattered was him.
There was not a strand of hair out of place on his head. His eyes were gray and mysterious, while his jaw was strong. He was the kind of man that one never forgot they encountered.
Charlotte took a breath to compose herself as her mind swirled due to the sheer power of the stranger’s aura. Those gray eyes narrowed toward her. The voice that flowed from his lips was commanding and low, rumbling like a promise of thunder before a storm.
“My apologies. I did not see you there.” He caught himself for a moment, tilting his head. “I am unaccustomed to seeing a woman without a chaperone.” His suspicious gaze passed over her shoulder, looking for someone who wasn’t there.
“My brother is nearby. I am waiting for his return.” The words were a little too quick, her breath a little too frantic.
While it stung to lie for someone devoted to truth, desperation forced her tongue.
Her gaze was darting furtively around the corridor, praying that Edmund would not choose this moment to reveal himself.
She wasn’t sure she could think quickly enough to explain that awkward situation away.
The stranger’s eyes narrowed, and the weight of his gaze was palpable. Charlotte’s throat tightened. Usually, she was adept at verbal sparring, but there was something about this man and the situation that made her feel uneasy.
“Are you lying to me?” His voice was thick with accusation.
“Do you often accuse people you have just met of deceit?”
“I notice that you chose not to answer the question.”
“Because it is less a question and more an insult,” Charlotte replied, regaining some of her usual resolve.
“I do not wish to insult you. You have a second apology from me, yet I am still waiting for an answer.”
Charlotte pressed her lips together. His eyes were unblinking, his gaze unwavering. She didn’t wish to be a liar, but how was she supposed to tell him the truth? She cringed, knowing that the longer she remained here, the greater the chance there was of Edmund appearing.
While she was taking her time, the stranger sighed.
“I fear I know exactly why you are here,” he said, almost sounding disappointed.
Charlotte’s heart caught in her throat. Had he glimpsed Edmund? Is that why he had been distracted enough to bump into her?
“There is no chaperone, is there? You sought me out, as so many others have done before.” As he said this, there was no sense of boastful arrogance. In fact, he almost seemed resigned.
“And why would I wish to do that?”
“For marriage.”
Charlotte had to stop herself from laughing in shock.
“I…” She trailed away. He leaped upon her hesitation like a predator.
“Sadly, you would not be the first woman to try to corner me like this. I will tell you the same as I have told all the others. I will not be trapped in marriage.”
His words were precise and cutting, each of them perfectly formed and enunciated.
They were also outrageous. This was the type of man who made it easy for Charlotte to remember why she shunned the idea of marriage.
He was arrogant, demanding, and entirely egotistical.
To think that following him was the only reason why she was in the corridor!
“You see marriage as a trap?” she asked. Despite his curt manner, he might have been the only other person present who shared her view of marriage.
“Indeed, some seek to court me to earn a prize.”
“And what prize would that be?” she arched an eyebrow and flicked her head back, auburn locks shifting around her face.
“The prize of my name.” His lip curled as he spoke, giving him a savage quality that belied his noble appearance and garments.
“Your name is that impressive?”
“Some believe so.”
“I would seek more than a name before I was ever married. The man is more important.”
“You may believe that if you wish. I have met enough women like you to know the truth.”
Charlotte bristled, and her lips parted with shock at these arrogant and dismissive words.
It was a good thing he was uninterested in marriage since she couldn’t imagine any woman finding his attitude desirable.
Anyone who found themselves wed to him would undoubtedly be cursed, and she pitied whatever doomed creature found herself bound to him.
“You speak out of turn, sir. I have no interest in marrying you or any other man. This meeting is purely coincidental.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he replied curtly. There was no shadow of a doubt in his eyes, as though he was certain that if he said something, then it must be true.
“You clearly don’t believe in manners either. To accuse a stranger of having such base motivations is insulting.”
“As is being lied to so brazenly.”
“I do not lie.” Her voice dropped an octave. Their argument was quiet but intense. The air was peppered with the muffled sounds of the ball, the jaunty music clashing with the palpable tension in the air.
“Everything about you says that you are lying. Why else would you be in this corridor instead of in the main hall without a chaperone to be seen?”
“If I am lying, then why would I not be fawning over you as we speak? Perhaps you are not as desirable as you believe.”
Her words were sharp, too, for she was unwilling to give an inch to this man.
The stranger gave a single shake of his head. His eyes were filled with judgment, as though he already knew everything he needed to know about her. The sheer arrogance of it was an insult, and it made her nauseous.
“I have a responsibility to my name, to my family. I cannot tarnish my reputation with a dalliance in a dark corridor.”
“And once again, you presume that I am seeking such a dalliance. Believe me, sir, these lips are not eager for a kiss, and my eyes do not search for an opportunity to tempt a man. Even if they were, I would not seek to tempt you.”
He wore a smug, disbelieving smile.
“You are merely offended that I have seen through your guise. This is not a masquerade ball. Your intentions are laid bare.”
