Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady(26)

“You won’t let this drop, will you?”

He shook his head.

“Not only are you impossible, but as thickheaded as a mule.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, since we’ve moved on from swine.”

She gave him a look of pure annoyance, then finally let out a defeated exhalation. He would prove their time together could rekindle old feelings. He’d also show her that he wouldn’t run at the first opportunity for something longer lasting this time. And while he would honor his word to treat her with the great respect she deserved, he was still a man and would find his way into her bed before long. It simply couldn’t be helped and it was inevitable between them.

“I’m sorry I can’t trust you. No, I take that back. I have nothing to be sorry about. You are untrustworthy.”

Leo sighed, knowing his argument would not be won tonight, and perhaps not tomorrow night, either. But he could and would be patient with Genny.

“All I am asking for is time. It’s not as if either of us has somewhere else to be over the next few weeks.”

“I don’t suppose you are going to give me a choice in the matter.”

He smiled. She read him well.

“Men are unreasonable beasts. Do you realize that?”

“I wouldn’t know since I am one of those beasts you are talking about.”

“I’m going to bed.” She pressed her hand to his chest to stall his forward momentum. “Alone.”

He gave her his most charming grin and a gallant bow. “As the lady wishes.”

* * *

How had her quiet night of solitude turned into a debate over courting? No, that wasn’t the right term for what Leo had in mind. More like a seduction to keep him amused over their summer holiday. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want a resumption of their old intimacies, but that was the difference between being young and foolish and being seasoned and firmly on the shelf.

While she recognized the things she wanted, she knew how to hold herself back from temptation.

She turned the corner on the top landing and headed in the direction of her room. The lights in the hallway were dim, so she ran her finger along the wall, counting the doors till she reached her room.

She bumped into someone quite forcefully and let out a little yelp as her limbs tangled with the other late-night wanderer.

“Shush,” her cousin whispered. “You’ll have everyone coming out of their room to see what the commotion is and they’ll find us wandering the halls at this hour.”

Charlotte placed her forearm under Genny’s and hauled her to her feet.

“What are you doing out here? It’s past midnight.”

“I should ask you the same thing, Genny. I couldn’t sleep and when I went to your room you weren’t there.”

“I went to the kitchen for a snack. And since when do you have trouble sleeping?”

“We can’t stand out in the corridor.” Charlotte dragged her farther down the hall and pulled them both into Genny’s room.

Genny looked her cousin over. She wore her nightclothes and a light wrapper. A cap was pulled over her hair, and a few of the rag-tied curls fell around her shoulders becomingly. Of course her cousin looked lovely even when in her bedclothes.

Charlotte appeared to be all right, so why had she come looking for Genny in the middle of the night, when she’d never done so before?

“Are you ill?”

“I’m well enough. I needed to talk to you.”

Genny took her cousin’s hand and led her into her bedchamber. She drew back the coverlet on her bed. “Did you want to stay the night?”

Charlotte nodded her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was thinking about Mr. Warren. And it put me in such a tizzy that I just couldn’t bear to be alone.” Charlotte crossed her arms over her middle and rubbed both arms as though she were cold. Her cousin was truly upset. “I don’t want to marry him, Genny. I don’t know if there is something you can say to convince my father that this isn’t the right match for me, but I am begging for your help.”

When Charlotte stepped into the light of the freshly lit candle, Genny noticed her cousin’s tear-streaked face and the dark circles under her eyes.

She opened her arms and gathered Charlotte close. “What brought this on?”

“Papa sent a note to say that my engagement will be announced on our return home, and I kept thinking how I didn’t want to marry Mr. Warren. I really can’t bring myself to say yes.”

“He’s a fine man, Charlotte, and he’s been very kind to you throughout your courtship.”

Charlotte’s hands stopped moving for a moment and a look of unhappiness fell over her face. “And what if I’ve fallen in love with someone else?”

Genny felt her heart stop in her chest. This was the second time Charlotte had mentioned love.

“How could you possibly—” If this had anything to do with Castleigh, she’d personally strangle the man, or at least find someone to do it for her.

“I don’t know what I feel, I just know I don’t love Mr. Warren.” Charlotte’s tone was plaintive.

Was it possible her cousin had fallen in love with another? If it wasn’t Castleigh, who else could it be?

“How do you know you won’t feel that with Mr. Warren?”

“He won’t be any fun if I marry him.” Charlotte frowned. “He’ll probably send me to the country and keep me hidden from the world so I don’t cause any trouble.”

“Because you aren’t the type to cause trouble,” Genny teased, in the hope that she could lighten the mood and cheer up her cousin’s spirits.

Charlotte’s laugh was weak and lifeless. “I can’t help it. And I feel all sick inside when I think of becoming his wife.”

“You won’t know what Mr. Warren is like until you marry him.”

“And isn’t that the problem? Because by then it’ll be too late.” Charlotte wiped her damp eyes on the sleeve of her night wrap. Genny reached for a fresh handkerchief on her night table and handed it to her cousin. “Sometimes I want nothing more than to run away.”

“Stop with this nonsense.” Genny put her arms around her cousin, hugging her and rubbing her back soothingly. “You wouldn’t like life nearly as much as you think if you weren’t part of all the balls and glamor.”

“I think I might like it well enough if it meant I didn’t have to marry a man I can’t picture myself living with for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, Charlotte. Do you know how many young ladies would like to wear your slippers for even one night?”

Charlotte’s forehead puckered. “Why should they want that?”

“Because you have so much that so many don’t. Your dowry is exceptional; your upcoming nuptials will be the talk of Town.”

“I don’t want any of it.” Charlotte flopped down on the bed, and lay on her side. “I just want to be happy. And the thought of marrying Mr. Warren makes me incredibly unhappy.”

“You can find happiness in marriage.” Genny curled her feet up on the bed so she lay face-to-face with her cousin. “If you are miserable going into a marriage, then you will make both your lives a trial. But if you go in with an open heart and a willingness to try, then life will treat you both kindly.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and wiped what seemed like the last of her tears away. They lay oddly in her bed for a few minutes before Charlotte opened her eyes again, appearing much calmer.

“Can I ask you something deeply personal?”

“I will answer to the best of my ability.” What remained unsaid was that if the question was too personal or the answer too risqué, she might very well be forced to defer her response to another day.

“Do you regret not marrying?” Charlotte asked softly.

A sad smile touched Genny’s lips. “I suppose that would be burning most in your mind.”

Charlotte nodded.

“You have to understand that I was not in the same position as you.”

“But you had offers. Lady Carleton told Ariel and me that you were a diamond even without your dowry and that gentlemen once fawned their attentions on you.”

Yes, they had, but none of them had been as interesting to her as Barrington had.

“Why would you turn down offers of marriage at all to become a companion?”

It would be hypocritical to say that she had wanted to marry for love. It would also give away the true feelings she once harbored for a man who never wanted something of a permanent nature with her.

“While I was fine to dine and dance with, I was not necessarily considered good marriage material. Many lords are looking for a large dowry for their titles and estates. I had nothing to offer to a marriage.”

“So I’m only marrying because of my dowry?”

Genny reached out and squeezed her cousin’s hand. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Even with my dowry, I do not have many suitors.”

“If you had another season, you would. But you are still quite young in some gentlemen’s eyes.”

“Well, pooh.”

Charlotte’s spirit seemed to be back up. Actually, it was odd that this upset her cousin at all since nothing generally overwhelmed her.

“You haven’t answered my question,” Charlotte pointed out.