A Lady to Desire

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  “Oh, you. Go on with your flattery.” Priscilla batted a hand in the air. “So we are still agreed then? Our plan from last evening still stands?” He could see the light of hope in her eyes and knew he would not be the one to extinguish it.

  “We are,” he agreed and reached out to cover her hand with his. “At least for the duration of this house party.”

  He was toying with her. Charlotte had never taken Francis for a rogue or a libertine, but given his behavior this morning, it seemed she had been wrong. For he was all but falling into Lady Priscilla’s lap and making a spectacle of himself, just as he had last evening.

  Or perhaps attempting to make her jealous was a better term for what he was doing. In fact, Charlotte was all but certain he was doing just that. After that kiss last night, how could there be any question that he still cared for her? Still desired her?

  Very easily Charlotte supposed, when she noticed Noah giving her a heated look of his own. Passion was just that. Passion. It was not emotion. At least not in the way love was.

  “They look happy,” her breakfast companion offered, nodding in the general direction of Francis and Lady Priscilla. Snowly’s eyes narrowed slightly when he spoke and she wondered if he realized he did that. Likely not.

  Charlotte hadn’t planned to break her fast with Lord Snowly this morning but she had run into him – almost literally – as she came down the stairs and found him just exiting one of the front parlors. When he had offered to accompany her to the breakfast room, she saw no reason why he should not. After all, she was here to sort out her feelings and desires, was she not? She had just agreed with Francis about that very thing last night.

  Which had been all well and good until they had entered the breakfast room and Charlotte found Francis and Lady Priscilla already comfortably ensconced at a table, looking far too intimate for her liking.

  And again she silently berated herself because he was doing no more than she was. Francis was exploring what might be between himself and the beautiful Priscilla. Or between him and other beautiful women, for Charlotte supposed there was no limit to the number of young ladies he might shower with attention. If only those other women weren’t quite as beautiful as Lady Priscilla Trew, it might be easier. For against the sophisticated and elegant Priscilla, Charlotte felt a bit like a dowdy county mouse.

  “They do look happy,” Charlotte finally agreed, something gnawing at her uncomfortably in the general vicinity of her stomach. “Have you heard from your uncle?” she asked, changing the subject rather abruptly. That was why she was here, after all, at least partly. And Noah was another man that she was withholding the truth from. That didn’t speak very highly of her, really.

  Noah nodded, not seeming to notice the abrupt change of topic or at least being gentleman enough not to mention it. “A letter from him arrived just this morning. It was rather…indelicate.”

  Charlotte could only imagine. “Will you reply?”

  “In time,” he admitted, his gaze taking in the whole of the room as if to see what lord was paired with what lady that morning. “I cannot ignore the old man completely, much as I might wish to. However, I also require time to decide how I will phrase my response.”

  “I take it he asked about me?” Charlotte poked at the poached eggs congealing on her plate. Suddenly, she was no longer very hungry. While she was coming to like Noah a great deal, she had no wish to be wed to his uncle in truth and then bedded by Noah instead, as delightful as that last part might be. It was unseemly. Not to mention a bit disgusting to contemplate.

  Did she dare hope that Noah felt the same? Oh, she prayed that he did!

  “He did ask about you.” Noah speared a piece of bacon and chewed thoughtfully. “However let me be clear about something, my lady. I know what sort of man my uncle is.”

  No. I don’t think you do.

  “And I will not allow him to harm you, Charlotte. I am not that sort of man and I do not hold with what my uncle and your father wish to do.”

  You might change your mind once you discover what my father intends for you.

  “I will protect you if it comes to that,” Noah assured her. “I am not without resources.”

  No, she didn’t imagine he was. However, Noah Acton had never met a man quite like James Cleary and she dearly hoped he never had to either.

  “I understand,” she finally offered as she managed to gulp down a bit of cold egg. “And we shall deal with that situation if and when arises.” Then she cleared her throat. “For now, however, can we not concentrate on the house party? It is so much more pleasant.”

