Page 12 of One Scandal Too Many (Havenwood Academy #1)

I t was a beautiful sunny day, one that made Charlotte warm all over and her heart sing with joy. She could just close her eyes, take a deep breath, and let that contentedness flow over her. And on any other gorgeous warm day she might have. Today was entirely different. They were to go over to the Easton estate for this soiree the dowager marchioness planned as the official beginning of the house party.

Charlotte still had reservations about attending. Going over to speak with the marquess had not alleviated any of those concerns. They had in fact grown after that visit. Those kisses had changed everything, and in some ways nothing. She had wanted his kiss. Had craved it. Now that she’d experienced it, she desired far more from him, and the rogue knew it. His parting words... she shivered in remembrance. His name was Declan. He’d told her with one sole purpose in mind. He wanted her to have it ready on her tongue when he made love to her. The scoundrel expected she would join him there. Willingly. Not that he would ever force her there... but still, the gall of him.

And of course he might very well be correct in his assumption.

Her curiosity could very well be her undoing. It would lead to her complete and utter ruination. If she did give in to her desires and allow herself to be led astray, and if her actions were discovered by, well, anyone, then the scandal would be one she could never live down. Her previous scandalous activity didn’t hold any weight when considering this potential one.

“You’re not ready,” Georgina said. She had walked into the room they shared, and Charlotte had been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t heard her.

“I’m mostly ready,” Charlotte countered. She smiled at Georgina. “I finished my coiffure.” She tapped her head. “Wouldn’t want my hair to be out of place at this soiree.”

Georgina’s lips twitched. The girl was becoming more and more confident each day that passed. Charlotte was pleased with her progress, especially as they could not be always with her. It was miraculous how much more self-assured Georgina had come to be in only a few short weeks. “You look beautiful,” she said softly. “As always.” She sat on the bed and met Charlotte’s gaze. “Why don’t you wish to go?”

“I never said . . .”

“You didn’t have to,” Georgina told her. “It’s obvious if you look close enough. All the other girls at this school are ecstatic at the chance to attend the party. You’re the only one taking your time.” She shrugged. “They’re waiting for you right now, excited to walk over to that soiree. But you’re here, and you still haven’t put your boots on.” Georgina smiled. “So I am asking, again, why do you want to stay here instead of attending what should be a grand time?”

How to answer that question? Charlotte could not tell her the truth. At least not in its entirety. She couldn’t admit that Declan had kissed her and the open invitation he’d thrown at her. If she wanted to be in his bed, he would welcome her. The real question wasn’t the one that Georgina had asked. What she needed to answer was what she would do once she gave in and joined him in that bed. When she allowed him to ruin her and break her heart. After all, he hadn’t offered her anything except pleasure. There was no future with the marquess. He would never be truly hers, but she feared if she gave him her heart, he would always have it.

Instead of telling her all of that, she smiled at Georgina. She didn’t feel that smile, but she made sure it did not appear as false as the lie about to slip off of her tongue. “I’m scared if I go, I’ll do something foolish.” Well, that wasn’t a complete lie at least. Just not the entire truth. “The marquess and I do not always get along.” That was also true. They could argue like two feral cats, but then give in to this desire that haunted them both. What did that say about them?

“Well, then,” Georgina said encouragingly. “There is only one solution to that dilemma.”

She took a deep breath and asked, “And what would that be?”

Charlotte was willing to consider just about anything, as long as it helped her through the next sennight. She would have to attend so many of the events planned, and Declan was too much of a temptation for her. At the first opportunity, she might very well succumb to her need of him.

“One of us will have to stay with you,” Georgina said. “To help you from doing something you will regret.” She glanced past her at the door. “Isn’t that correct, Jaclyn?”

“It is,” her friend said. “I’ve been sent to hurry you two along.” She narrowed her gaze at Charlotte. “I suppose you’re to blame for this delay. Considering your lack of foot attire.”

“My apologies,” she grumbled. “I’ll rectify my lack of boots immediately.” Charlotte slid them on, and once they were securely on her feet she stood. “There. Now I’m ready to depart. Shall we?” She gestured toward the door.

“We shall,” Georgina said and flashed her the brightest smile. “This will be a great day. I can almost feel it.”

Charlotte was glad that one of them could. A sense of foreboding filled her. Something was about to change for her. It might not be that day, but soon. She only hoped she survived whatever fate had in store for her.

They strolled into the foyer. The other three girls still at the school waited for them with two of their instructors, Miss Spencer and Miss Abernathy, and the headmistress. One chaperone for two girls, apparently. They were not taking any chances with their reputations. Charlotte supposed she should be glad for their attentiveness. Between Georgina, Jaclyn, and their chaperones, Charlotte might manage to keep her reputation sterling. Maybe... she had her doubts. After all, none of them were with her the previous night when she sneaked into his garden and allowed him to kiss her senseless.

