Improper Match: Scandalous Encounters

by Reed, Kristabel

  Her feet wanted to run toward Edmund. Selina took half a step when she realized how unseemly that would be, and forcibly halted her movement. There was enough talk about them; she did not need to add to it.

  Instead she remained still and watched his quick strides as he headed directly for her. Edmund stopped only a few feet away and offered a deep bow. “Miss Barton, Miss Lyndell,” he said formally.

  His tone was unable to hide the sheer pleasure that radiated from him.

  “Lord Granville,” she returned with a curtsey.

  It was always an effort to remember to call him by his title when they were in public. Since the first, he’d been Edmund and now that her heart was involved, that was never going to change. But they were in Hyde Park, and the ton had surprisingly sharp hearing.

  “Lord Granville,” Annabelle offered. Her voice rang with amusement. “Selina, I forgot I need to discuss one more item with Miss Langston.”

  Selina nodded to her friend and de facto chaperone, and watched her catch up with one of their friends. She turned back to Edmund who offered his arm. Selina immediately took it and they turned for the path. The breeze was behind them now and made her green skirts billow before her.

  Selina barely noticed and moved just that little bit closer to Edmund.

  “I thought I was to be the early one, here already to greet you,” he said as they strolled along the dirt path.

  “Annabelle and I met friends here, first,” she said, unable to stop her smile.

  “Are they here?” He looked down at her. “I’m not inclined to share you.”

  “Fear not, my lord, for they are otherwise occupied.”

  “Good.” He nodded. “Else I’d have had to abscond with you.”

  She felt his gaze on her and looked up at him. When in public, she tried not to stare, truly, but usually forgot her vow the moment they met.

  “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you,” he confessed.

  Did her smile look as wide and foolish as it felt? No doubt. Selina tried to school her features, but once again it was no use. It had been only one day, and she’d missed him.

  “I would argue that it has been but a single day,” she said, trying to regain the propriety they strived for. “However,” she added, all thoughts of propriety gone, “I share your sentiment.”

  Edmund, already too close to be considered proper, leaned closer. Selina licked her lips and tilted her head up to meet his. Before his lips touched hers, a gentleman walked past them and coughed.

  Selina jerked back, her cheeks hot with embarrassment.

  They’d kissed before, of course, in the previous six weeks. But they’d been so careful not to give into temptation where others might spy them. Selina didn’t know who that gentleman was, and was far too embarrassed to turn around, but he’d done them a favor in stopping them.

  She looked up at Edmund, who did not seem the least embarrassed. No, he looked… hungry.

  A sharp pang of wanting shot through her, and Selina gasped. His look burned through her, heated her blood, and made her skin ache to feel his touch. But then he blinked and pulled back, his mask once more in place as the decorous Earl of Granville.

  “I shall see you this evening for supper,” he said as they resumed their walk. “Your father invited me tonight.”

  “He has?” Selina asked, surprised but not at all displeased. Then she grinned. “I must speak with him about inviting strange earls to the house for supper.”

  “And,” he said and leaned closer, “as you know, they come no stranger than me.”

  She laughed, that unbound joy threatening to burst from her. How did anyone contain such happiness? Why would anyone wish to?

  “Edmund,” she whispered, unable to look away.

  His eyes darkened, and that hungry look flashed over his face. He loved it when she used his name, and she strived to as often as possible.

  “Did you stop at your country house this visit?” Selina asked, partly to steer the conversation onto safe topics, partly because she was interested.

  “No, I didn’t have the time,” he said. “Hamilton and I went to Whitestone Hall for business then returned to London straight away.”

  The footpath turned, and now the wind came at her from her left. A particularly strong gust pushed her closer to Edmund, and though Selina did, eventually, replace the required distance between them, she also enjoyed the feel of his body against hers.

  And looked forward to feeling all his body against hers. Soon.

  “Why do you ask?” Edmund inquired.

  His free hand brushed her arm, the touch there and gone in a moment. But her heart beat harder, and Selina forced herself to remember her question.

