Not the Kind of Earl You Marry by Kate Pembrooke

Author:Kate Pembrooke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2021-07-13T00:00:00+00:00

“And just how do you plan to convince me? By kissing me some more?” she asked coolly, trying mightily to maintain some emotional distance. No easy feat when she’d just been kissed so thoroughly and held so closely that it was as if their two bodies were trying to meld into one.

“Yes, since I can hardly do more than that in Huntington’s garden, much as I’d like to.”

Her breath caught at his words.

Since I can hardly do more…much as I’d like to…

More…more…more…

The words echoed in her mind, setting off a warm tingling from her head to her toes.

Don’t refine upon it over much, Charlotte. He’s a man. Of course, he wants to do more if you’re ninny enough to let him kiss you like that in a dark garden. Be sensible!

She was trying to be sensible, truly she was, but her heart pulled her in one direction, her mind in another, and on top of that William was able to breach her defenses with almost no effort.

She pretended to be unaffected by his statement though, deliberately smoothing the front of her gown, then checking her coiffure for any loose pins or wayward tendrils. Satisfied that her outward appearance was tidy, whatever the state of her inner turmoil, she said, “That would be a mistake, and we both know it. In any case, this isn’t the time or place to argue over it. We should be getting back. Lady Serena will be wondering what happened to us.” She turned toward the French doors.

“Serena is too worldly to think we were doing anything other than what we were doing, but she’s discreet and won’t say anything.”

When they re-entered the library Lady Serena greeted them with a knowing smile. “How was the moonlight?” she said.

“Illuminating,” William said, flashing an irritatingly roguish grin at her. Honestly, men could be such insufferable creatures.

“I shouldn’t be absent from the drawing room much longer,” Lady Serena continued, “but if you’d like to take a quick look at this folio, you may. It’s not the finest of the four Papa owns, but it’s in quite good shape nonetheless.”

Charlotte examined the book, turning the pages carefully, respectful of its prized place in Lord Huntington’s book collection. It had that old book smell, not exactly unpleasant, but distinct, a mix of leather, paper, ink, and for lack of a better word, age. It took Charlotte back to her youth, and long afternoons spent reading in her father’s library, happily curled up in an overstuffed armchair before the fireplace, lost in a book.

“I can tell you’re a bibliophile from the reverent way you handle the pages,” Lady Serena said.

“I do love books,” Charlotte replied, “but I’m being careful mostly because I don’t want to damage one of your father’s valuable books. It’s a treat to see it though.”

“I’d be happy to show you the others sometime, if you’d like. They’ll be plenty of opportunities. William is a frequent visitor, and now you will be, too.”

This comment, innocent though it was, produced a sharp little ache in Charlotte.

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