Page 13 of A Virgin for the Ton’s Wolf (Ton’s Wolves #4)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

H udson glowered at his friend from his seat across the parlor. If he could, he would have grabbed the man and hauled him bodily out of Wolverton Estate. Instead, he mentally added the Duke of Sin to the growing list of people he would very much like to see off his property.

Playing host had never been his strongest suit, but Ethan currently had his arm draped over the back of his wife’s chair, and he was playing with a lock of hair that had slipped from her chignon—the very picture of annoying wedded bliss.

If his friend had wanted more time with his wife, he should have stayed in his bedchambers and spared the rest of them this particular display.

Hudson looked at the other occupant of the room and found Scarlett gazing out the window. The sunlight, softened by a layer of clouds, had turned her red hair into a deep burgundy that invited a man to run his fingers through it. There was a slight flush on her cheeks and an uncharacteristic furrow in her brow, as if she was pondering over some mystery.

“Staying indoors the whole day is so boring,” he heard Ethan complain. “Why don’t we all go for a turn about the gardens? With the weather being the loveliest it has been in days, it would be a shame to spend the rest of it cooped up.”

Phoebe, the new Duchess of Sinclair, smiled up at her husband. “It is still a bit cloudy, but warm enough, I suppose.”

The bloody gardens . Could there be anything more trite?

Hudson did not relish the idea of getting caught out in the rain again, so he glowered at his friend. Harder.

Ethan merely smiled back.

“What do you think, Scarlett?” Phoebe asked. “Would you like a tour of the gardens as well?”

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

Hudson watched as Scarlett shrugged her delicate shoulders. How his vision focused so completely on that simple motion, he honestly had no idea.

“I suppose. I do not have anything better to do with my time.”

She could be helping their mothers plan the damned ball. She could take Snowdrop out for a walk. She could be doing anything other than touring the gardens.

“Well, I suppose that means you are stuck with us for the moment, old friend.” Ethan smiled affably at him.

Hudson wanted nothing more than to punch his ‘old friend.’ Perhaps that would effectively wipe the damned smile off his face for the entire duration of his stay.

He gave a noncommittal grunt, and his fate was sealed. The Duchess of Sinclair would have to forgive him later—he was going to murder his friend.

Or at the very least, make him suffer well for that suggestion of his.

Could the man be any more breathtaking than he already was?

Scarlett was quite certain that she—and the rest of the female population—would have found it impossible to resist him if he was. She was already having a most dreadful time of it that she was considering throwing all caution to the wind, her reputation be damned.

What was one more indiscretion to be added to her tally of faults?

She hazarded a glimpse at his icy facade. The strong set of his jaw. His piercing eyes, which seemed to see through all her little fibs and foibles.

Maybe even her clothes.

Oh no, no, no. Do not even think of going there!

She pressed a cold hand to her warm cheeks. Wayward thoughts always made their way to her face. Fortunately, Ethan and Phoebe had gone on slightly ahead, their arms linked, their heads tilted towards each other.

She sighed as she watched Phoebe look up at her husband. Her eyes lit up like a chandelier in a grand ball, a faint blush stealing across her cheeks.

Some people were just lucky enough to find their true match. Others, like herself, not so much.

“Phoebe—Her Grace—was right,” she murmured. “It is warm enough for a walk.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she nearly winced. Scarlett was not new to the art of small talk, but even that sounded extremely inane to her ears.

“I have never been to the gardens of Wolverton Estate. I heard they are exquisite .”

She had already started it, so she might as well finish it, right? Besides, there was nothing worse than going out for a walk with someone who would much rather not .

Looking at Hudson, it was clear that he would rather suffer through a toothache. Her heart sank as she bit her lower lip.

Perhaps she should have just stayed inside. Even if they had suggested seeing the Hanging Gardens of Babylon themselves, she doubted it would have improved the Wolf’s mood.

He had made it rather clear to her that only one thing would do that—her departure.

She clenched her hands into fists. “I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you, Your Grace,” she told him, feigning a cheerful tone and a smile. “But you need not be so glum for much longer. Once my mama finds another man to foist me on, I shall be out of your sight.” She paused and added bitterly, “Or maybe not. I should invite you to the wedding as thanks for your assistance.”

She had expected him to voice some sort of gruff approval. Maybe even a quick retort that he could hardly wait for it.

She did not expect him to stiffen, his face a picture of murderous rage.