  “I simply wondered,” Selina said very pointedly, “if you happened to visit Miss Norwood.”

  The name left a slightly sour taste in her mouth, but she supposed she couldn’t blame the other woman. And, too, Selina had no wish to make enemies of Edmund’s family, no matter how distantly related.

  “And how did you learn of Miss Norwood?” Edmund wondered, a distinct curious note in his voice.

  “I went to the milliners with your sister and she introduced me to Miss Anderson.” Selina waited, but Edmund showed no recognition. Taking a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, she continued. “Miss Anderson inquired as to your understanding with Miss Norwood.”

  Edmund frowned and glared ahead. “I certainly hope Octavia set you straight,” he began and looked back to her, his dark eyes unreadable. “There is no understanding between Miss Norwood and myself. Nor has there ever been.”

  “Are you certain there shouldn’t be?” The words hurt to speak, but they slipped past her defenses before she thought better of them.

  Selina needed to know, not that she necessarily wanted to, but a deep part of her had to offer him this chance. The selfish part of her didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to remind him of the vast differences between their stations. But that vastness loomed like a chasm between them, and she refused to drag Edmund across simply because they shared an adventure almost two months ago.

  When she looked back up at him, Edmund’s gaze was angry — stormy and certain, still with that hungry look, but buried now. “Why do you ask such a thing?” he demanded.

  “Because I’ve heard her story,” Selina started. She raised her chin and added stronger, “I know she has no surviving brothers; once her father passes, she’ll be all but out on the street.”

  “Selina.” When he said her name, it sounded more of a caress than a simple word. He stopped and turned to face her, utterly serious and solemn.

  “I have been asked to look after her; I’ve even been asked to marry her, which I will not do. If I must, I’ll see she has a home and is comfortable, as she’s a distant cousin.”

  He took her shoulders for only a brief moment before dropping his hands. He never looked away, didn’t seem to care they were in the middle of the park on a sunny beautiful day, with dozens of others walking by them.

  “But I will not marry out of obligation.”

  “Oftentimes there are obligations we cannot avoid,” she said softly.

  Edmund smiled, that wide, happy grin he always greeted her with. His gloved fingers caressed her cheek, only briefly. “Miss Norwood is not now, nor ever will be, my obligation.”

  Selina tried to smile in return, but doubts rolled through her, churning in her stomach. She said naught and simply nodded, turning back to the path and their walk.

  Edmund stopped her, his hand gentle on her arm. He waited as she turned and looked at him, uncertain as to what to expect. But the look on his face was open, the hunger hooded, yes, but the affection he felt for her shone so clearly through his brown eyes that it took her breath away.

  “You surprise me at every turn,” he said, once more standing appropriately away from her. “I’ve fallen in love with everything about you.”

  She forgot how to breathe. It was the first time either had mentioned love, and
the word buzzed in her ears. No, not buzzed — it swam through her veins and made her heart feel entirely too big for her chest.

  “Everything,” Edmund continued, “from your practicality to your kindness, with the fire I see in your eyes.”

  “Edmund,” she warned in a strangled whisper. “You cannot say such things where others might hear.”

  Oh, she wanted to hear him speak of love again — wanted to hear it over and over again. But not here in the park. She wanted the words, the emotion behind them, to be hers and hers alone. Not even shared with the birds.

  “Let the world hear,” he told her, his voice unmoderated.

  Selina shook her head and turned back to the path. “Let’s walk,” she tried.

  “No.” He stilled her again. “I want you to know now.”

  Curious, she turned back to him. Know? She suspected he loved her; she knew she loved him with everything in her. What else could he wish her to know? “What?”

  “Marry me.”

  Selina forgot how to breathe. Her chest burned and her heart raced; her eyes stung, and she hastily blinked.

  “It could not come as such a shock,” he said, amused now. The deep honesty in his words remained unabated.

  She shook her head but smiled. “When you hear it,” she whispered, “it is a shock.” Then she nodded, too overcome with pleasure to care where they were. “Yes! I will marry you.”

