Page 59 of Tempted By an Unconventional Lady
Charlotte gathered up her skirts and went to stand but before she could, Alexander grabbed hold of the oars and paddled them further out into the river. The boat rocked as she shifted her weight, and she fell back down onto the bench with a bump. She glared at him.
“Are you in the habit of kidnapping ladies, Your Grace? Is thatanotherthing I am to learn about you this week?”
Alexander winced. He should have known she would not make this easy for him. She was far too feisty. “I see we have returned to formalities, my lady,” he replied, hoping to play her at her own game. “What a shame that is, just as I was beginning to enjoy our friendship more and more.”
Charlotte scoffed and turned away. “Friendship? Is that what you call lying to someone and then stealing them away to the middle of a river so that they can’t escape?”
Alexander rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide it. “For goodness’ sake,” he muttered. “Is all the drama necessary?”
She scoffed again, this time turning to him and staring at him wide-eyed. “Whereas this trickery is entirely drama-free! Of course!”
He sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Very well. I take your point. But please, Charlotte, I only wish to explain.”
At the sound of her name on his tongue, she softened, the deep lines on her forehead straightening, her head tilting. There it was, in her eyes, that fondness he’d missed. As angry or hurt as she might be, she still felt something for him. To see it buoyed him, and he continued.
“I dare not ask what Lucille has told you—”
“That you courted,” she interrupted. “And that you might court again.”
“Hah!” Alexander shook his head. “We did court, but I swear to you Charlotte, it willneverhappen again.”
She looked at him for a long, tense moment, and all Alexander could do was return her gaze. Everything about her drew him to her, and he found himself speechless.
“Tell me,” she said eventually, her voice soft above the water lapping against the boat.
All around them was strangely quiet, as if the world had decided to give them this space that they needed. The birds and river creatures, the ladies and gentlemen who would normally promenade along the banks. Alexander looked at this wonderful, unconventional, attractive woman and prepared to bare his soul.
“Some of what Lucille has told you is true. I courted her for a time, and we were about to become engaged.”
Charlotte said nothing, but Alexander heard the sharp intake of breath. She held herself perfectly still, though the boat rocked them gently, the breeze riffling through her hair.
“I thought we would be married and that would be that. Isn’t that how these things happen?”
“You… you loved her?” she asked.
Alexander shrugged. “I thought I did.”
“But not anymore?”
He smiled at her, looking at her under his brow. “I don’t think I truly knew what love was.”
But now I do.
“What happened?” she asked eventually, and he knew he was winning her over.
“She betrayed me. I don’t wish to go into details, but she proved to me that our love was not truly love at all, but a shambles. A mirage. A façade that hid the truth—that we werenever suited for one another in the first place and that actually, Lady Lucille is not the type of person I like to spend my time with at all.”
Charlotte nodded. She watched him carefully, deciding whether to believe him or not. “And now?”
He shrugged again. “And now I feel nothing for her. It was the foolishness of youth, nothing more. Please, Charlotte. You must believe me.”
She nodded again. “I believe you. But what I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me. Was it a secret?”
“Not a secret, no, but I suppose I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. It was an unpleasant time in my past. With you, life just feels lighter, brighter. Like everything is right with the world, and I suppose I didn’t want to taint that with the heartache of years gone by. Charlotte, please. You must believe me.”
She was quiet for a long moment, her eyes focused on the glittering water, before she looked up at him and nodded. The tension in his chest melted away, and he smiled.
“And do you forgive me also?”
