Page 37 of The Truth about the Rogue
With a shake of his head, Andrew made to sidestep her, but Lady Faustine put out one hand, catching him.
“Come now, Lord Kentmore! You cannot tell me that you will willingly turn away from me now, merely because you are courting?” Her hand went to his shoulder, then lifted to his neck as she came closer to him. “We have not yet shared any sort of connection this Season. I have been seeking a time to find you, to be alone with you, and this is the moment that has presented itself – and I have been waiting for a very long time.” Andrew swallowed tightly, confused at his own reluctance. Had he not been eagerly looking forward to stealing Lady Faustine into his arms only a short while ago? Why now was he feeling as though he ought to push her away and, thereafter, step back into the house, leaving her in the darkness? “Lord Kentmore, you are a little reluctant, I think!” Lady Faustine’s laughter made Andrew wince, his heart shadowed as he fought to find clarity. “It cannot be because you are afraid to be seen, given that the gardens are lit only by moonlight. Come now, do not push yourself away from me simply because you are courting another! I know – all without you saying a word – that there is no genuine interest there. The Marquess I know would never permit himself to be so lost to matrimony!”
Andrew steeled himself, pushing away his conflicting thoughts as best he could.
“You are quite right, Maria,” he said, using her forename given the connection they had once shared. “I have never wanted this situation for myself.”
“Then there can be no reason for younotto permit yourself the same freedom as before,” she murmured, her breath hot against his cheek. “No reason whatsoever.”
Before Andrew could say a word, before he could protest, the lady had lifted her head, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his – and Andrew recoiled in one, intense moment. It was as though his body reacted without his awareness, pushing her back from him and stumbling back into the darkness of the garden, his stomach twisting and his body going hot and then cold immediately thereafter. A sense of revulsion overpowered him, and he wiped his mouth furiously with the back of his hand over and over again.
“What are you doing?” Lady Faustine’s voice was high-pitched as Andrew resisted the urge to spit hard on the ground, as though that might help him remove every single trace of her from him. “Why did you push me away?”
“I do not want this.” Andrew’s words tore harshly from his lips, disgust still rearing its head within him – disgust at both his previous actions that had brought her to him in that way, as well as her present determinations. Shame at his weakness thrust itself through his heart and he closed his eyes, his chest heaving. “Never again, Lady Faustine.Never.”
There came silence for a long moment, only for the lady to come towards him, one finger pressing hard into his chest.
“This is because ofher,” she hissed, her anger clear. “It is because of what she has done to you that you now turn away from me! What is it that she has said? Is there some hold on you that I cannot know of? Some promise, some whisper that binds you to her in a way that you cannot free yourself from?”
Andrew shook his head, taking another step back. He could not explain it himself, could not find a way to understand it but yet, all the same, the thought of taking Lady Faustine into his arms again made him almost nauseous.
“I cannot ever be to you as I have been,” he said, a little hoarsely. “Never again.”
Lady Faustine lifted her chin, her eyes glittering in the moonlight.
“You are rejecting me.”
“I am telling you that I will not be as I have been to you,” Andrew stated, a sense of relief flooding him as though he knew that this was exactly what it was that he needed to do. “What we shared, it is now at an end, Lady Faustine.”
“But… but what if I do not wish it to be?” Lady Faustine’s voice held a tone of slight desperation now, though Andrew could only shake his head. “What then?”
He spread out both hands.
“That means nothing to me, Lady Faustine, not any longer. I cannot continue in this way, not any longer.” Dropping his hands back to his sides, he stepped away from her. “Good evening.”
“Wait!”
Her hand was on his arm, but Andrew pushed it back, moving away from her as quickly as he could and feeling his satisfaction growing with every step.
Chapter Thirteen
“Should you like me to read it to you?”
A little surprised at Lord Kentmore’s offer, Charlotte took a moment before she answered.
“You would like to read the poem to me?”
Lord Kentmore shrugged.
“I do not see why not. I am able to read, Miss Hawick, in case you were uncertain about that.”
Charlotte laughed, only to pull the sound back into herself. These last few days with Lord Kentmore had brought a significant change in his manner towards her, and the ease of their conversations had brought about something of a softness within her. Try as she might, she could not hold onto the anger and the frustration which she had once held so near.
“Well?”
Lord Kentmore tipped his head, one eyebrow lifting, and Charlotte’s breath hitched, uneven in her chest as the gold in his eyes seemed to swirl, bringing a fresh awareness to her of just how handsome he was.
Be careful, Charlotte,she reminded herself, sitting up straight and reaching for her tea.He is still a rogue yet.