  Chapter Seven

  Selina handed Monroe, Edmund’s butler, her wrap. Annabelle shook her head at the man and retained hers as she followed Selina into the front parlor. Edmund sat with his sister in the brightly sunlit room. Tea had been set out but neither partook.

  The moment Selina saw Octavia’s face, and glanced to the answering, long-suffering one on Annabelle, she knew the pair were not going to leave with a simple kiss and smile.

  Oh no, not these theatrical ladies.

  “My dear Annabelle,” Octavia said as she stood to greet them. “Such a wise choice to keep your wrap. We have so much to do with our fittings that will surely take many hours.”

  Annabelle laughed and Selina’s face flushed hotly. Octavia grew ever bolder with her wild schemes to leave her and Edmund alone. And Annabelle, shy, sweet Annabelle, met her step for step, word for word. Selina wondered what happened to her Annabelle.

  Selina’s gaze met Edmund’s. He gave her an apologetic look and faint shrug as he crossed the room. Leaning down he kissed her cheek.

  “I have no control over her,” he muttered.

  Today was not the first time Annabelle and Octavia poked fun at them. In fact, the women bonded quickly over many things, not the least of which was their shared delight in Edmund’s courtship of her.

  Selina didn’t mind, they did it in fun and never crossed from humor into meanness. And it warmed her heart to see her cousin become such good friends with Octavia. Annabelle needed to socialize more and Octavia was the perfect woman to see that happen.

  But today, with the immediate leap into jests and dramatics, it was too much, even for them. Selina was certain that if either woman were so inclined to skit writing, they’d have a triumph on their hands.

  “We’ll leave our dear Selina and Edmund to their own devices for hours,” Octavia continued in an overly dramatic voice.

  Annabelle laughed harder. Selina’s face heated all the more, but she smiled nonetheless. These two were utterly ridiculous! Edmund merely rolled his eyes and took Selina’s hand.

  “Whatever shall they do?” Octavia wondered, finger tapping her lower lip.

  “I’m certain they’ll sit quietly in a corner, waiting with bated breath for our carriage to return,” Annabelle confided in a mock whisper.

  “In separate rooms, no less,” Octavia agreed with a serious and exaggerated nod. “Far, far from each other.”

  She turned to Edmund, eyes wide, and sighed. “I know you’ll miss me terribly, dear brother, but do try to soldier on in my absence and keep Miss Lyndell entertained.”

  “Yes,” Annabelle said in a high-pitched, giddy voice. “I’m so looking forward to sitting for all those hours, watching the seamstress fit Lady Octavia for her new gowns.”

  Octavia turned to Annabelle in mock outrage. “Don’t forget your new gown, my dear. After all, we’ve nothing more to do than prepare for a certain wedding, do we not?”

  Laughing outright now, Selina tried to cover her mouth but it was no use. Her shoulders shook and her lungs ached as she tried to catch her breath. Edmund snickered, his hand tightening around hers. She looked up at him.

  He tried to glare at his sister, but it fell short. Pure amusement shone in his gaze, happy and light and Selina’s breath caught. Not because of her laughter, but because of the lightness to Edmund. The way his eyes danced.

  “I do believe the duke did not make such lofty preparations for the Battle of Waterloo,” Annabelle said in that same high-pitched voice, hand clasped to her chest as if she were about to swoon.

  “Oh heavens no!” Octavia gasped. “My brother and your cousin put every military strategist to shame.

  “A proper earl plans for all contingencies,” Edmund inserted in what he probably hoped was his I’m the earl voice. It was hard to be that stoic, that pompous around so wide a grin. “Now, dear Sister, should you not make haste to the modiste before all the good fabrics are taken?”

  “Yes, yes, you’re correct, Brother. I do know how concerned you are for me,” Octavia added with a wink.

