To Teach A Gentleman

by Langston, Jenn

  He took a step forward, invading her space. “That’s a mistake. You should never allow yourself to be alone with any man. Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to have my way with you right now?”

  The thought of taking her up against one of the trees sapped the moisture from his mouth. He never should have said such a thing to her. His gaze fell to her lips. It would be such a simple thing to taste her again.

  “You’re right.” Her voice was throaty. “Perhaps we should go back.”

  He forced himself to take a step back from her. “Yes. Of course.”

  “There you are,” Lady Burleson’s voice was loud and irritating. “You shouldn’t wander off without me. Don’t you know any better? Please excuse us, my lord. Come now, Genevieve. Let’s get back to the ball.”

  Shame filled Genny’s eyes as she looked down. “Yes, Mother.”

  As Christopher watched them go, he couldn’t help a wave of anger. First, he didn’t like how the woman shamed Genny in front of him. And, secondly, he knew her purpose had been to trap him. She’d followed them out there in hopes to find them in a compromising position. That was why she hadn’t spoken until they had decided to go back.

  The idea sickened him. Both for himself and for Genny. Surely a forced marriage would be horrible for her. Did her mother not care about that? This was quickly getting out of hand, and he needed to do something to locate a husband for Genny, and quickly.

  ~ ~ ~

  “I’m not sure you understand what you are asking for, my dear.” Lady Constance’s face was patient, but sadness lurked in her eyes.

  Genevieve swallowed. “I appreciate your concern, but I do fully understand. I have given this subject a considerable amount of thought. I need to think of my future.”

  While nodding, Lady Constance studied her. “I appreciate that you enjoy teaching. That is wonderful, and it shows. However, I don’t feel your future is meant for the House of Reform. I can see you want a husband, and once you take a position here, I’m afraid that future will be all but lost to you.”

  Taking a deep breath, Genevieve firmed her resolve. “I appreciate your concern. However, I am in my third season, and from what I can tell, the outcome will be much the same. Regardless of what I want, the fact of the matter is that I shall fail again.”

  “This season has barely begun. You can’t judge your fate on that.”

  “I won’t,” Genevieve promised. “I merely wanted to make a plan for myself and see if I can have a future here should I need it.”

  Lady Constance let out a long sigh. “Some of the other teachers have come here because they have run out of options. I have been there as well. As such, I will not turn you away.”

  Relief flooded Genevieve, and she sagged against the cushions. “Thank you so much. You won’t regret this. I promise.”

  “I know that I won’t. However, I want you to do everything within your power to find a husband and avoid this fate.”

  “Is that what you wish you would have done?” Genevieve blurted the prying question before she could think better of it.

  Eyes wide, Lady Constance looked at her. “Good heavens, no. Men are more trouble than you realize. However, if you spent your life expecting to have one, it’s rather difficult to accustom yourself to living without one.”

  Realizing the lady was much wiser than she’d previously thought, Genevieve nodded. Lady Constance’s advice was for others and not based solely on her own preferences. Genevieve hoped she could be like her one day.

  “I will keep that in mind.”

  “See that you do.” Lady Constance stood. “Now, I believe Lord Andel will be arriving soon for your lesson. I will leave you to prepare.”

  The thought of seeing Christopher after their disastrous evening melted away all thoughts of working for the House of Reform. She didn’t understand that man one bit, and she was still embarrassed by her mother’s implications the previous night.

  “You seem to be troubled.”

  Christopher’s deep voice wafted over her, flushing her skin. She jumped to her feet to greet him. The look on his face was wary, as if last night had in fact changed something between them. She swallowed.

  “Not troubled. I’m simply lost in thought,” she explained, hoping he didn’t intend to press her.

  He nodded. “Why don’t we sit? I have received my first letter for you to translate for me.”

  Not needing him to explain what letter he referred to, she bit her lower lip. In truth, she wasn’t sure she wanted to translate anything from his intended. Not only was it a violation of privacy, but how could she read the words to him without sounding as if she meant them herself?

  Brushing off the thought, she tried to mentally compose herself. Likely he wouldn’t think of it in that way. After all, it was her own fantasy that had him offering for her instead. As she pointed out last night, he wanted nothing from her other than a means to learn a language, and he certainly hadn’t corrected her.

  “I’m pleased to hear you received your long-awaited missive. With your impressive progress, are you certain you can’t translate it yourself?”

  His gaze drilled into her. “Are you saying you don’t wish to help me?”

  “Not at all. I simply don’t want your lady to feel her privacy has been infringed upon.”

  Christopher held the letter out to her. “Miss Auclair has already been informed her words were to go through a translator.”

  The lack of emotion from him was concerning. Regardless, she took the paper and quickly scanned the contents. Realizing it was innocent, she began reading it aloud in English. The lady began with a brief introduction of her family and then went into some likes and dislikes.