What could he possibly be so angry about? He is not the one being forced to marry.

Even Ethan and Phoebe had stopped, turning towards them. Her friend looked at her in concern, but Scarlett only shook her head subtly.

Even if he was in a towering rage, she knew deep down that he would never hurt her. Not physically, at the very least.

Not unless one counted the maddening torture she had been subjected to, just thinking about him and all the things he hinted he would do to her.

“You go on ahead,” he told the couple ahead of them. “Lady Scarlett and I have something to discuss in private.”

In private? Her blood literally sang in her veins.

How scandalous. How inappropriate. How utterly thrilling .

Her mama would be appalled. The Dowager Duchess would be shaking with indignation.

Scarlett could not be more pleased as she followed him into the resplendent orangery.

Invite me to your wedding? The hell you will!

It was galling how she could easily fling that in his face. Even more outrageous was his almost visceral reaction to the mere thought of her walking down the aisle to marry another man.

He clenched his hands into fists as his mind conjured images of her with another man. And then he reminded himself that punching a hole through the glass was ill-advised.

Nor was being alone with the sole object of his vexation for the past few days. But he supposed he was beyond sanity and logic at this point.

She was, indeed, like a little cat—playful, mischievous, and boldly, unapologetically sensual. And now she had sunk her claws into him deep. There was no way he could pry her away without giving his blood.

“What is the matter with you?” she demanded, her bright eyes flashing.

What was the matter with him? Did she really have to ask that question?

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Careful, little cat. You have provoked me one too many times.”

She simply rolled her eyes at him, but Hudson was fighting for his very wits when she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing up her breasts against the lace-hemmed neckline. Her dress could be considered quite appropriate for any other woman. On her , it looked absolutely sinful .

He frowned. She should not be going out in such garb.

“How exactly did I provoke you, Your Grace?” she asked.

He pressed his lips together. “By saying you belong to someone else.”

There. That flash in her eyes.

She could never belong to anyone . Lady Scarlett Clarke was her own woman, and woe to the man who thought he could handle her.

“By telling the truth, you mean.”

Hudson stiffened. Her voice had gone quiet. Firm. Resigned.

He closed his eyes and turned away. He thought he could bear anything in this world, but seeing Scarlett resigning herself to a fate she did not want, could not want…

It felt like carving out a vital piece of his soul.

“You know I am right, Your Grace,” she told him softly. “This ball is nothing more than an opportunity for my mama to find me a suitable match. Someone who will hopefully not resent me for the rumors that have begun swirling about us.”

Let them swirl , he wanted to say. Let the whole world know that he had ruined her. That he had left his mark on her.

“What now?” His voice had come out harsh. Guttural. As if he had to dig it out from the darkest depths of his being.

Her smile was sad, wistful. She was so young, and yet she looked like an old woman who looked back on her life and found her existence wanting still.

“It is what is expected of me,” she murmured, bitterness tingeing her voice despite her smile. “Mama will find someone for me, there is no doubt about that. It is just that?—”

“Just what?”

Her cheeks colored, her eyes darting shyly to the side. Hudson could not help the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

This was something new, even for her, and he lapped it up like a man who had been wandering the desert for weeks.

“It’s nothing,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Just a silly list, really.”

He stepped closer to her and closed his eyes as her fragrance hit him like a punch to the gut. He would never be able to sleep soundly again… but to hell with sleep.

“A list of what, little cat?”

She looked up at him, desire and frustration warring in her sapphire eyes. She licked her lips, and he nearly groaned. The things this woman did to him, and she did not even need to try.

“There are… things I want to try,” she murmured. “Before… before it’s all too late.”

Before she was coerced into a marriage she did not want, with a man she would have to endure for the rest of her life.

Marriages in the ton were mostly ones of convenience, but very rarely did they benefit the women.

“What do you want to do, little cat?”

His voice had dropped, almost like he was pleading with her. He could not help it—his whole existence hinged on her answer. As if it would pull them back from the precipice they were teetering dangerously on.

Scarlett could never be his.

He might be a rogue. He might have the worst reputation amongst all the Wolves, but he was not going to subject her to the torment of being bound to him for the rest of her life.

They could either jump together or turn back.

She looked up at him, and he nearly reeled from the clarity in her eyes. However, it was nothing compared to the two words that tumbled past her lips the next second.

“A kiss.”