Seventeen

Hunter

Blast, I wanted to kiss her.

Where in the world did that come from?

All my efforts up to this moment have been attempting to see Lady Gwendolyn simply as a human being and not the "Ice Princess" as society so spitefully labeled her. Even I had reduced myself to believing that dreadful rumor.

Today, all those efforts came crashing down when I realized in that one moment how much I truly desired her happiness, and in a thoroughly shocking revelation… how much I desired her . For that split second when I reached for her hand and brought her back to face me, the wall she so carefully built to protect herself started to crumble. Then, overcome with some mystical force, I stepped nearer to her. I had never in my life experienced a greater pull to kiss a woman. Had we not been standing in the foyer of her father's home, I most likely would have given in to that temptation… soundly.

Would she have kissed me back?

The fact that the question remained unanswered unnerved me. Is there truly hope for our union and a possibility of friendship and beyond?

The moment I stepped away from Gwendolyn's townhome, I found myself so immersed in my head that I walked down the street and toward Hanover Square. Continuing on, I failed to recognize that I abandoned my coach. Trenton followed me and kindly left me to my thoughts until I had reached Brook Street.

"Will you require the use of Dennison, or should I send him home?"

Only then did I realize that I had completely disregarded any logical thought. Glancing over at my faithful valet, I slapped his shoulder heartily. "Thank you, Trenton. I believe I do require his services. I would like to see Mr. Carlton before I take my family to Hyde Park this afternoon."

Trenton's mouth twitched at the corners. I knew he fought a smile. "As you wish, my lord."

He opened the carriage door for me, then he stepped in behind. Once we were settled, I announced with determination. "I believe it's time I let a house of my own."

"If I may say so, sir," Trenton said with a smile, "this is one of your better ideas as of late."

I returned his smile and propped my ankle over my knee as the carriage rattled on. Sinking back against the squabs, I enjoyed the sudden lightness that had settled into my limbs. It was a feeling that had not been present since I initially learned of my betrothal, and the best way to describe it was… a sense of hope.

In meeting with Mr. Carlton, I expressed my desire to find a smaller residence in the neighborhood of Mayfair that would be fit for the two of us and a minimal staff. No need to have anything as grand as either of our parent's homes, and since the Season had yet to begin, the likelihood of such a lease should not be out of my solicitor's abilities to satisfy.

The idea of the two of us sharing a domicile brought an added level of excitement to my travel back to Grosvenor Square. Though Gwendolyn and I had not spoken of such details, and despite the fact we had hardly spoken at all, something unexplainable happened today. And I truly believed that if we had not been interrupted by her father and the handsome captain, I might have kissed her.

When my mind shifted back to the captain, I fought to keep my doubts from surfacing. I'm no fool. When I first entered the parlor unexpected, it was easy to see the man had a fondness for Gwendolyn by the way he beheld her. Could she also have similar affection for him?

And in a single moment, my excitement diminished. Wouldn't a more honorable man seek a way to release her from this commitment to allow for her to find her own happiness? Was Lady Gwendolyn capable of happiness? Though I had yet to see her smile directly at me, there were hints of it in the way she looked at others… Captain Bently included.

Was it ridiculous to believe that she could care for me over a man she had known a lifetime?