Page 4 of One Scandal Too Many (Havenwood Academy #1)

C harlotte cursed under her breath as she stared out the window of her bedchamber. He’d banned her from going near his estate. How dare he taunt her and act as if he could order her about. Didn’t he realize that she was the daughter of a duke? If anything, he should give her far more respect than he’d done at their first official meeting.

And the things he’d said to her . . .

Her cheeks burned every time she thought about their earlier conversation. He’d been crude, and she’d responded in kind. That man brought out her worst inclinations. She should stay away from him. Clearly, he was a dreadful influence and she’d only do something she’d come to regret if she spent any time in his presence. He was not a good man.

Then why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

Because the marquess had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid her eyes upon, and he had a gloriously decadent mouth that tilted upward in the most sinful half smile. It sent shivers down her spine every time she imagined him gifting her with it. One devilish glance, and she was a puddle of mindlessness. She should stay away. She really, really should remain in her bedchamber. He’d ordered her to stay away.

Which was exactly why she fully intended to do the opposite.

He told her not to go to his estate, so of course she was going to sneak over there. She’d have to do it under the cover of the night sky and be as quiet as possible. Charlotte didn’t intend to get caught. That would make her punishment worse, and she already couldn’t utilize the paths in the woods for a week. It also wouldn’t help her cause that she was going to use those very paths to sneak onto the marquess’s land. She wouldn’t go all the way over to his estate. Charlotte wasn’t a fool, after all. The chances of him catching her would rise exponentially the farther she breached his domain.

Charlotte grinned. She’d go to the pond and perhaps dip her toes into the cool water. They were unlikely to go there this time of night, and it was far enough away from the abbey that she would feel safe. She glanced over at Jaclyn. Her friend slept hard and wouldn’t notice she’d left. Once asleep she wouldn’t wake again until morning, and even then she wouldn’t wake up willingly.

She sat on her bed and slipped on a boot and secured it in place. Charlotte hadn’t bothered to undress earlier. Luckily, Jaclyn hadn’t questioned her and she hadn’t needed to lie. Once she had her boots on both feet, she grabbed her cloak and headed to the door. She glanced down the hallway and then stepped out and went toward the stairs. Without making a sound she tiptoed down, keeping vigil with each step she took. The castle was encased in darkness and could be treacherous if she didn’t use caution. It would bloody hurt, and possibly be deadly, if she lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs.

Finally she reached the end and then rushed toward the foyer. She flipped the bolt, opened the large door, and sneaked outside. It would have to be left unlocked so she could return with ease, but she didn’t think anyone would notice. No one ever came to the school unless they were dropping off another student. They would all be safe while she had her little adventure.

She walked slowly toward the garden, and then slipped quietly into the woods. The only light she had available was from the full moon shining above her. The trees looked so different underneath the dark sky above. Charlotte had never dared to traipse through the forest during nighttime. She probably shouldn’t be daring to do so now either, but she had something to prove to herself even if no one else knew what she’d done. This was all for her.

Admittedly, it would be nice to be able to tell the marquess she had dared to disobey him, but she also knew that would be a foolish endeavor. He wouldn’t appreciate her sneaky behavior any more than the headmistress would. Charlotte would only make her life far more difficult by confessing her misdeed.

She had to walk slowly through the paths so she wouldn’t get lost, or stumble over some wayward branch and fall face-first into the cool ground beneath her. Charlotte pulled her cloak over her head to ward off some of the chill that enveloped her. Shouldn’t it be warmer outside? She shivered and pulled her cloak closer.

She exited the path and came onto a clearing that led to the pond. Finally, she had arrived. She was starting to rethink her desire to dip her toes in the water, though. When she started out on this adventure, she hadn’t realized how cold it would be outside. The pond would be even cooler than the night air. It would be silly to take her boots off and freeze her toes in the water.

