Page 54 of This Marquess of Mine

Chapter Seventeen

Oh, how the tables had turned.

Olivia smiled to herself as she slipped into the night, her soft-soled slippers silent on the granite stone floor of the terrace.

Only days ago, it was she who had lured Paxton into the gardens for a kiss, and now, here she was, meeting him for a tryst at his invitation.

Stepping out onto the lawn, she made her way into Mrs. Lubbock’s well-groomed garden and headed toward the decorative folly nestled within a tidy grove of cherry trees bursting with blooms.

Miss Winters was here tonight, as well, but Paxton had only danced with her once and only because his mother had asked him to. Otherwise, he’d barely left Olivia’s side, and had claimed both a waltz and a quadrille from her. Yes, he was being most attentive tonight.

And it was all thanks to Griffin.

Odd, that. Never in a thousand years would she have guessed that Griffin, the Marquess of Keswick would one day help her catch her duke.

“Over here,” came a whispered hiss from the folly, a miniature Chinese pagoda painted red and gold.

Squinting into the darkness, she spotted Paxton, tucked away in the shadows, beckoning to her with his hand. A smile touched her lips and she went to him, satisfaction warming her insides.

Here it is, she thought. The moment has finally come. Paxton would at last claim his kiss, the kiss of a man courting the woman he hoped to marry, one he should have claimed ages ago.

“Thank you for meeting me,” Paxton said, making room for her on the wooden bench. “I know this is…unusual.”

Olivia sat and settled her shawl around her shoulders against the bite in the night breeze. “I admit, I was surprised by the invitation,” she said. “Considering what happened the last time we were alone in a garden together.”

He had the grace to look mildly sheepish. “I know. I behaved like a nincompoop.” He sighed. “I was…nervous, you see. And worried.”

She shot him a quizzical look. “Worried?”

“Of disappointing you.”

She shook her head, her smile gentle. “It is only a kiss, Paxton. It is not a test with only one chance at passing it.”

He nodded, doubt still wrinkling his brow. “I know, but…” He swallowed, the workings of his throat audible in the quiet. “I…am not a man of experience, you see. I—I’ve never kissed a woman before.”

Oh. Olivia’s consternation eased as understanding—and surprise—came over her. It made sense now, his reluctance to kiss her. It was all down to his male pride. She should have guessed. If she’d learned one thing about men over the years, it was how much they hated to look foolish.

Taking Paxton’s hands in hers, she smiled at him. “That is nothing to be ashamed of, Your Grace. On the contrary, I think it speaks well of your character. It shows you to be a gentleman of patience and restraint, and those are qualities any man would be glad to have.”

Paxton puffed out his chest a bit, clearly pleased by her assessment. “Thank you, Lady Olivia.”

His gaze roved over her face, and Olivia held on to her smile, hoping it conveyed her understanding, her patience. She would not press him this time. If he wanted this kiss, he would have to claim it.

“May I kiss you now?” he asked, his voice hesitant yet hopeful.

“You may.”

He leaned in, slowly and somewhat awkwardly, and Olivia’s eyes drifted closed. His warm, minty breath puffed against her lips and then his mouth touched hers, soft and cool and respectful.

And then it was over.

She opened her eyes and returned Paxton’s smile, even as a tiny frisson of disappointment skittered down her spine. She squashed it.

So there had been no jolt of pleasure, no spark of desire. It was only one kiss, and it was his first. Their first.

It will get better, she told herself. It will.

“Thank you, Lady Olivia.” Even beneath the shadows, she could see the pink in his cheeks, and he looked rather pleased with himself.