What have I done?
Allowing a stranger to touch her and kiss her in the most intimate of ways. Was she so starved for attention that her morals, her very boundaries of convention, had been tossed aside for pleasure?
She frowned to herself. Somehow, that did not seem right.
There had been something magical about the moment on the terrace. Something she had never felt before. A moment of perfect synchronization that had led her to accept and trust the man at her side. As if fate itself had taken a hand. Despite the fear she was feeling, she suspected that the event itself would be cherished by her for many years to come.
It was with some relief that she heard footsteps out in the hall and realized that she was about to be joined in the study. The riot of thoughts colliding in her head was too uncomfortable. Hopefully, her father could provide guidance on how to proceed. A firm path forward out of the muddle she had brought on their household.
The footsteps came to a halt, and the door opened. Gwen stiffened, leaning forward on the settee as she tried to prepare her words to explain to her father what had happened.
In walked a tall gentleman with broad shoulders and a square jaw. The stranger from the terrace!
Gwen grimaced when she beheld him in the light. He had rich brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and he was … utterly beautiful. So far above her in appearance that for a second, she thought she must be wrong about his identity. Why would such a young and handsome gentleman have approached her? A man from a wealthy and distinguished family? It was unfathomable.
He sought her out, hesitating, before crossing the room to take a seat at her side. Gwen remained in her rigid position on the edge of the settee, astonished to be near such a man and even more astonished that, even after laying eyes on her, he had chosen to sit next to her.
Looking back to the door, she discovered her father entering the room.
And her heart fell.
Her father was beaming with unrestrained delight, and Gwen knew exactly what he was thinking. He was ecstatic about the turn of events, so she could not expect support from him to turn Lord Abbott down.
Nay, Papa was clearly convinced she had finally found her match. The right man.
Aidan was still reelingfrom the turmoil that had transpired outside these very doors. He had never acted in such a foolish manner. From a young age, his father had instilled in him the importance of respect and dignity. Being caught by numerous witnesses under the evening sky with his hands on the buttocks of a gently bred lady was incomprehensible. Later this evening he would have to inform the viscount of his roguish behavior, which was rather galling.
Truly, he had never done anything this appalling.
What about leaving Lily alone on the night of the coronation?
He shut his eyes briefly at the recollection of why he was in the Smythe home tonight. Apparently, galling behavior was becoming a pattern for him.
Nevertheless, he could not deny the frisson of excitement to be seated with the goddess alighted from his deepest desires. She was the very essence of a Renaissance masterpiece. TheBirth of Venusperhaps, with her long, red hair framing her slim face.
He blinked at the thought of her disrobed and bared before him in the manner that Sandro Botticelli had painted, Aidan’s heart picking up speed despite the presence of her father in the room. Just how far did that spray of freckles descend on her slender form?
When he first entered the room and she had turned those soulful eyes to find him, he had discovered that they were a deep blue like her father’s. Her skin glowed in the dim lights of the study, and Aidan was compelled to sit next to her, still in awe that such a woman existed with the sharp mind of a scholar.
Now, seated beside her and distracted by the fragrance of citrus teasing his senses, Aidan sincerely hoped that she was not involved with her father’s dark pursuits. Protecting his sister and the baron from future violence must be a priority, and it was a necessary evil to delve into what her father was involved with. He could help her in the aftermath once the truth was revealed, but only if he successfully forged an alliance with her tonight.
Frederick Smythe was evidently cheerful about the turn of events, closing the door and crossing the room to take a seat at his desk. Aidan noted that Smythe noticed nothing amiss from Aidan’s earlier visit to his private sanctuary, which was a small mercy with what was about to unfold.
“So, when is the wedding?” Mr. Smythe was grinning as he clapped his hands together to peer at the two of them with twinkling blue eyes.
Next to him, Gwendolyn groaned.
“Papa, this is not a time for jesting! We have a serious situation at hand.”
Smythe’s grin broadened. “Levity in the face of trials is what makes life bearable, young one.”
Aidan was amused, despite himself. Smythe had an infectious smile and a lighthearted mannerism which made him instantly likable. Which meant Aidan needed to be cautious about being drawn in by the man who probably murdered the baron.
It was a chilling thought, a brutal reminder that the servant who had attacked Lily two weeks earlier had beensomeone she had not suspected in the least. A signal that it was time to steer this conversation.
“I have explained to Mr. Smythe what happened on the terrace, and I have informed him of my intention to wed you.”
Aidan watched her from the corner of his eye to observe her reaction. He was feeling a little shy now that they were in a lit room and conversing. She was even more breathtaking than he had imagined from afar, and he was having trouble reconciling the idea that he had recently had his tongue in her soft mouth. He growled softly in the back of his throat as a rush of heat accompanied the recollection.
