Lady Clementine was not merely beautiful, she was considered a matchless beauty.
A truetondiamond.
If Octavian was not going to talk about her, then Syd decided that she would not either.
Still, it could not be overlooked that he might have feelings for her.
Nor could Syd ignore that he had reshuffled his plans to run up to Scotland and this may have interfered with his plans to propose to Lady Clementine.
Had he set aside his own happiness in order to rescue her from marriage to Sir Henry?
Syd resolved to have an honest discussion with Octavian about his marital intentions, but not before she had her night of fantasy with him.
In fairness to him, their talk had to take place before they exchanged vows because she would never allow Octavian to bind himself to her in marriage if he loved Lady Clementine.
She inhaled lightly.
When had protecting Octavian become more important to her than her own happiness? Well, she had always felt the need to protect him, whether from a tavern brawl– even if she had started it– or her horrible family.
Warmth curled in her belly as he continued to hold her in his arms.
Could this make-believe situation turn into something wonderful and enduring?
Were the gossips all wrong about his feelings for Lady Clementine?
Getting to the truth was of vital importance, not only for his sake but for hers.
She cared for him.
However, she refused to call this yearning she was feeling love.
Love interfered with rational decisions.
Besides, he was never going to fall in love with her. Why fool herself into thinking that he would ever prefer her over Lady Clementine?
CHAPTER 6
OCTAVIAN STUDIED SYDas they sat across from each other in the hired coach. They had made excellent time these past few days on their journey north and would reach Carlisle by this evening. Gretna Green was not far from Carlisle which meant they would soon cross over the border into Scotland and be married by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
Blessed saints.
By this time tomorrow, he would be Syd’s husband.
Of course, this assumed Syd was not going to have a change of heart and run away at the last moment. She had behaved like an angel throughout the journey, showing consideration and in general being charming. Their conversations were intelligent and often witty, but she also knew how to remain silent and lost in her own thoughts.
He could not have asked for a better travel companion.
Or a sweeter bed mate, which was something he had never experienced before. It was not his practice to spend entire nights with any woman. Nor was it his practice to merely sleep when in bed with a woman. Until Syd, having a woman in his bed was purely for the purpose of satisfying his manly urges.
Once done, he and the lady in question would exchange a few pleasantries, and then part ways.
He never brought women to his home, a cardinal rule that he never ignored.
However, he had brought Syd straight to his home without thinking twice about it on the night she had thrown him off the roof. He could have taken her to the residence of Lady Dayne orLady Withnall or even to Leo and Marigold’s home. Any of them would have protected her quite ably.
But no, he had acted on pure instinct and taken her home with him. He understood the reason for it, although he was not quite ready to accept that he wanted her with him for always.
Syd was a handful.
