She was still standing at the side of the room, which was where Lydia had pulled her. They were separated from the wider crowd, and she was filled with the sense that they were on an island, drifting away from everyone else. They might not have literally been alone, but she hoped the reminder would be enough to make Edmund go away.
Edmund chuckled and looked around, gesturing with a long arm.
“Alone? We are far from alone, but there are plenty of improper moments that go unnoticed.” He arched his eyebrows and leaned into her. His words were accompanied by a smile, hinting at something dangerous and forbidden. Taken at face value, they were harmless enough, but with that look in his eyes, they seemed like the devil’s work, and she could see that his reputation as a rake was well-earned.
How Lydia managed to bear him as a brother, Rose did not know.
“Perhaps for you, but some of us hold ourselves to a high standard of propriety.”
“Propriety, yes. I have heard that many times before. It’s something that so many people strive for, yet even the best of us can fall short. Believe me, I have seen it happen to someone for whom propriety was the most important thing in the world.”
“You shall find that it is important to me as well, and while you may have won the bid of five promenades, my time is all you have bought, nothing else.”
“Your time will prove to be more than enough, I am sure. I must say, you do speak boldly to a duke.”
“You are no ordinary duke. You may forget, Your Grace,” she used this expression pointedly, for it went against his wishes, “that I am firm friends with Lydia and she has told me all about you. I know you well already.”
Edmund pressed his lips together. “How unfortunate, because I do like curating an air of mystery around me. But you may find that there are things even my sister does not know. It is better to know a man yourself rather than rely on reputation, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I might, if that reputation were not so consistent across the board. I believe if I were to ask everyone in this room about you, they would tell me the same thing.”
“And what would that be?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. Now that they were so close, Rose couldn’t help but study the way his thick eyebrows slashed above his eyes, or how the corners of his mouth twitched, the expressions shifting upon his face. There was a light touch to his words.
“That you are a rake. That you do not take life seriously.”
“Mm, I imagine a lot of people would agree with that, but not all. However, I get the impression that you are a woman who likes to make up her mind for herself. I shall be intrigued to see if you hold the same opinion after we have spent time together.”
“I am sure I will.”
“And are you not interested in the opinion I hold of you?”
Rose tilted her head to the side, not wishing to give anything away because, in truth, she was intrigued now that he had raised the subject, but she did not wish to admit this.
“No, not at all. I wish to make my intentions plain, Edmund. You have won this lot, and I shall honor it, but as soon as the fifth promenade has concluded, we shall go our separate ways, and I doubt we shall ever see each other again.”
Edmund suppressed a smile.
“You should be an oracle with that gift, Rose. I look forward to our first promenade,” he said, angling his body toward her, closing her in, as though the rest of the room was disappearing and only the two of them remained.
Rose was not about to be cornered like that, so she raised her hand to push him away.
“I must return to my parents,” she said. and moved past him. As she did so, her hand brushed against his chest. Rose could feel the hardness of his body beneath her palm and his warmth. Before she could pull her hand away, he placed his upon hers, as though holding her close. Her hand disappeared beneath his, and her breath caught in her throat as she stared into his hazel eyes.
“Let me make something clear to you. I would never force a woman into anything she does not wish, and I know from Lydia that you have no desire to marry. You have nothing to fear from me, Rose.”
But as his low voice rolled over her like a summer wind, as his hand clasped hers so close to his chest that she could feel the powerful thrum of his heart, she thought that she might need to be very afraid indeed.
She had never been this close to another man before.
“Then why bid at all?” she asked eventually, almost choking on the words.
“To save you from a terrible fate with Whitcombe. Too many women have already suffered under his company. It also serves my own purpose to stave off society’s insistence that I should get married. At least for the time being, I can conjure an illusion that I am taking steps to that end.”
“I see, so it’s entirely self-serving,” Rose said, beginning to pull away, although Edmund’s hand was still keeping her locked to him.
“Not entirely. There are benefits for you as well. Your parents are charming people, but they make no secret of their desire to see you courted. I imagine you have endured many of the same comments I have, and this might give you a respite from them. Besides, it might even be enjoyable. After all, you do not seemtiresome or boring, and while I have been accused of many things, those two words have never been used to describe me.”
Edmund gently peeled her hand away from his chest, but kept a hold of it. She was acutely aware of the pressure of his fingers upon her skin, as well as the movement of his lips as he spoke. There was something almost hypnotic about it, and despite her best intentions, she could not tear her gaze away from him.