  Overall, Genevieve realized she would like the woman if she ever had the occasion to meet her. With witty and smart humor, it would be a simple feat for Miss Auclair to have people gravitate toward her. The sad truth, however, was how opposite Genevieve was from this perfect woman who would become Christopher’s wife. That was a fact of which she was very aware.

  Once she concluded the note, Genevieve looked up to find Christopher studying her. His expression was indecipherable, and she wanted to ask him what he was thinking. Instead, she squashed the question. It was likely he, too, noticed the differences between herself and the amazing woman he would marry.

  “Your lady has excellent penmanship, and I find her wit enjoyable,” Genevieve praised, although part of her wished there was a flaw as well.

  “Your translation is seamless. I tried and didn’t get anything like that.”

  She laughed, wishing she could have heard his attempt. “I’m sure you are being overly complimentary, but in time it will be second nature to you as well.”

  “How do you know the language so well? I’ve heard several ladies speak it, and their skill is just enough for them to manage. You are fluent.”

  Heat filled her cheeks at the unexpected compliment. “My father insisted I learn, and he expects nothing but the best. Besides, once I began, I discovered a love for the language. At that point, my lessons became something else to me.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  Discomforted by the way he was looking at her, she glanced away. When he did things like that, it gave her a hope that she had no business feeling. Here he sat with a note from his future betrothed, while she longed to take the woman’s position. It was unacceptable. She had to stop thinking like this.

  As soon as he knew enough of the language to marry the lady, Genevieve would move on and, if she was lucky, marry someone of her own. Then, she would be spared the fate Lady Constance warned her about. She could only hope finding a husband would erase all thoughts of Christopher from her mind.

  ~ ~ ~

  “I told you, my intention was none other than to allow her to t
ake in more air, per her request.” Exasperation sounded in Philip’s voice as he tapped his fingers on Christopher’s desk.

  Christopher scoffed. “That’s not good enough. You know the expectations from such walks. Especially considering you shared a dance with her and a lengthy conversation. If I didn’t know you better, I would believe you have designs on the lady.”

  His brother puffed out his chest. “And, what if I do? She is available, as am I. I have no title, but I can offer her a comfortable life. I daresay she wouldn’t refuse.”

  Stunned, Christopher studied the younger man as if he’d never seen him before. It was true that Philip would be a good choice for her, but did he truly intend to marry? The thought alone was absurd knowing his brother as he did.

  “You have no desire to marry. You’re only twenty and five and have no duty to see to or an heir to furnish. Do you truly intend to wed now?”

  Philip let out a breath. “I hadn’t intended such. However, when Miss Jubal approached me, she seemed to be trying so hard to keep my attention. I couldn’t let her down. She is a sweet girl, and would make someone a fine wife.”

  Irritated, Christopher ran a hand over the back of his neck. “So, you lead her on by giving her hope of an offer that will never come?”

  Red lit Philip’s cheeks, and he winced. “I hadn’t thought of it in that way.”

  “Of course you didn’t, but you can’t treat debutantes the same way you do everyone else. I can’t stand to see that woman hurt, and I don’t know what I’m going to do to fix this.”

  A sparkle shown in Philips eyes. “Have you thought of pursuing her?”

  “Absolutely not,” Christopher snapped. “I have made an arrangement. In addition, I know her just as little as I do Miss Auclair.”

  The truth of that statement became very apparent to him earlier today when Genny had read the letter from Miss Auclair. Her emotions and inflections were such that the words could have been hers, and he realized he couldn’t answer simple questions about this woman that he’d spent so much time with. Questions that he could now answer about Miss Auclair. Knowing that, he wasn’t sure how he had thought he could possibly find an acceptable husband for Genny.

  “At least with Miss Jubal you have the opportunity to get to know her as the two of you speak the same language. Not to mention, you seem to have developed some type of connection to her.”

  “I told you, she’s an acquaintance of mine. One I feel responsible for.”

  “Then, perhaps you should change your relationship into a friendship. Clearly, the girl needs a friend. If I felt sorry for her the other night, it’s only a matter of time before another man takes notice. Perhaps the attention he chooses to give her may not be to your liking.”

  Not thrilled with the thought of that, Christopher gripped the arms of his chair. “Getting to know her shouldn’t be so difficult. I suppose I can do that.”

  The next day as Christopher was led to the drawing room in Lord Burleson’s townhouse, he began to rethink his decision. Showing up at an At Home was definitely changing their relationship. However, he needed this time to get to know Genny without Lady Constance looking in and definitely not with her feeling the pressure to teach him.

  “Lord Andel,” Lady Burleson gushed when he entered the room. “Such a pleasure that you could join us today. I know my daughter is most pleased.”

  He spared a glance at Genny and the sick look on her face didn’t speak of pleasure in the least. “Thank you, my lady.”