Charlotte sighed and moved closer to the pond. She reached the edge and stared down at the water. If only she were brave enough to do as she’d originally intended, but alas, she liked her toes to be warm and cozy. Some risks were not worth taking. This had to be enough. It wouldn’t do to catch some sort of illness because she wanted to secretly boast she’d failed to listen to the marquess and his dictate.

Since she wasn’t going to dip her toes into the water, perhaps she could do something else instead. Did she dare go farther and explore the marquess’s estate? Could she go into his garden and steal a flower or even walk into his stable and pet some of his horses? No, the latter wouldn’t be a good idea at all. What if one of the stable hands caught her and alerted him? She could steal a flower, though. That was something that she could do quietly under the cover of darkness. It didn’t matter that she could get a flower from the garden at the school. This would be a flower he wouldn’t want her to have, and therefore, she had to have one.

Charlotte smiled to herself and strolled with a purpose in the direction of Easton Abbey. She had a new task, and she would complete this one. The only thing she had left to decide before she reached the marquess’s garden was whether she should take one or two flowers, and what kind of bloom did she fancy on this lovely night.

*

Declan couldn’t sleep. His mother had been difficult, and he’d escaped to his bedchamber so he hadn’t been required to listen to her harping any longer. She wanted him to marry and didn’t understand he wouldn’t find a wife just because she dictated to him her desires. When he married, it would be his decision, not hers. He loved his mother, but there was only so much a man could handle.

He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed under his breath. There was another reason he couldn’t seem to sleep. That damned girl and her churlish attitude kept invading his thoughts. What was it about Lady Charlotte Beckett that meant he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering in her direction? He had to find a way to exorcise her from his mind, but he feared the only way to do that required giving in to his desires. Something he knew very well was not an option. Bloody hell. She was proving to be a temptation he wouldn’t soon forget about.

Declan shook his head in an attempt to dislodge her from where he didn’t want her, but it didn’t seem to help. He sighed, then stood to glance out his window. His bedchamber overlooked a section of the massive garden at Easton Abbey. The moon was full and highlighted the flowers below. Primroses of every shade had been planted. He couldn’t make out the variety of colors from his bedchamber window; however, he could make out the dark shadow of someone moving through the garden. Who the blazes was skulking around?

He grinned. Who needed sleep anyway? There was an intruder, and he fully intended to handle that fool himself. Country living left little for entertainment in his life, and this prowler would definitely be shocked by the owner of Easton Abbey. It didn’t take him long to descend the stairs, and he stalked toward the library. The doors there led to the garden. It would be faster using that route to intercept the person frolicking in the flowers.

Declan took several determined steps in the direction of the primrose section of the garden. He stopped when he spotted his would-be thief. Why... it was a woman. The skirts were a dead giveaway, but he couldn’t make out much else. She had the good sense to don a hooded cloak. She leaned down and plucked one of the primroses and lifted it toward her face.

“Tell me,” he drawled. He kept his tone light and playful. Partly because he hoped it was a woman he could have his wicked way with. “Is its scent as lovely as the woman breathing in its sweet fragrance?”

She stilled and stood up straighter. Had he frightened her? Declan could use that to his advantage, and that had been his intention when he spoke. Clearly she was somewhere she didn’t belong and she full well knew it. Would she try to run? Wouldn’t that be fun? He wouldn’t mind a merry chase.

“Is that anxiety flowing through you right now?” Declan moved toward her. He wanted to know who had dared to come into his garden, and he refused to let her leave before her identity was revealed. “Have you lost all ability to speak?”

She took a step as if to run. He shook his head and chuckled lightly. Declan almost begged her to do just that but held his tongue. Instead he reached for her and pulled her toward him. Her back hit his chest, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Going somewhere, love?” Still she remained silent. Why was she so frightened? He wouldn’t hurt her for stealing one little flower. “Do you like primroses?” He leaned forward and flipped her hood off of her head. Honey blonde curls glowed underneath the moonlight. He groaned. Of course it was her . He cursed under his breath. “Lady Charlotte,” he began through clenched teeth. He wasn’t going to have a sweet time with a woman that night. “Didn’t I tell you to stay off my property?” Disappointment filled him as he continued to hold her against him. His body tightened in response, and he inwardly cursed. Damn her...

