Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

T here was a fair chance Adrian Crawford was going mad.

It was the only possible explanation. It had to be. After all of his struggles, after all of his adventures, after all the good and bad things he had done in his thirty years, it had all been too much.

Even as these thoughts raced in his head, he could not rid himself of the taste of Charlotte. The lady was in fighting trim, a fusspot too beautiful to be holed away in stuffy libraries, and overall much too chatty to keep him sane for another minute.

If he thought all that, then why had he kissed her hand?

That was absolutely unnecessary. The nerve! What was I thinking? Madness. It is the only answer. No one in this house is in fine fettle except for perhaps Lloyd. Aunt Theodosia is a demanding overlord, Charlotte is a badgering hen, and I’m about to spiral into utter madness.

“The absolute nerve,” he muttered, though there was no one else in the room. Another sign of his coming illness.

His skin prickled and itched. He didn’t feel right in his clothes. In just a few minutes, the situation had gone from controlled to something else altogether.

Lady Charlotte was certainly about to shout at me. And then what did I do? Good Lord, she wasn’t even wearing gloves. She has soft hands, but I felt a callus. Was that from her writing? Perhaps she sketches. Or plays the violin. She must be dreadful at music.

He groaned and rubbed his face. Then he rubbed extra hard, the back of his hand on his mouth to try erasing the taste of her on his lips.

It was a bit much even for him.

Adrian didn’t consider himself a fellow for the stage. And yet, if he didn’t react like that, he feared what else might happen. Would he be trapped by thoughts of the way his heart skipped a beat when their eyes met? Did it mean he’d have to think about how he had reached out for her as she walked away?

She never looked back, thank the Lord. How humiliating. I never intend to see her again. That cannot happen. I won’t allow it. What a mistake this was. I cannot guess what Aunt Theodosia was thinking, forcing me to prepare Charlotte for the Season. She should have known it would not work out. It was a dangerous endeavor. I, a duke with too many responsibilities, tutoring Lady Charlotte… a troublesome lady.

Peeking out into the hall to ensure he was alone, Adrian began to pace. Every time he glanced toward the spot where he had helped Charlotte with her finger, his face flushed.

He could still smell her. A gentle rose perfume that reminded him of wandering through the countryside on spring mornings. And he could still taste her, though his lips had touched her skin only a moment ago. Warm. Tender. Sweet.

Shaking his head to try and get her out of his mind, Adrian hastened down the hall. He had meant to formalize the agreement with Charlotte and tell her what would happen next.

His plan was written out on the desk, already forgotten. And now he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. That meant trouble. Most of the time, he could satisfy his curiosity and hunger by stealing a kiss. Maybe a few kisses. And then he would move on, the woman long since forgotten.

Except he couldn’t kiss Charlotte. Not with them living under his aunt’s roof. Not with Charlotte being a young lady. She was as pretty as any other woman, if not more, but that didn’t mean he could do with her as he pleased. No, Adrian knew in the back of his mind that she was not like the other women he had entertained.

Those women never expected anything from me but a couple of kisses. A minute of my time, perhaps a trinket or a gift, and then we would part. Sure, there might be a few tears, but soon I would be forgotten and gone. Lady Charlotte is different. She is meant for marriage. And if I find myself in her crosshairs, then marriage will fall on my head as well.

Adrian shuddered, wondering what his aunt had been thinking by forcing him to help the young lady.

But just as that thought came to his mind, he realized something dreadful—his aunt wasn’t a fool. She was clever. Far too clever for her own good.

What if that had been her plan all along?

He quickened his pace, intent on hunting down Theodosia, before finding her at the front door, saying farewell to a guest of hers. The door closed, and he was there the moment she turned around.

“Oh! Goodness, Adrian, you startled me. Why would you do such a thing? You know I have a fragile heart.”

“If you have anything, it is a manipulative mind inside your skull. Do you even have a heart?” he accused her. “This was all a trick.”

She scrunched up her nose. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Oh, you very much do,” Adrian responded. As he inhaled deeply, he studied his aunt for any signs of weakness. “This is just another one of your tricks to make me stay here in London. To stay with her!”

“With who?” Theodosia inched around him while fanning her face with her hand. “Goodness, you’re having some sort of fit.”

He was hot on her heels. “Don’t you dare hide from me. I mean Lady Charlotte. You’re trying to push her into my lap so I will be forced to marry her. Well? Am I right?”

Part of him felt foolish, chasing after her. But he refused to be embarrassed. Refused to give up. He needed his aunt to be honest with him.

Adrian glared when she threw her head back and let out a merry laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said over her shoulder. “Why would I even think about you marrying Charlotte? I never said any such thing, Adrian. I’m surprised it’s even on your mind. Don’t tell me you are interested in marriage now?”

“I’m not!” His steps faltered. They rounded a corner, and he hit his elbow against the wall, not paying attention. “But…”

His aunt carried on with such a light, airy voice that doubt sat heavier and heavier on his shoulders. “Well, you are the one talking about marriage. If it is on your mind, but you don’t desire Charlotte, that’s fine by me. I could find you another woman worthy of being a duchess. Someone charming and clever or polite and dull. You could have your pick, my boy.”

Heat crawled up his cheeks. How had they gone from him accusing her of meddling in his affairs to this?

This conversation was not going the way he had anticipated. It was just like his aunt to take control of the situation again.

“I… I have somewhere to be,” he excused himself suddenly.

Before she could turn around, Adrian moved quickly through the house. A ride would surely clear his head.

Off to his room he went, calling for his valet and pacing about until Lionel presented himself.

“A ride? At this hour?”

They both knew he preferred physical activity first thing in the morning.

Adrian scowled at his valet, thinking about going to his club for a wrestling match, and then wondering if it was time to sack the young man for his impudence.

“I need to get out of this house,” he said shortly. “Dress me or leave.”

After muttering something under his breath, his opinionated valet nodded and helped him into his riding habit. They were finished in record time. Soon, Adrian was out of the house.

He was so distracted that he paid little attention to where he was headed as the wave of traffic in the streets overtook them. Winding up on the edge of Regent’s Park, he scowled at all the young women dressed in pastel colors crossing hither and thither. They were everywhere. Straight hair and curly hair, smiles and scowls, and all sorts of pretty faces.

Very pretty faces.

But even as he tried to clear his head, he was unable to forget one particular pretty face.