“I thought perhaps I had her persuaded,” he said. “Little fool.”
“It was wrong of you, Josh,” she said, “what you did last night, that is. She has been brought up to expect this. It can only confuse her to put doubts in her mind at this late date.”
“Or to force her to face the doubts in her own mind,” he said.
“Any normal young girl would have some doubts before making such a momentous decision in her life, Josh,” she said. “I’m not sure it means that she has serious doubts in reality.”
“You have schooled yourself well not to hope, haven’t you?” he said. “The time was, Rosamund, when you would have fought tooth and nail—literally—to get what you wanted.”
“I have grown up,” she said.
“Hm,” he said. “I’m not sure I have.”
They were standing close to the marble fountain. He set his back to it and raised one foot to rest against it.
“Anyway,” he said, taking her by the hand again, “to the devil with Justin and Annabelle and betrothals. Come here, Rosamund.”
And before she realized his intention, she was against him and his mouth was over hers.
Her first instinct was to fight her way free. Her second was to seek comfort and forgetfulness in his arms. She stayed where she was, not participating in the embrace, but not impeding it, either.
Josh was every bit as experienced as Justin, she realized before much time had passed. She withdrew from him with some reluctance.
“Forget him,” he said. “You’ve slept with him, haven’t you? And you have fallen in love with him. There are other men who can give just as much pleasure, Rosamund, and love brings more pain than joy. It’s better to enjoy the pleasure and forget about the rest.”
“With you?” she said.
“Yes, with me.” He flicked her chin with one knuckle. “I’ll make you forget, Rosamund—for tonight, anyway, Perhaps for longer. Maybe we should join forces and marry. We like each other well enough. Come to bed with me. I’ll prove to you that I know a thing or two about pleasuring a woman.”
“I don’t doubt for a moment that you do,” she said. “But just for my sake? Just to help me forget? Why so selfless, Josh?”
“Perhaps I have some demons of my own to banish,” he said. “I want you—now. Don’t be coy, Rosamund. Please?”
“Josh.” She set her hands on his chest, imposing a little distance between them. “I can’t. Not because I don’t want it. At the moment I do, shameful as it is to admit. But it would be totally divorced from all love or tender feelings. We cannot make love to each other just to banish demons.”
“Can’t we?” he said. “Why not?”
She sighed. “Because it is an act of love,” she said, “not of hatred.”
“I don’t hate you,” he said.
“No,” she said, “but you might in the morning. And I would hate myself.”
He laughed softly. “The trouble with women,” he said, “is that they are always thinking. They never simply do what they want to do. They stop to think. A pox on all women.” He flicked her chin again.
“Josh,” she said, “I am very fond of you.”
“I don’t need your fondness,” he said, grinning at her. “I need your body, woman.”
She smiled at him. “What brought this on?” she asked. “The betrothal? Why did you try to stop it last night?”
He put a finger over her lips. “I brought you out here to seduce you,” he said, “not to have my soul stretched out and pinned for your inspection.”
“Is Annabelle your demon?” she asked quietly.
“A pretty little demon, isn’t she?” he said. “She was even smiling at him tonight, Rosamund. Are you feeling as blue as I am—in every imaginable way? We had better go inside. I don’t suppose there are any seducible chambermaids in such a respectable house, are there?”
“I very much doubt it,” she said.