  Noah smiled at her and Charlotte had to admit it was a nice smile, though it did not thrill her this morning quite as much as it had last night. Then again, she had not consumed any champagne this morning either. Not to mention that Francis was sitting just across the room enjoying the company of another woman. That might put a damper on things, she reasoned.

  “We can do whatever you like,” Noah replied, his voice low and soft, almost seductive.

  And there it was. The same shiver he had induced in her the night before.

  “Then perhaps we can discuss attending the lawn games planned for later this morning. They are, I am told, to be of a very competitive nature.” Charlotte really had no desire to take part in lawn games, but that seemed the safest course of action and the best way to get to know this man a bit better.

  Noah’s smile was wolfish now and she felt it in her toes. Not quite as much as she had felt Francis’ smile. But she still felt it.

  “I would like that, Noah. Very much.” That was the truth. She must focus more on telling the truth.

  “Excellent.” His eyes roamed her body discreetly and she had the impression he was imagining her undressed. To be fair, she had done the same to him earlier, wondering how he might compare to Francis. Which she should not have done. “However if you tire of the games, there are, shall we say, other things we might explore until luncheon.” He raised a single eyebrow in what could only be a sign of invitation.

  Charlotte shivered. The heated look in Noah’s eyes told her that he had, in fact, been picturing her naked – and clearly liking what he imagined he might see if she was. Francis had once looked at her that way, too. Back in the beginning. Before things had changed.

  “My lord?” She did her best to feign ignorance. She was here to determine if she and Francis’ still suited, not to destroy her reputation. She had to be careful she did not cross some line that could not be uncrossed.

  “Come now, my lady,” Noah teased gently, his eyes twinkling though still a bit hooded with what was likely desire. “We shan’t go that far afield.” Thank goodness for small favors, she supposed. “But a little indulgence never harmed anyone.”

  On the surface, the words were innocent enough but Charlotte was aware the earl meant them in a far more seductive manner. What was worse, she was actually considering asking him what “a little indulgence” might mean. If she was brave enough. If she thought she could indulge without feeling shame and disloyalty toward Francis. Then she heard Francis laugh at something Lady Priscilla said and Charlotte decided that perhaps a small taste – say a kiss or two – might not be so terrible.

  “Perhaps, Lord Snowly,” Charlotte patted her lips with her napkin, watching as his eyes followed the movement of the starched bit of cloth like a hungry dog followed a bone. “Perhaps.”

  “Indeed.” Noah’s eyes lit with what could only be described as wicked delight. And Charlotte wondered how far this man was willing to go in the pursuit of pleasure. And if he would stop if she asked him to do so. She did not completely like the conclusion she came to after that. However, she had chosen this path with Noah and she would see it through to the end. What was the worst that could happen?

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Nine

  With a huff, Charlotte glared at her pall mall mallet as if it was solely responsible for her pathetic play so far that day.

  “I don’t think t
he mallet means to offend you, my lady,” Noah offered, doing his best to contain his laughter. “Rather, I believe the ball might be to blame. Ghastly color. However it ended up a mix of green and yellow, I shall never know.”

  Charlotte laughed. That was the expected response. After all, Noah had essentially been paying her court all morning. After breakfast, he had escorted her out into the gardens, the clear spring morning making it perfect for strolling about before the lawn games began. Then he had offered to partner her at pall mall, and, of course, she had agreed. But not before seeing Lady Priscilla practically draped over Francis as if she was his great coat and this the chilliest day of the year.

  “Perhaps the lawn is lumpy,” Charlotte suggested, giving the ball another sound whack and sending it veering wildly off course. Though she had never been the best pall mall player in all of England – battledore being more her thing – she was never usually quite this terrible.

  “Perhaps Lord Fullbridge has moles,” Noah replied, his eyes twinkling once more. “Or perhaps you are distracted.”

