Chapter Fourteen

Lavender didn't know what possessed her to leave her comfortable house to come and visit Austin but she didn't question it at all. But she supposed that coming here under the guise of teaching him how to be more gentlemanly was a good excuse as any. He didn't need to know that she was really just looking forward to spending time with him.

How quickly things changed.

Lavender couldn't help glancing at him as they strolled between the surprisingly manicured rows of bushes in his garden. She'd expected the garden to be in as much a sorry state as the townhouse. But, even though she spotted a few overgrown areas, Lavender supposed it was easier to care for the landscape than it was to care for a building.

He didn't notice her stares. Or at least, she hoped he didn't. She wouldn't know how to explain herself if he did. How would she be able to tell him that she didn't quite understand why she felt so at peace, why she was so fine with them strolling in silence rather than charging headfirst into preparations for her plan like she had been since they'd met? Lavender couldn't understand it herself. He was a handsome man, undoubtedly. And his grumpiness had an underlying layer of charm that many others wouldn't see.

But beyond that, Lavender was beginning to realize that she liked him. Perhaps they could be friends after all of this.

"Will you say something or do you intend for us to make laps around the garden until you have found your tongue?"

Even his gruff words did not inspire any annoyance in her like they usually did. Lavender only laughed. She'd been laughing and smiling ever since she arrived. Maybe she was just in an exceptional mood today.

"Goodness, can't a woman enjoy the beautiful weather before she has to face the task of forcing you into submission?"

"Ah, so you are aware of the fact that you are forcing me then. "

"Well…forcing, cajoling, convincing. These are all words we can use."

"I doubt it. You are like a bull intent on knocking down everything in your path."

"Oh, Austin, that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me," Lavender sang. She looked up at him just in time to catch the end of a smile before he smothered it under his usual scowl.

"Except the Countess of Lively," he pointed out.

Lavender didn't rise to the bait. She knew it was coming. Her shoddy performance at Lord Pemberton's garden party had been enough to raise questions Lavender wasn't prepared to answer just yet. She was surprised it had taken him this long.

"I suppose," she answered mildly. "But it shan't happen again."

"Why did it happen in the first place?" he persisted, much to her surprise. "You spoke so confidently about your plan to overthrow Lady Lively that I could not believe how fearful you were to speak to her."

"I was not fearful," she defended. "I was biding my time. And the garden party wasn't the right time."

"That wasn't what it was and you know it." They came to a small bench. Austin chose to sit so Lavender did the same. "You were basically shaking when she was approaching you."

"When she snuck up on me, you mean. Don't think I have forgotten about the fact that you knew she was walking up to us."

"Because I wanted to see how you would respond. And it was not well."

Lavender rolled her eyes. "How astute of you, my lord. And here I thought you didn't care about my plan."

"I do not. It doesn't mean I am not curious."

"If you wish to know so badly then you should answer a few questions of my own."

"I pass," he said without hesitation and began to rise.

"Wait!" Lavender grabbed his arm with both her hands. She hadn't paid much attention to how muscular his forearm was until she felt it herself. He tensed at her touch but didn't pull away, only looking down at her. "Come now, don't run. Sit, sit. "

She patted the spot he had just vacated and try to ignore the flutter of her heart when he looked down at her hands. Lavender took her time in letting him go. She thought he would just walk away and leave her there so her surprise overcame her slight nervousness when he sat down instead.

"Out with it then," he grunted.

Lavender folded her hands in her lap. Her gaze fell on his own hands. She hadn't forgotten the way it felt when those large hands had brushed against her cheek at the garden party. Now she knew that he'd done it to distract her. And distract her it had. So easily, so thoroughly that she had gone to bed the same night thinking about that simple touch.

"Why do you do prizefighting?" she asked at last.

Austin drew in a slow breath, staring out ahead of him. "Because I like it."

"I'm sure there is more to it than that. How did you get into it in the first place?"

"It just happened."

"You are being purposely vague," she said with a pout.

