Page 105 of Lady Waldrey’s Gardening Almanac for Cultivating Scandal

“I don’t care,” she said breathlessly.

She didn’t, not in the least. What was the proper order of things next to the happiness in her heart that overflowed into laughter? What was following rules next to the thrill of being held in his arms?

“How did you come to the conclusion that it was Vera I wanted?”

“I thought you invited your friends to get their approval of the match.”

He chuckled. “I invited several of my single friends to see if any of them were interested in courting her.”

Candace blinked. “Oh.”

James kissed her once more, swiftly this time, then set her back, picked up the basket in one hand, and clasped hers in his other.

“I don’t know how to say this without sounding like an abominable cad—especially since I just kissed you—but I cannot ask you to marry me yet. Not until I hear back from Devonshire on the matter.”

“What does he have to do with it?”

“He’s looking after your brother’s responsibilities while Percy’s gone. I wrote him, informing him of my intention to court you and eventually propose. I don’t think he’ll have any objections, but I feel we should give him a few more days to reply, in case I’m wrong.”

Dread settled low in her gut, for the only objection Devonshire might have against the match had to do with her.

Candace stopped suddenly, halting him. “James, I have to tell you something.”

He shook his head. “No, you don’t.”

She tugged at his hand. “I really do. It’s about Shelbourne. My...my engagement to him. How it came to happen.”

He looked at her. “Candace, you don’t have to say anything further on the matter. In fact, I fervently hope you won’t.”

“But...”

“I already know,” he said gently. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

“You do?”

She didn’t know what she felt. Panic? Relief? Some odd combination of the two and seven other emotions she couldn’t name?

“Devonshire and I had...an awkward conversation before I left London.”

“He’s...he’s told people?” Her eyes were round with shock. She’d never thought that Edward would be the type to gossip, certainly not when the topic could destroy her reputation, her entire future...

“He’s only told me.”

“But why?”

“Because even then, he knew I loved you.”

“You did?”

The last few moments had robbed her of cohesive reason; shock had turned her into a repetitive moron. She clasped her mouth shut to keep the rest of her idiotic questions at bay.

James smiled at her, tenderness clear in every line of his face. “Candace, I loved you before Shelbourne, and I love you still. I love you so much that I’m almost grateful to the bas— to the man. If he’d had a shred of honor, or even a shred of intelligence, I might have lost you forever.”

She tilted her head. “That’s one way of looking at it, perhaps.”

“It’s the way I choose to look at it.”

“So you truly can forgive me for...for kissing another man?”