Page 25 of A Virgin for the Rakish Marquess

There, this is much better.

James enjoyed the little delay in her step as his words rendered her speechless. He felt less irritated now that he had managed to vex her, unsettle her, and make her uneasy.

But if he was this irritated, why did he guide her here for her sake? To relieve her of the titanic effort of maintaining a strained smile while mingling with the ton, who openly regarded her as if she were a spectacle. Eyes followed her, and gossip was exchanged behind fans as they glided by the Serpentine. Here, they were away from prying eyes.

He proudly noticed that her gait changed. She walked more freely, lighter, and he offered that to her. Only, he was not supposed to make her life easier. Quite the opposite. This experience was supposed to irritate her and irk her. Yet, here he was, going out of his way to make her more at ease.

And what was the reward for his unspoken good deed? To see her relaxed, her body gliding lightly. Herhipsswaying.

That last part was punching holes in his logic.

And this silence… Sure, Richard would know how to comfortably remain silent, show restraint, take the weight in a sure way, and give weight to a well-timed pause.

But James was not Richard. To him, silences were—quite frankly—terrifying. It left others the opportunity to observe him, and James did not appreciate the scrutiny. So, he filled the silences with walls and reinforcements disguised as wit and charm.

Not that she was observing him. She was not. She was supposedly enthralled by the scenery, an excuse James was not eager to believe. He could almost hear her count the minutes before he escorted her back to her haven and away from him.

Not so easily.

“You seem to have your blade sheathed, My Lady.”

She jumped up at the sound of his voice as if she had completely forgotten he was there.

“I am merely wondering if I should be concerned that you know your way so well around these secluded paths, My Lord,” she retorted, still looking ahead, her eyebrow cocked.

“Are you suggesting that I am a reckless rake with no sense of decorum?”

She looked up at him with her most bored expression. “Yes.”

He chuckled. She was nothing if not refreshing.

“You are not like most ladies,” he admitted in a rare bout of honesty.

Her steps faltered, a brief hesitation. For the first time since they started walking, she seemed caught off guard. Her eyes widened just slightly before she narrowed them.

“I am most certainly not.”

There she was! Βack in control.

He pushed the boundaries. She took those boundaries and threw them at his face. Little by little, he gave a little more, promising that this would be the last inch he would give.

Oh, the things he would love to give her.

That thought bypassed all security measures in place to avoid rash decisions. He inhaled sharply at the intrusive thought, and he had to cough a little to hide that momentary loss of control.

Diana didn’t seem to notice, and that added salt to injury. There he was, noticing every little thing about her. How a stray strand of hair bounced on her neck, how she closed her eyes when the breeze picked up a little, how delicate her fingers were. And she didn’t even notice when his body tensed to the point he was ready to pounce on her.

“Mrs. Bremford.” Diana turned to her old chaperone. “I am sure you’re tired. Perhaps we should head back.”

James barely held back a laugh at her open attempt to cut their promenade short.

“Oh, no, My Lady. I can go on for a while.”

I like the old lady.This is truly amusing.

James reveled in Diana’s huff.Seeing her go red with barely restrained fury was the highlight of his day. She stomped off as if this would end their walk quicker, and with glee, he followed her.

When he searched for the chaperone, he found her completely enthralled by a bunch of white orchids that bloomed off the path, way back. He looked down at Diana, but it seemed that she hadn’t noticed.

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