She wiggled in his arms, and his cock hardened to a maddening degree as her arse brushed up against it. He barely held back a groan. “Let me go,” she demanded.

“Not yet,” he said in a harsh tone. She was going to unman him if she kept moving her sweet arse against him in such a fashion. “We need to discuss your failure to understand simple directions.”

“We don’t have to discuss anything,” she told him in a defiant tone. “I’m not a small child who needs to be ordered about.”

“And yet you’re exactly where you’re not supposed to be.” He took a deep breath and let her go, but only long enough to spin her around to face him. “Why are you here?” he demanded.

Her chin jutted upward. Defiance sparkled in those gold eyes of hers. Why did she have to be so utterly lovely that it stole his breath? “Because I want to be.” Charlotte’s tone was as full of petulance as the expression on her face. She didn’t believe in holding anything back. He almost wanted to applaud her for it. At least she didn’t cower before him.

Such simplicity, and he wanted to shake her for her cheekiness. He would never act on that impulse. Even if she would have deserved it. He would not reward reckless behavior. “It doesn’t matter what I want, then?” Declan desperately wanted to understand her. More importantly, he wanted her to fully comprehend how her actions affected not only her, but him. Didn’t she realize the scandal she might cause by being at his estate unchaperoned? In the middle of the night no less.

“I’m glad we understand each other,” she told him. Her lips tilted upward into a mischievous smile. She lifted that bloom she’d plucked from his garden and waved it under her nose, then she held it up to him. “Tell me, my lord, is its scent as lovely as the woman holding it?”

He closed his eyes and groaned. She would remind him of his asinine words a few moments earlier. “As I don’t see a woman but a young girl, I’d have to say no.” She was too bloody lovely though, and if he were forced to admit it, he desired her more than any woman he’d ever met in his life. Declan craved Lady Charlotte, and he’d like nothing more than to claim her. Something he would never do. Somehow, he would have to resist the temptation before him. Otherwise, he would do something they both would regret.

She pursed her lips in displeasure. “You’re insufferable.”

“Then you should have stayed where you belong,” he rebuffed her. “Now I am going to have to escort you back to the school.” He should tell her to find her own way home, but he didn’t trust her to actually return to Havenwood.

“You don’t need to do anything of the sort,” she told him. Lady Charlotte sounded appalled at the very idea of spending any more time in his company. Well, that was too bloody bad.

He tilted his lips into a half smile. “I insist.” Declan nodded toward the path that led out of the garden. “Ladies first. Start walking, Lady Charlotte. I plan on following you until you reach the school. I have to ensure you don’t get lost, don’t I?” Declan lifted a brow, mocking her. She was the one that had trespassed. If she didn’t like the results, she should have stayed inside the school. “What are you waiting for? If it’s a kiss, I must remind you that I’m not the man for you. My kisses are never sweet, and you, love, need that from a man.”

“I don’t want a kiss from you,” she insisted. Her gaze traveled over his lips, and he felt the heat spread over him.

Her eyes definitely told a different story. There was desire there, and he almost gave in and kissed her. Declan barely refrained from sinking into her willing lips and losing himself. “You do,” he said softly, his voice hoarse with his own need brewing within him. “But I’m not the fool you believe. Start walking, my lady. It’s already too late for you to be out for a stroll, and I would like to return to my own warm bed. Alone.”

She huffed, then spun on her heels to start heading back toward the school. Declan trailed behind her, his cock aching with each step he took. It was going to be a damned long night. He might just have to stop long enough to swim in the frigid pond before returning home. Declan drew in a deep breath and prepared himself for an unpleasant evening. All thanks to the tempting lady sashaying before him. God help him, he might not be able to resist her for long.