“Is she not being courted?” Rowan asked idly, looking at her as she stood up from her seat on the stone bench, walking behind a hedge, out of view.
If she is in talks with all of these families, the woman must be well-connected… Maybe there is a chance for me to get back into the ton if I can meet her friends and their fathers.
“Not currently, though I am to understand that she has her sights set on our dear old friend, the Earl of Eaton.” Edward waggled his eyebrows, grinning.
“Do excuse me. Tell your father I send him my best wishes,” Rowan said suddenly, walking in the direction of the woman.
He could hear Edward continuing to speak, but he could not bear another moment of his rambling. He snuck behind the tall hedges and continued to walk until all he heard was the muffled chatter of the ton and his own footsteps in the grass.
Where did she go?
Rowan thought he saw her honey blonde hair turn to the left, but realized that the garden was quite the maze. He was beginning to feel a bit lost when he turned a corner to see the lady crouched down to the ground.
“Pardon—” he spoke quietly, still managing to make her jump.
She quickly turned around, her hand on her chest. “Are you following me, Your Grace?” She shot him a look that he could not read.
“I suppose I would like to know if you are avoiding me,” he replied. “Though, I am sure I know the answer if you have to hide like that.”
“I believe a lady has the right to flee from someone who spilled his drink on her gown and completely ruined her chance to find a suitor no less than an hour ago,” she snapped, suddenly sounding quite upset.
“Miss Snow?—”
“I would rather not hear your apologies. I am sure you have heard all of the trending gossip, but let me tell you one thing, Your Grace,” she said, stepping closer to him. “My brother is no kind man. And whatever you have heard from the ton will undoubtedly be worse once I go home with no husband. So, I thank you oh-so kindly for ruining the only nice gown I own and destroying my last chance to find a suitor before my brother returns?—”
“Miss Snow, please. I understand that my apologies may not be of interest to you, but may I offer them to you, nonetheless? For a gentleman’s sake?” He held his hands up, and she sighed.
“Fine. But, you know, you should not be here with me. I managed to escape my chaperone for a moment, but she will surely be looking for me, and the situation will become far more precarious, should we be seen together out here.”
“I do not want to cause any trouble. You just looked bothered by something, and I wanted to see if you were all right. You said something about your brother. What did you mean by that? If you do not mind my asking.”
“I surely should not get into it, Your Grace. I simply must get married this Season, and after the incident with your drink, I was a little distraught.”
“Every man here is surely awaiting the proper time to approach such a beautiful lady,” he scoffed, unconvinced that this perfect specimen of a woman would have any trouble finding a crowd of suitors at her feet, let alone just one.
His eyes raked down her body, drinking in each curve of her figure as the light hit her blemish-free skin.
“You would be surprised, Your Grace.” She turned her head away from him, biting her lip, a look of anticipation and worry etched on her face. “The other ladies are like vultures at this time of year. My choices are becoming few and far between.”
“Miss Snow, may I ask you something?” He leaned forward, searching her eyes for any hint of ill intent, but instead saw nothing but gorgeous, sparkling blue irises staring back at him. He could get lost in them.
They stared at one another for a moment before she finally broke the intense eye contact, looking down. “I must be going, Your Grace. Your apology, if you managed to voice it, is accepted.”
As she bowed her head, Rowan heard the crackling of ballroom shoes on the cobbled path of the garden. He furrowed his brow as he strained his ears, recognizing the bubbling laughter and conversation approaching the pair’s hiding spot in the roses.
“Miss Snow, I just want?—”
“I must make haste, Your Grace,” she interrupted him again, picking up the skirt of her dress. “My sincerest apologies.”
How many times will she interrupt me?
Rowan suddenly heard the giggles of the ton inching closer, and before she could leave, he grasped her arm, pulling her toward him and crashing his lips onto hers, silencing her.
ChapterTwo
She was caught so completely off guard, she could not move. She could barely suck in a harsh breath before she was smothered by the Duke’s lips against hers. Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach as she suddenly became hyper-aware of every sensation in her body. His warm hands held her cheeks, and it felt as if the world around them had fallen away.
I have never felt like this before… What is that restless sensation in my stomach, and why do I not want it to stop?