Mrs. Havenwood smiled at them. “I’m glad you all could join us.” She glanced at everyone. “Now that we’re all here, we can depart.”

She gestured for them all to follow her out the door. They walked in pairs toward the Easton estate. Jaclyn was beside her and Georgina in front of her with one of the other girls. Charlotte didn’t know her well. She thought perhaps her name was Melisande, but she couldn’t be certain. They would be there in a little over a quarter hour if they kept their pace consistent. Her heart raced inside of her chest.

They would be there soon. Then she would see him. She could keep her distance. She could . And if she kept reminding herself of that, she might just believe it too. Charlotte reminded herself to breathe and keep moving forward. She would put Declan out of her mind for as long as possible. That was all she could do.

“What is bothering you?” Jaclyn asked in a hushed tone. “You were telling Georgina something. I want to know what it is.”

Charlotte fought a smile. “It isn’t that important.” At least, what she told Georgina wasn’t. “I just told her I was afraid of making a fool of myself.

They reached the pond, and it wasn’t much farther to the Easton estate. The soiree was being held near the garden. Charlotte was all too familiar with the garden. Perhaps she would wander over to her favorite spot and smell the primroses.

“That cannot be what is truly bothering you,” Jaclyn said. “That would never prevent you from attending the soiree.” She narrowed her gaze. “It’s the marquess, isn’t it?”

Of course, Jaclyn would see straight through her and understand immediately what the true dilemma was. And why not? No one else knew her as well as Jaclyn. But two could play this game. She did not want to talk about Declan and how truly delectably he kissed. If she had any hopes of distracting Jaclyn from this line of questioning, she would have to distract her with questions she didn’t want to answer. “I could say the same about you,” Charlotte said.

Jaclyn scoffed. “I do not have designs on the Marquess of Easton. Try again and tell me the truth.”

“I don’t have anything to tell. But you do. You’ve been keeping secrets from me.” She dodged her inference that Charlotte wanted Declan. She did, but she wouldn’t admit that. At least not now. “Tell me the truth, Jaclyn dear. That walk you wanted us to take all those weeks ago toward this very spot was because you wanted to spy on the Duke of Amberwood. What is going on between the two of you?”

Jaclyn clamped her mouth shut and turned her gaze toward the gardens. She didn’t ask another question, and she didn’t answer the ones Charlotte had thrown at her. Well, that was telling, wasn’t it? There was something that Jaclyn didn’t wish to speak about. They both got to keep their secrets a little while longer, didn’t they?

Charlotte turned her attention to the garden too. It was time to pretend she didn’t desire the master of this estate and that she didn’t desperately want him to kiss her again. She feared that would be an impossible feat. The guests might not be able to discern the truth, but she would wager Declan would glance at her and see it. Then she would truly be doomed because he wouldn’t let her ignore him. She took a fortifying breath and continued on toward the soiree. She’d come this far, and she wouldn’t turn back now.

*

There were over a dozen guests staying at Easton Manor for the house party his mother had planned. That did not include the Duke of Amberwood and the Earl of Foxmoore. Those two would remain long after the other guests departed. They had a long-standing invitation to stay at his home, as he did theirs. They had the closest of friendships, and he trusted no one more than those two.

As for the rest of the guests? Declan would rather they were not there, and the sooner they left, the better. There was only one guest he had an interest in, and she wasn’t staying in his home. If he thought she would reside there along with the other guests, he would have issued an invitation; however, he knew better. He still wasn’t certain if she would attend the day activities. Declan may have pushed her too far when she paid a visit the previous night.

But somehow, he didn’t believe she would balk at attending. She was far too curious for her own good. That was one of the reasons she had come to see him again. His Charlotte couldn’t stay away from him. They were drawn to each other. He could not keep his distance from her, either.

Speaking of which... where the hell was she? The soiree had begun a while ago, and still the students from Havenwood had not arrived. He’d been watching, and waiting, and each minute that ticked by made him even more anxious to lay his gaze upon her. He would not be able to calm down until she was there.

“You look thrilled to be at this little soiree,” Amberwood drawled. “Why did you agree to have a house party if you did not actually want guests in your home?”

Declan couldn’t explain it to them. They wouldn’t understand. Hell, he wasn’t certain he did, either, except that this was a way for him to spend time with Charlotte that was socially acceptable. “My mother was relentless,” he said. Not that this was his reason for agreeing. He could have withstood his mother’s constant hassling. “It was easier to agree.”

“A likely story,” Foxmoore said, “but neither one of us believes it.” He grinned. “Why did you really allow her to plan this?” The earl’s gaze was suddenly riveted to something in the distance. Declan turned to see what had caught his attention, then grinned.

