Until he wasn’t.
He’d stepped away from her so suddenly that she lost her balance, and a small cry of protest at being separated from him escaped her lips. Anxiety wound tighter in her chest. Then Jacob said something that shattered every illusion she’d had.
My actions were inexcusable.
What did that even mean? She had no experience with kissing and was baffled by his statement. One moment, she was in his loving embrace, her body humming with anticipation, and the next, he was pushing her away. Had she done something wrong? She had no idea. All she knew was that the man she loved had walked away from her after the most incredible kiss of her life. Not only had he walked away, but he couldn’t get away fast enough. What had she done?
Tears pricked her eyes.
What a fool she was. Jacob was clearly not her knight in shining armor—far from it. Fierce disappointment licked through her. She wouldn’t put herself in that embarrassing position ever again. She would keep her distance from him as much as possible, though her heart was breaking.
After composing herself in the garden for several minutes, she made her way back into the house. How was she going to face him? She was out of her depth and didn’t know how to handle her conflicting emotions. She entered the drawing room expecting to see Jacob there, but he was gone. Perhaps he was in his study. She was sotorn—either keep her distance from him or tell him how incredible their shared kiss was. Before she could decide what to do, Grace, Mia, and Beckwith came walking in the front door.
“Thank you for accompanying us,” Grace said.
“My pleasure, Miss Grace.”
“I’m starving,” Mia said. “Do you think Mrs. Culbert has luncheon ready?”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “Why don’t you go find out while I find Audrey? I want to tell her about the lovely park we explored.”
Mia happily bounded off while Grace walked into the drawing room. “Audrey, you’re here. Good. I wanted to—”
As hard as Audrey tried to put on a brave face, tears spilled down her cheeks, and her sister rushed to her.
“What’s the matter? Did the housekeeper not suit? That’s no reason to cry. We’ll find someone else.”
Grace’s sweet attempt to comfort her only made her cry harder. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me,” she squeaked out between sobs.
“Come sit with me,” Grace said, leading her to the sofa. “You’ve taken on so much since Mama died. I don’t know how you’ve managed everything all these years, but you may take a step back now. Lord Fletcher is intent on hiring more staff, so you needn’t worry all the time. And if there’s anything I can do to help, you only need to ask.”
Audrey felt too embarrassed to reveal that it wasn’t theburden of taking care of them that had her upset. She was mortified that her first kiss had ended so badly. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Thank you, Grace. Your kind words are exactly what I needed to hear today.”
Grace patted her hands. “By the way, I saw Lord Fletcher hurrying down the street when we were walking back. Will he be joining us for luncheon?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s quite busy these days. We can’t expect him to dine with us all the time.”
“That’s true. You should see the lovely park we visited today. Perhaps next time you’ll come with us?”
“Of course. I’d be delighted. By the way, the new housekeeper will be here later today. Her name is Mrs. Trotter, and I liked her right away. I think she’s the perfect candidate to join our household.”
“That’s wonderful. Now you really can stop worrying,” Grace said, patting her hand.
Audrey’s emotions were in turmoil, but she had to put on a brave face for her sister. She only hoped that her kiss with Jacob would not be the catalyst that sent him back to New York.
Had she done the one thing that would finally chase him away?
Chapter20
Jacob wandered the streets ofLondon for what seemed like hours. He couldn’t get Miss Parker’s sweet kiss out of his mind. She was perfect in every way, and he’d taken advantage of her trusting nature. She was an innocent, and he had overstepped.
What a cad he was.
His aimless walking led him to St. James’s Street. As he passed along the shops, he spotted one selling boots with the name Hoby in the window. He needed a new pair of boots, and it was the perfect distraction to keep him from obsessing over Miss Parker. The bell over the door chimed when he walked inside.
“Good day, my lord,” the clerk said. “May I help you with something?”
“Yes. I’m Fletcher, and I need a new pair of boots.”