“I do not need a mask. If you do not listen to the truth, then there is nothing more I can say. But it is the height of arrogance to assume that you would be the object of my desire. I could be married or engaged for all you know.”
“Are you?” The simple question was so straightforward, and yet, it completely disarmed her. She stood there with an open mouth, frustration twisting inside her stomach as she was not used to being on the losing side of an argument.
“I thought as much,” he continued, as though her silence was all the confirmation he needed. “It would not surprise me if your family was mired in scandal already.” He spat the word ‘scandal’ as though it were poison.
Charlotte drew back, shocked and insulted.
“It is one thing to insult me, sir, but quite another to insult my family.” Charlotte’s face twisted with disgust. “Speaking with you, I am reminded yet again of why I do not seek marriage. I am not inclined to exist in this world you inhabit.”
“The one you seek is one where men do your bidding, no doubt.” He arched his eyebrow in a way that infuriated her.
“Believe me, sir, the world I seek is one where men like you are nowhere to be found. It is to my dismay that the moment I took to compose myself has been utterly ruined by encountering you. I don’t know with what standard of women you have acquainted yourself before, but I am nothing like them.”
“And yet here you remain when you could so easily have left my company.” His face was clouded with smug amusement, as though her very presence proved him right.
Charlotte was annoyed with herself, and although she was trying to guard against Edmund being spotted, she thought that retreating from this conversation was the only way to maintain her sanity.
“If that is an invitation to leave, then I shall gladly accept.”
“Then treat this as such, and perhaps we can put this unpleasant matter behind us.”
And that was the crux of the matter, really. For all her fears of Edmund being caught, it was she who was currently in a corridor speaking with a stranger with no chaperone in sight. As the stranger’s words rose through the air, she glimpsed two strangers approaching behind him.
There was a titter of laughter. For now, they seemed to be lost in their own company, but soon enough, they would see Charlotte and the stranger.
If they overheard the argument, they would surely come to investigate.
In this quiet corridor, even low noises carried far.
If she were seen, then she would be the subject of the very scandal she was trying to avoid.
Dark thoughts turned in her mind—thoughts of Mary falling to her knees and weeping, of lamenting her dire fate and giving up on life itself, of her daughter, Clara, growing up like an orphan.
Acting on instinct, Charlotte shot out her hand and clamped it around the stranger’s mouth. His eyes widened in shock at this improper touch, which went against everything she had just said. However, it was necessary.
He raised his hand slowly. His fingers were slender but strong.
They curled around her wrist. The pressure he placed upon her was enough for her to feel his coiled strength, but not enough to cause pain.
His gaze was unwavering. He pulled her hand away with ease, and his voice rose a notch, the words twisting with confusion.
“What are you doing?”
It was still very loud. The voices were coming closer. She had to do something to silence the stranger for long enough that the others would pass by.
And there was only one thing to do, even though the thought made her skin crawl.
She rolled forward on her tiptoes and closed her eyes in disgust, aiming for his mouth.
It was the barest brush of lip against lip, but still enough for her to sense the heat of him.
There was a strange aching sensation in the pit of her stomach, something that she had never experienced before, but there was no time to try to identify it.
It lasted only for a moment, but it left an indelible mark on her soul. All this to save Mary from ruin. Nobody would ever know. Nobody would ever thank her for her sacrifice.
He pulled away, and at least she received the effect she wanted.
He stared at her in disbelief and released her wrist from his grip.
His hand rose to his mouth, touching the echo of her kiss.
She waited for the harsh rebuke, the insults, but nothing came.
He stared at her unblinking before he slipped away like a ghost, receding into the shadows, and she was left alone.
The strength was sapped from her legs. She leaned against the wall and clutched her stomach, breathing heavily. The two people about whom she had been so concerned passed by without paying any attention to her at all. The victory was a pyrrhic one, however, because of how much it cost.
She had given her first kiss away to an insufferable stranger. Not only that, but she had lent credence to his assumptions about her. Her cheeks burned, and she quelled the memory of his warm lips. The less she thought about them, the better.
Instead, she directed her anger at Edmund. This was all his fault. If he had just done what she asked, then she would never have had to resort to such desperate measures!
She dabbed her lips with a cloth in the hope of wiping away the shame.
The only consolation was that there had been only one other witness, and given the way he spoke to her, she doubted that he would want people to know about this private episode.
There was darkness in her eyes as she continued her search for Edmund.
Now, she did not care if she interrupted him.
He deserved a little misery considering all she had to suffer.
As for this stranger, well, she hoped she would never have to see him again. The Iron Duke would not find any scandal in her family if she had anything to say about it.
She breathed deeply before she returned to the ball and prayed that she would never see this man again. The noises and sights of the ball poured over her. Lydia caught sight of her and waved her over.
“You must listen to this joke,” Lydia said, gesturing to Gubbins. It was almost as though Charlotte had never left, although her gaze kept darting back toward the dark corridor, and she kept licking her lips, wondering if she would ever forget the kiss.