  After exchanging greetings with the four other women in the room, he took a seat beside Genny, which was thankfully on the opposite side of the room from the viscountess. He didn’t particularly care for the woman and didn’t want to know what she would think of his visit.

  “My lord, I wasn’t expecting you to come by today. I hope all is well.”

  He nodded, not having realized she would think something had happened. “All is well. I just thought it would be better for us to have a conversation outside of the ballrooms and not during a lesson, either.”

  With her head turned away from him, she spoke without moving her lips much. “I must warn you, my mother has excellent hearing and can read lips.”

  Glancing at the lady, he caught her shrewd eyes upon them. “Perhaps we can take a walk through the garden.”

  “Mother certainly won’t like it, but I can try.”

  With some skilled talking on Genny’s part, they were soon in the garden with a bored maid trailing a fair distance behind them. Although he knew one word to the viscount would award him any amount of privacy he wanted, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Not only would it be giving in to the man’s detestable offer, but he didn’t want Genny to know her father had offered such a thing.

  “This is much more to my liking.” He took in a deep breath of the clean air.

  “I’m glad you approve.” Her tone was dry. “Now, this conversation you wish to have, I assume it isn’t pleasant news. Please, just tell me.”

  He stopped walking and looked at her. “I didn’t mean a specific conversation. There is no news. I simply thought we should get to know each other better.”

  Her eyes widened, then she bit her bottom lip. He noticed she frequently did this when she contemplated something. What was she thinking now? He desperately wanted to know.

  “Why would you want that? You want my honesty when it comes to you, so I’ll give it to you. Men are rather confusing, and you are the most confusing one of them all. I never know what to expect when it comes to you.”

  Swallowing his guilt, he forced a smile. “I’m sorry about that. I just thought it would be nice for us to be friends. The other day it occurred to me that I know almost nothing about you. We spend so much time together, yet we never talk.”

  She began walking, and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with anything else, I don’t see a problem. After all, you still haven’t continued my lessons with helping me talk to gentlemen.”

  Thinking of the ball, he let out a snort. “It seems you don’t need any help in that area. My brother has no interest in marrying, yet you managed to get him to take you on a stroll.”

  A blush colored her cheeks. “You make it sound as though I coerced him.”

  “I know that you didn’t.” He lightly touched her shoulder, hoping to raise her sadness, and she froze.

  “I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. This whole business has been trouble since the beginning.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be saying any of this.”

  Hating what she was having to go through, he felt an overwhelming desire to erase her pain. In truth, he didn’t understand why this enchanting creature wasn’t already married. Perhaps it was that she hadn’t opened up to anyone else but him. Although he shouldn’t, he really liked that thought.

  With these feelings coursing through him, he glanced back at the girl trailing them. She had taken a seat on the bench and was looking off into the bushes. Before he could think better, he grabbed Genny’s hand and ran down the aisles, putting as much distance between them and the maid as possible. He weaved through the rows to make it more difficult to find them when the girl realized they were missing.

  His heart pumped wildly. He hadn’t done something like this since he’d been a randy youth stealing a kiss, and he could hardly believe he was doing it now. However, the idea didn’t stop him. Instead, his body was filled with excitement for what would follow.

  Once they reached a private grove, he turned to face Genny. Her face was flushed with the same excitement coursing through him, and the smile on her lips took his breath away. She’d never looked more beautiful. He realized she needed this is much as he did.

  “What is this about?” Her voice was breathless.

 
He didn’t exactly know how to put it into words. “I don’t like you doubting your worth. The next ball or party you attend, I want you to lift your head up and look at everyone as if you outrank them all, because you do. In so many ways.”

  “I will try.” Her smile was sad. “Did you drag me all the way out here to tell me that? I daresay, Judy wouldn’t have cared had you said that in front of her.”

  He shook his head as his gaze fell to her enchanting lips. “That’s not why we are out here.”

  Not giving himself a moment to question his decision, he pulled her against him and pressed his lips to hers. She melted against him with no resistance. The sensation of belonging overwhelmed him, and he drew her in tighter up against him. When her arms snaked around his neck, gripping onto him, he lost it.

  He invaded her mouth, desperate to taste her. She welcomed him, and he took everything she gave. But, as usual, it wasn’t enough. His greedy hands gripped her slim waist, wishing for so much more. He didn’t understand how this little slip of a girl affected him so strongly, but she’d assaulted his senses and he was going mad.

  Lust tore through him at the signs of her passion. His body burned, demanding to be satiated. He ground up against her, desperate for some relief. If she kissed like this, he could imagine how responsive she would be in bed. The thought tore a groan from his throat, and he abruptly pulled away from her before he took matters much too far.

  “We should go back,” he rasped, then took her arm and pulled her toward the path. Although he knew this was a dangerous game he was playing, he couldn’t bring himself to regret the pleasure of having her in his arms. He just hoped he would be strong enough to resist doing it again.