"And you are being annoyingly insistent."

"Can you blame me? It is such an unusual thing for a man like yourself that I cannot help but be curious." Lavender paused for a moment, then a smile tugged at her lips. "I am a little interested in it myself."

Austin gave her an incredulous look. "And by interested, you mean…"

"I mean that perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to learn how to defend myself. Perhaps I will need to use such skills one day."

"Those are choice words coming from the lady who is so determined to become a proper lady accepted by the ton."

"They don't have to know. I shan't go around announcing it at tea parties like you do."

This time the smile that cracked his expression lasted for more than a brief second. Austin looked at her as if he couldn't determine if she was joking or not, though his own eyes glittered with mirth.

"Very well then. Stand up. "

Lavender lifted her brows in surprise. "Why?"

Austin stood and held out his hand to her. The gesture surprised her so much that Lavender simply froze. "I will teach you how to defend yourself," he told her.

She licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry. She didn't know why it took so much strength to take the hand he offered to her. And when she caught the shadow of a smile on his lips, her stomach started twisting in a manner that wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Lavender couldn't understand what this feeling was when she met his eyes. All she knew was that, at this moment, she didn't care about anything else.

***

"Hold your hands up, like this."

Lavender did as Austin told her to. He felt a tremor of amusement as she curled her hands into tiny fists and tried giving him the fiercest look she conjured. Which was akin to a kitten glaring up at a lion. Austin couldn't hold back the grin that took over his face.

"You look…" he began.

"Fearsome?" she replied. A smile tugged at her lips, even as she growled at him. "Terrifying? Am I making your knees tremble at the sight of me?"

Yes, but in a completely different manner.

Austin didn't dare say those words aloud. He didn't even know where that came from.

"You look as if you're in pain," he said instead and nearly laughed at the way her face fell. Even though something told him that it was bad idea, Austin stepped closer to her. The usual smell of lavender wrapped around him like a sweet embrace. He felt a jolt through his body as soon as he put his hand over hers to tighten her fist.

"Thumbs out," he ordered. "Keep them up. One arm closer to your side."

His demands were gruff and sharp but they didn't seem to bother her. In fact, Lavender appeared to be concentrating, clearly taking this far more seriously than he'd first thought .

"How do I look?" she asked once he took a step back.

Beautiful.

The word rushed to the tip of his tongue with such force that it took all his strength not to say anything. She caught his eye and he looked away, feeling heat crawling up his neck.

Austin cleared his throat. "Good enough," he answered. Then he went to stand before her. "Brace yourself."

Lavender's eyes widened. "Are you going to hit me?"

"No, you're going to hit me. And you will hurt your back if you do not open your legs a bit wider."

"Ah. I see." She did just that, then looked up at him expectantly.

The sight was like a punch to his gut. Something shifted in between them, an unnamed force so strong that Austin could do nothing but stare. He knew she was waiting for him to act but how could he come close to her now, when it felt as if his entire being was being pulled into her orbit and he would drown if he was not careful?

"Hit me," he managed to push out, his voice low and breathless. At her surprised look, he motioned to his midsection. "Right here. As hard as you can."

"But what if I hurt you?" she asked worriedly.

Austin would have laughed at that if it didn't feel as if his entire world was being tilted on its axis. "You won't," he assured instead.

He watched as she braced herself, as if gathering all the strength in her body to her fists. And then she struck. Austin could tell that she threw everything she could into the force of the blow and yet her fist glanced off his midsection like the brush of a feather.

"Oh, Dear God!" Lavender exclaimed, clutching her fist.

Austin was by her side in a second. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

She pressed her fist to her chest, eyes widening with tears. The sight stole his breath in the worst way possible. Austin didn't think twice about pulling her into his arms, guiding her back to the bench with one hand on the small of her back .

"Didn't that hurt you at all?" she whimpered softly to him, looking down at her fist. Austin could have sworn that it was throbbing.

