Chapter 7
KENDRICK
Ihadn’t expected to be amused tonight. The last time I’d attended a ball was two years prior, and it had been a disaster. I hadn’t been looking for a bride, but I’d thought it best to keep my eye on the marriage mart in case the perfect prospect appeared.
As it turned out, it was next to impossible to get to know anyone when mothers were ushering their daughters away from me.
The only women who’d approached me that night were already married, which negated their candidacy as my future viscountess.
After that evening, I’d vowed to wait several years before bothering with another attempt.
But tonight, as I looked down at Miss Edwards, it occurred to me that I was enjoying myself.
She smiled. “Well done, my lord.”
I inclined my head. When she pulled her hand from my arm, I let her go, stifling the sense of loss I felt at her retreat.
Miss Caroline Edwards was beautiful, and I could understand why every man here clearly wanted her for himself.
But I was used to being in the company of beautiful women.
What had surprised me most tonight was how much I enjoyed her company.
It was a shame we weren’t meeting a few years from now, when I wasn’t intent on enjoying the last few years of my bachelorhood.
She glanced over her shoulder then back at me. An older matron was peeking through the doors at us, but the woman retreated when my gaze met hers.
“Do you think this is enough to ruin me?”
She seemed genuinely gleeful at the prospect, and I couldn’t help myself. “Perhaps. But if you want a guarantee, we should wander out into the gardens.”
Caroline chewed on her lower lip, and my eyes moved to her mouth. I couldn’t help wondering whether she’d bite me if I tried to steal a kiss. But I’d never been one to force my attentions on an unwilling woman, so I waited for her response.
At her nod a few moments later, I held out an arm. She tucked her hand into my elbow, then we proceeded to the far end of the balcony and down the steps that led to the darkened gardens.
“I feel quite wicked,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I grinned. If she wanted wicked, I could certainly show her. “Is that an invitation?”
She laughed. “You are terrible. I can’t believe my brother actually handed me over to you. What was he thinking?”
Weston was an idiot. He should be keeping his sister as far away from me as possible, not dangling such a tempting treat right in front of me. I said nothing as we continued our walk.
She leaned closer, and for a moment, I expected her to ask for a kiss. It shocked me how much I wanted that.
“I think…”
I held my breath and waited for her to continue.
She sighed. “I don’t think my brother is very bright.”
I chuckled. “That fact is not in dispute, Miss Edwards.”
She nodded. “It is a good thing you and I are levelheaded about this situation.”
I turned right and pulled her into a dark corner behind a large shrub. I looked down at her, and luminous blue eyes gazed up at me, tempting me beyond belief. “Would you call going out into the gardens, alone, with a known rake something a levelheaded person would do?”
She winced. “Normally, I’d agree that your point is valid.
But in this instance, you and I have an agreement.
” When I didn’t reply, she continued. “We both know this is temporary, that disappearing with you is a ruse to ruin me. After tonight, I’ll need to ensure the scandal lasts through the next year.
When I reach my majority, I’ll have the money from my dowry to pay you what my brother owes you. ”
I wanted to tell her that I wouldn’t accept money from her, but she didn’t need to know that yet. For some reason, I didn’t want to give her a reason to return to the ballroom. My motives were selfish, but she was also benefiting from our arrangement.
We both heard the footsteps at the same time. Her eyes widened, a slight hint of panic in their depths.
“Someone is coming.” She mouthed the words, and I managed to hold her back when she moved to peek around the shrub.
I lowered my head to whisper in her ear. “Are you sure you want to continue with this?”
She was frozen now, and I could almost see her practical mind warring with the fear of becoming the center of a scandal.
I continued. “If we’re caught alone now, everyone will demand I marry you, and we both know that isn’t going to happen.”
We remained like that for what felt like an eternity, then she shook her head. It was the damnedest thing, but relief flooded through me. I didn’t want to be the villain in her life story.
I drew her into my arms. When she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my chest, the urge to protect her was almost overwhelming.
The footsteps faded, and we waited another full minute before I reluctantly released her.
She wrapped her arms around her waist and looked away. “I feel like a coward. This was the perfect opportunity to make myself undesirable to all those would-be suitors, and I let it slip away from me.”
I cupped her chin and tilted her face up to me. “It was never going to work, Caroline. Your brother would have seized the opportunity and continued to press you to marry Penham. At least now you still have the chance to find someone else.”
The words felt bitter on my tongue, but they needed to be said.
She shook her head. “I don’t want any of those men. But perhaps, since our association is at an end after this ball…”
My hand was still on her chin, and I couldn’t resist running my thumb over her plump lower lip. “What would you like to ask me, Caroline?”
She shivered, and my pulse spiked.
“Would you kiss me?”
That was all the invitation I needed. Who was I to deny such a beautiful, intriguing woman?