  “Perhaps I am,” Charlotte sighed as she watched Noah give his ball a good thwack to send it flying through the iron hoop, just as she had expected. From what she could tell, he excelled at almost every sport he had ever participated in. He certainly had the build for it, all lean, graceful muscle and barely concealed strength. It was little wonder most of the debutantes in London – and beyond – fancied him.

  It took Charlotte four more tries to send her ball through the hoop, the yellowish green orb barely rolling through on the last try. Drat, she had no skill for this game. Of course, it did not help that only a few feet away, Francis was carrying on with Lady Priscilla as if he was having the time of his life. Which he shouldn’t be, not with the way he kissed her last night.

  “Don’t look at them,” Noah whispered in her ear as she bent down to pick up her ball, his warm breath tickling her neck, his closeness bordering on the scandalous. “Just concentrate on me. You are here to explore, remember. If you spend all of your time glaring at the chap, how will you ever discover what it is that you truly desire?”

  He had a point, Charlotte had to admit. “Then perhaps you could conceive of something to distract me?” she teased, fluttering her eyes at him in a comical fashion. “Something not involving a hideously colored ball, perhaps?”

  Noah laughed, and Charlotte felt a bubble of warmth well up within her, even though her comment had not been all that witty. She had missed this – this feeling of sharing a joke with someone, even when the joke was terrible. She had done that with Francis once. When had they stopped? She could not even remember.

  Linking her arm with Noah’s, she allowed him to escort her over to a small refreshment table that had been set up on the far edge of the lawn. A bit of chill still clung to the spring air and Charlotte was grateful for the heat Noah’s body provided. Without thinking, she pressed a bit closer to his side, damning the potential for scandal.

  “Am I to take that as a hint, my lady? Are you seeking something more of a personal distraction?” Noah whispered as they approached the table where servants were handing out cups of lemonade and offering teacakes and sweetmeats to the guests.

  “I…I don’t know,” she stammered, taken aback by his comments. Charlotte had merely been chilled. She hadn’t meant to silently suggest that she was amenable to something else, at least not quite so soon, despite her flirty ways. Except that perhaps she had.

  Noah patted her hand innocently enough, though his eyes held a knowing look. “In time, my lady. In time. You shall have what you desire, whatever that might be. When you are ready.” He took a cup of lemonade from a footman and offered it to her. “We have several days yet.”

  Despite her better judgment, Charlotte relaxed a fraction though she still kept her guard up just a bit. For Lord Snowly wasn’t as harmless as she had first imagined – though that did not bother her nearly as much as it probably should. Over the course of the morning, it had become clear to her that while Noah Acton was, indeed, a nice man, he was also something of a rogue. He enjoyed teasing and flirting, but it was also rather plain that he enjoyed bedsport as well – or as close as he could come to the intimate act whenever he could.

  That left her a bit unsettled, for Charlotte was not that sort of woman, but not unsettled enough to compel her to leave his side. However, Noah likely did not know or understand that she was not really an accomplished flirt and was instead merely a bit soft-hearted – despite how she could appear at times.

  After all, Charlotte had come to warn Noah about his uncle’s plan with the purest of intentions, but she had not been very delicate in her speech when discussing the subject. In fact, she had told him that her father was rather outspoken regarding such matters. Given the way he was treating her now, Noah had likely come to the conclusion that she was just as brash and outspoken as well. Not to mention far more sophisticated than she truly was.

  Except that she wasn’t any of those things. For as bold as she could be at times when it came to the idea of physical intimacy, Charlotte had to admit that she was more than a bit awkward. That was one of the reasons she had gotten on so well with her friends Lady Anna Davenport – now the Marchioness of Lansdale – and Lady Miri Bexley – now the Countess of Blackthorne. Not to mention Pearl, of course.

  All of those women had been more than a bit shy about their bodies, which was why Charlotte had felt so comfortable among them. She chose not to remember that when her friends had met the men they wished to marry, all modesty had fled and they had indulged in various carnal pleasures before the bonds matrimony were read. In Miri’s case, she had essentially paid the Earl of Blackthorne to bed her, even though that had turned into a love match long before the actual bedding had taken place.