They were there... and he wasn’t the only one interested in their arrival. Both Foxmoore and Amberwood were watching them as they walked toward the gathering. Interesting. Something to ponder at a later date, but if he had to hazard a guess, he’d say that Foxmoore had taken a liking to Miss Georgina Williams. Amberwood must have an interest in Charlotte’s other friend, Jaclyn. He couldn’t be certain, though. The duke kept his feelings to himself on most matters.

“Believe what you will,” Declan said. He didn’t much care if they accepted his reasons. His goal had been to have Charlotte there, and so far, his scheming had been successful. He grinned. “If you’ll pardon me, I have some more guests to welcome.”

The soiree was informal. There was some food and other refreshments for the guests, but this was just a way for them to socialize at the start of the house party. He’d done his duty and greeted everyone else already. Now he would go say hello to the new arrivals. Charlotte was the one he wanted to give all his attention to, but he would not ignore any of them and make her stand out. She would not welcome that.

“Good afternoon,” he said jovially. He bowed before them. “We are happy that you are able to be with us today.”

“It is our pleasure,” Mrs. Havenwood said. “I appreciate your generosity. This is a good opportunity for the girls.”

“Think nothing of it.” He glanced at the other women with her. There were a few he was not familiar with. “I hope you all will have a wonderful day with us. Feel free to mingle, have some food and drink, and more importantly, have some fascinating conversations. If you would like me to introduce you to anyone, please let me know.”

“Thank you again,” Mrs. Havenwood said. “We will keep your offer in mind.” She motioned for the girls to follow her. “Isobel and Katherine, you are with me,” she said. “Melisande and Georgiana, go with Miss Abernathy. Charlotte and Jaclyn, stay with Miss Spencer.” They all went off with their prospective chaperones.

Declan fell into step with Charlotte, Jaclyn, and Miss Spencer. He hadn’t met any of the instructors at the school. The teacher was a petite blonde that had perfect posture. She didn’t seem like the type that would ever have a hair out of place. That must be why Mrs. Havenwood had assigned her to Charlotte and Jaclyn. Those two were clearly the hellions of the group. He had to admit that was one of the qualities he found appealing about Charlotte. She could be so brazen it stole his breath.

“I thought perhaps you would not attend today,” he began. “The soiree has been in progress for a while now.”

“We were only a little delayed,” Miss Spencer responded for them. “My apologies if we arrived too late for your liking.”

He hadn’t really been addressing the group as a whole, but he could not correct her assumption. Declan had caught Charlotte’s gaze, though, and she knew he’d been speaking to her. In that one glance, he also realized she was the one that had held them up. There was a guilty look in her eyes at his words. She had thought about staying away. He was glad she had decided against foregoing the soiree.

“Think nothing of it,” Declan said. “I am glad you are here at all.” He nodded at them all. “If you will excuse me, I have other guests to speak with. Enjoy yourselves.”

Declan glanced one more time at Charlotte, then turned on his heels to depart. He wanted to remain at her side, but he knew that would only cause gossip. There would be plenty of times over the next week for them to meet, and maybe he would even be fortunate enough to speak with her again at the soiree.

He walked back over to his friends. They were both secretly glancing in the direction of the students. It was even more obvious which ones they had an interest in. Foxmoore stared openly at Georgina, and the girl blushed when she met his gaze. He wondered what the earl would do about his interest. Would this house party give him an opportunity to become more acquainted with the girl he had an interest in?

Amberwood was glancing in the direction that Declan had just left. He didn’t think he had an interest in Charlotte, and he’d never been introduced to Miss Spencer. That left Lady Jaclyn Thomas. He seemed to be previously acquainted with her. He never spoke to her or about her, but there was this underlying tension between them.

He could not think about his friends and their interests. At least not now. He had his own lady to woo, and he didn’t know how he was going to have any time with her. There was much plotting to be done so he could speak with her alone. Declan fully intended to ensure he had that time with her before they left that day. How he was going to make that happen—he didn’t know yet. But he would.

Declan grinned as he reached his friends, an idea suddenly forming. Perhaps he should take an interest in their feelings. They might very well be able to help each other. “How do you two feel about playing a game?” They hadn’t planned on any games for this soiree, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t play one.

“Depends on the game,” Amberwood said.

“I’m willing,” Foxmoore said. “This party is too sedate for my tastes. We could use something to liven it up.”

“Excellent,” he said. “We just need a few more willing participants.” He grinned. And he knew just who they would be. “Follow me. We must retrieve a few materials from the house.”

Once they found what he had in mind, they would have to set up the game on the lawn. They would play some ground billiards. Now to just find the mallets, balls, and iron rings. Then they would have to convince a few ladies to play with them. The anticipation for the upcoming game filled him with excitement. Hopefully, it went how he imagined...