The woman glared at Jane and held a finger to her lips. “Shhh.”
“Sorry!” Jane mouthed and then hastily returned to her book.
“Do you mean it?” Elizabeth asked.
“Mean what, my dear Elizabeth?” Lord Benjamin smiled at her. His look eased some of the tension within her that she had not noticed up until that point.
Jane pictured it in her mind, imagining a smile that might somehow relax something in her she had not known needed relaxing. For some reason, blue eyes flashed through her mind as she imagined Lord Benjamin smiling at Elizabeth.
She frowned.
He has brown eyes. I am quite sure that is the description given. Why on earth would I think otherwise?
She shook her head as if to clear it and began to read again.
“You said you love me, that you would do anything for me. Is that true?”
“It is true. Do you wish me to prove it?
In Jane’s mind, she saw Blake smiling at her, his eyes alight with fire and mischief, his grin charming and infuriating as he challenged her to “prove it.” Jane felt her cheeks redden as she continued to read.
“Yes.”
“And how might I do such a thing?” Lord Benjamin moved closer, so close that Elizabeth could feel his breath on her lips.
Jane’s heart was thundering in her chest, but she could not look away from the page. She could barely hear what the Deacon was reading and was only vaguely aware of the faint stirrings of people around her.
“Kiss me,” Elizabeth said simply.
And he did.
“My, my, are we not full of surprises, Miss Pembleton?” A warm breath tickled the back of Jane’s neck. “Whatever do we have here?”
The scent of sandalwood and orange blossom washed over her, and Jane turned around to find herself facing the Duke of Caden. He grinned at her and nodded knowingly towards the book in her hands.
“What do you mean?” Jane tried to hide the book, feeling her cheeks redden as she did so.
Perhaps he has not seen it. How long has he been reading over my shoulder?
“You know it is rude to pry.”
“I was not prying,” Blake murmured.
The old woman who had glared at Jane a moment earlier now fixed her eyes on Blake. However, and much to Jane’s annoyance, as soon as the Duke smiled at the woman, her entire demeanor softened, and she turned back, spots of color on her cheek.
Jane scowled at the Duke but did not say anything back. She did not need any more attention.
“I would not have thought you the kind of person to read such a book, especially not in church,” Blake continued, his lips barely moving. “It is nice to know you are not so prim and proper, after all.”
Before Jane could reply, there was a scraping sound, and she realized that the Deacon must have finished reading the banns. She glanced at the Duke, at his knowing and teasing gaze, and something inside her snapped.
She fled, her cheeks flushing scarlet as she bolted out of the church with as much dignity as she could muster. She knew she should not have done it, knew it was a foolish and reckless thing to do, and now the worst person possible had learned of her shame.
“Fool. You complete and utter fool. Mother took that book from you for a reason, and you decided that today was a good day to read it. In church of all places. In church!” Jane shook her head. “What kind of woman am I turning into?”
“Wait!” a voice rang out from behind her, but she did not slow down. She was too embarrassed for that.
She needed to get away from that place, to get somewhere quiet and think. Why was she behaving like this? What kind of woman was she becoming? She caught sight of herself in a window, her face red with embarrassment, her hair in slight disarray.