He bit back a curse at himself. "I shouldn't have played along with this," he muttered. He took her hand in his and felt a surge of pressure in his temples when he saw how red her knuckles had become. "I should have known that you would have gotten hurt."

"And I should have known that punching you would have been no different than ramming my fist into a wall," she tried to joke, but it fell flat. "I can do better next time."

"There won't be a next time."

"Oh, nonsense," she said dismissively. "It will not hurt me to learn. Well…perhaps the first few times, but you've piqued my interest enough as it is. Now I know how best to form a fist if I ever find myself in danger."

"I won't let that happen," he found himself saying before he could stop himself. "You won't be in danger. Not while I am around."

"You cannot guarantee that. Will you follow me everywhere I go?"

"If I must." Silence followed his words. Austin focused on her hand, observing it for any signs of bruising or swelling. He didn't dare meet the eyes he knew were boring into him.

"I did not think you could be so honourable, my lord."

"Austin," he corrected gruffly. Against his better judgment, he looked up at her. Her brown eyes trapped him. "And you will be my wife. It will be my duty to protect you."

Lavender swallowed, searching his face as if looking for the truth in his words. There was no need to search very hard, she knew. It lay open and raw between them, so potent that it could not be ignored.

His eyes fell to her lips. She licked them at that moment. Austin didn't think she did it on purpose, didn't think she knew just how inviting they were. A voice in the back of his head told him to pull away even as he drew closer. Even as he heard her draw in a breath. Even as his heart ceased to beat and the only thing that could bring him back to life was her lips against his .

A clap of thunder boomed above them. Lavender yelped, leaping away from him. Austin didn't so much as flinch, even though his heart skipped a beat. Before either one of them could say anything, a sudden downpour showered them without warning.

"Come." Without waiting for her to respond, Austin seized her arm and pulled her in the direction of the house. Lavender, despite her far shorter legs, was able to keep up, clutching the skirt of her dress in one hand while she clung to his fingers with the other. The path was fast growing slick, their surroundings already hazy with the blur of the rain. Austin kept Lavender close to his side even as they delved under the cover of the back porch and into the house.

"Goodness, that came quite suddenly," Lavender gasped. "It is already storming!"

"You're shaking."

Lavender looked at him in surprise, as if she didn't notice the fact that her entire body shivered. Her hair was plastered to her neck and face, rivulets of water washing away the tears that had stained her cheeks previously. Austin ran his gaze down to her soaked dress, a lump suddenly forming in his throat.

Lavender followed his line of sight and gasped softly, taking a small step back. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Austin didn't move, looking anywhere but at her. "I shall have one of the maids fetch you a towel and dry clothes," he told her.

"Thank you, Austin."

Austin closed his eyes briefly, the sound of his name on her tongue washing over him. He didn't know what was happening. He understood male needs, had succumbed to it as often as any other healthy man in England. But this was something else, something that pulled desperate need from the depth of his soul. He just didn't quite know what that need was. All he knew was that the source of it stood before him, wet and quivering.

He lingered for a moment. For what, he didn't know. But he didn't want to leave just yet, even though the silence that stretched on quickly became uncomfortable. Only when Lavender began to hug her shoulders tighter did he break out of his daze long enough to remember what he should do.

"Follow me," he ordered before turning briskly away.

He listened to Lavender's water-sodden footsteps as they made their way upstairs to where the bedchambers were. She didn't say anything else. No mention of prizefighting, of teaching him how to be more gentlemanly. Nor of the kiss they had almost shared.

Austin came to a stop at the door of the bedchamber furthest from his own and turned to face her, clearing his throat. "It may not be as nice as what you are used to but—"

"I'm sure it will be just fine," Lavender said softly. She tried pushing her wet hair out of her face and failed. Austin curled his hands into fists.

He scratched the back of his head, unable to meet her eyes for some reason. "I shall see about the towels then."

He walked away before she could say anything in response. He didn't dare look back, didn't dare to think that she might be staring back at him.