  She gathered her skirts in one hand, clasped Annabelle’s hand with her other, and made to sweep from the room. Selina stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “Oh, but we are concerned, Octavia,” she insisted. “We wouldn’t want you to miss the tea the fine madam serves. Such a unique flavor.”

  Annabelle sniffed. “Yes. The tea. And we’ll be certain to take Camden Road around.”

  She looked at Selina and in her cousin’s eyes she saw laughter there, yes, but also understanding at the circuitous route she explained.

  “To Grosvenor Square and back again,” Annabelle continued. “To avoid the crowds, of course.”

  “Of course.” Octavia nodded solemnly.

  Selina knew Camden Road and Grosvenor Square were nowhere near each other. She appreciated the sentiment, exaggerated though it was. From the corner of her eye, she saw Edmund glare at the theatric pair.

  “Come,” Octavia said and continued her grand sweep from the room, dragging Annabelle beside her.

  Not that Selina thought Annabelle was being dragged. If anything, her cousin met Octavia mocking line for mocking line. The pair were thick as thieves; they’d been close since the start of her and Edmund’s courtship and their friendship only deepened from there.

  “Let’s leave through the carriage door. Where none might see us,” Octavia whispered conspiratorially.

  In the silence of their departure, Edmund shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with her,” he muttered.

  “Very little,” Selina answered.

  Before she had the chance to catch her breath or think of anything more to say, he looked around and retook her hand. He led her away from the parlor — and the windows which left them on full display.

  Edmund walked down the hall slightly, deep enough in the shadows to hide them. Not, she thought as he turned and cupped her face, that any servant dared to interrupt them.

  But then his mouth covered hers and thoughts of servants, dresses, or propriety vanished. He deepened the kiss, tongue sweeping over hers, fingers drifting in light caresses over the side of her neck, along her shoulders.

  Selina tangled her fingers in his hair, stood on tiptoe to better feel him against her, despite their layers of clothing. His fingers were warm, light brushes that sent tingles dancing along her nerves.

  And his mouth, he took and took and as their tongues caressed each other, and as each touch sparked her arousal hotter, Selina gave in. She whimpered against his mouth, nails scrapping along the nape of his neck. Kis
sed him harder and deeper.

  Selina might never know how it happened, how this beautiful man fell in love with her. Shared her love. But she was grateful for it and would be until the day she died. Edmund was so easy to love, full of laughter and passion, knowledge of the world and willing to listen to her in a way so few were.

  He walked her backwards, pressed his hard body to hers, trapped her against the wall.

  Eventually, long, long minutes after they started, he pulled back. Selina struggled to catch her breath even as she wanted more.

  “I missed you,” he whispered, lips brushing hers.

  “We saw each other but yesterday.” She smiled against his mouth, tilted her head back as he kissed down her sensitive skin.

  Tugging him back to her mouth, she kissed him, uncaring of where they were. “Yes,” she gasped. “It was far too long.”

  He pulled back again, put a little distance between them. But his fingers continued stroking her shoulders, dipped down her back beneath her gown. Heart racing, breath trapped, Selina looked up at him and saw the hunger she felt reflected in his dark gaze.

  Selina brushed her fingertips over his jaw, his lips. Leaned in and pressed one final kiss gently against his mouth.

  Swallowing hard, she pushed Edmund back another step. She took deep gulps of air and tried to calm her racing heart. Cool her heated blood. But her heart continued to pound and her body yearned for him. To feel his touch along every inch of her bare skin, to feel his mouth follow in his touch’s wake.

  Selina shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it. She looked around, but knew the hallway was deserted. One last touch, she promised herself and brushed her fingertips over his jaw.

  “Tell me of your evening,” she said, voice low and intimate in the quietness of the hall. “Did you retire early?” Her lips ticked up and she wiped her tongue over them. “Or did you attend a soiree without me? Did a young maiden catch your eye?”

  “I believe the entire city to be devoid of any other young, beautiful women.” The words caressed her cheek. “With the exception of Octavia and Annabelle, of course. No,” he continued and pulled back enough to see her.