  So while those women were more worldly now, Charlotte still was not. And she did not think that Noah quite understood that. Then again, from the way she had been behaving from the moment she had arrived, that was not surprising.

  “If you want me,” Noah whispered in her ear as he handed her a small plate of cakes, his hand accidentally brushing her backside, “I am yours, my lady. Utterly. Completely. All you have to do is ask.”

  She blushed scarlet. Charlotte knew she did. That was such a scandalous thing to say! But she also had to admit that Noah’s naughty words made her tingle in all of the same places Francis used to when they had first met. Which only left her feeling more confused than she had earlier.

  “We will see, my lord,” she finally managed to get out from behind her cup of lemonade, not wishing anyone to overhear this scandalous conversation. “We will see.”

  “Yes, we will. Soon,” Noah promised as he took her arm and led her away from the table and toward the section of lawn where a game of bowls was being arranged. “For I find that I desire you a bit more than I had imagined I would, Charlotte. And I am not a man that is willing to wait forever for what he desires, unlike some. If I want something, I take it.”

  Charlotte was about to ask what he meant by that – even when she already likely knew – when, without warning, Noah collapsed in a heap beside her with a loud grunt and something that might have been a cry of pain. Thankfully, he kept enough of his wits about him to release her before he fell, ensuring that she stayed upright while he lay at her feet, wincing in misery.

  “Oh! Oh dear! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” A high-pitched feminine voice squeaked from across the lawn, though Charlotte paid the voice no mind, at least not at first for she was more concerned for Noah.

  The two of them had been strolling close to the pall mall section of the lawn, but she had assumed they were far enough away from the game that was just finishing up that they would have time to notice any stray balls headed in their direction. What neither she nor the earl had anticipated, however, was one Miss Susan Worth, a slight slip of a girl who didn’t look as if she could lift a pall mall mallet let alone swing one with enough force that it slipped out of her hands and flew more than
half-way across the pall mall court to connect with the back of Noah’s knees. But she had.

  Miss Worth came hurrying over in a cloud of pale pink muslin and an excess of ribbons and lace, fear plain on her face and followed closely by Lord Fullbridge as well as several other ladies and gentleman all eager for a peek at what had transpired.

  “I was going to hit my ball and the mallet…it…it…it just…slipped!” Miss Worth was close to sobbing now, likely thinking she had grievously injured a peer of the Realm. She twisted her hands together nervously. “I am so sorry, my lord! Truly! Please forgive me! I meant no harm!” The poor thing looked as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

  With a grunt, Noah managed to maneuver himself into an upright sitting position. “No harm, Miss Worth, I assure you. I was merely taken by surprise.” He shook his head as if to clear away some of the pain and somehow managed to grin up at the terrified young woman from his position on the ground at the same time. He was hurt; Charlotte could tell. Still, Noah was enough of a gentleman not to make Miss Worth feel any worse than she obviously already did. “I dare say, you have a future in the throwing sports if you’ve a mind to it. That was quite a throw.”

  Miss Worth blushed prettily and Charlotte was thankful that Noah had managed to put the young woman at ease despite his obvious pain. Miss Worth was not titled and had been invited only because of her distant connection to the elderly Viscount Marshfield. Her bloodlines were of the gentry, but as the only child of a country squire, she had little to recommend her – save for her suitable breeding hips, of course.

  Miss Worth swiped at a tear that had begun to trickle down her cheek. “I am truly sorry, Lord Snowly. Please. I never meant to…” She sucked in a deep breath as if she meant to launch into another lengthy explanation.

  “I know.” Noah winced as several of the other gentlemen abandoned their mallets and helped him to his feet. “It was an accident, Miss Worth. These things happen.” He tested his leg and winced again when he attempted to put weight on it. “However, perhaps I should rest for a bit, eh? Might be just the thing.” He looked at the men supporting him. “Carstairs? Townley? If you wouldn’t mind, I could use a bit of assistance.” Noah nodded in the general direction of the manor house.