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It was as if something was unlocked in him. He twisted, pressing her back against the wall of the pool. His body was as hard as the surf-worn rocks at her back, though infinitely warmer. She arched into him, her fingers diving into his damp hair even as his tongue sparred with her own. There was nothing smooth or practiced about it. Rather, it seemed to be the raw reactions of his body. And she reveled in it, in the barely leashed power in his arms and the strength of his muscles as her hands drifted down to grip his shoulders. She let loose a low moan.
Then he was gone, nothing but icy water swirling around her.
She blinked, staring uncomprehendingly at him. He was treading water several feet from her, his expression aghast.
Only then did she realize what had occurred. The full ramifications crashed down on her head. Never mind that she had never kissed another man besides Aaron in her life. The duke was paying her to find him a wife; if she failed she was looking at Aaron’s good name forever tarnished, as well as ruination and scandal, not only for herself but also for her entire family. Her actions were reckless and unthinking, and totally went against her character.
But did they really?The question whispered through her mind, making her remember who she had been before Aaron’s death. She was a passionate creature despite her typically calm exterior, and always had been. When she had been younger, that passionate side had led her to do the unimaginable—for her love of Aaron she had stood up to her father and walked away from his house and his support for her. And so, in reacting to the duke’s kiss as she had, it seemed the more daring aspect of her personality was still alive and well.
That, however, was no excuse for her actions where this man was concerned.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, holding tight to the pool’s edge. Knowing if she let go her trembling legs wouldn’t be able to keep her afloat.
“You’resorry?” There was ripe disbelief in his voice.
She nodded miserably. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“Ikissedyou. I should be the one who’s sorry.”
“That may be true, but I continued it when you would have stopped.”
“Yes, but you wouldn’t have done so if I hadn’t started it in the first place.”
She tried for a smile. “Are we to compete once more for who was most at fault?”
There was no answering spark of humor in his eyes as she’d hoped. Instead his expression became more stark. “We should return to Seacliff,” he mumbled. “They’ll be wondering where we are.” With that he turned and began swimming toward the far side of the pool.
After several long seconds Margery followed. No doubt the trip back to Seacliff would be the longest in her life.
Chapter 8
My dear Miss Athwart,” Lady Tesh said with a wide smile as their party entered the Quayside Circulating Library. “I do hope the duchess and I are not late.”
Daniel might have smiled at the viscountess’s abrupt about-face; after all, just seconds ago she had been simultaneously berating the driver for taking too long to reach town, ordering Miss Denby in the proper handling of Freya—Mouse had been banned from the excursion, poor, heartbroken thing, a fact that Daniel could only be grateful for, as the beast had not lost his interest in Daniel’s…nether regions—and snapping at some young gentlemen loitering on the walkway.
But after the debacle at the tide pool yesterday with Margery—naturally she was Margery to him now, and could be nothing else—he was having difficulty in focusing on anything else. Why the hell had he kissed her?
Miss Athwart’s approach blessedly distracted him from further distressing reminiscence. He had met the three Athwart sisters, proprietresses of the circulating library, during his first visit the week before. All were highly eligible, if odd, young ladies. Miss Seraphina Athwart, the eldest, was the sternest of the trio. Her equally stern pet, a green-and-red parrot, was perched on her shoulder, giving her the faint air of a pirate captain.
Pushing her overlarge spectacles up her nose and bringing her piercing gaze into focus, she nodded to the dowager viscountess and his mother. “Of course you’re not late, my lady.” She greeted them all in turn, then turned back to Lady Tesh, her brusque greetings completed before anyone had a chance to reply in kind. “My sisters have just set up tea in preparation of our discussion.”
“Discussion?” Margery frowned at her grandmother. “What discussion is Miss Athwart referring to, Gran?”
Lady Tesh gave the proprietress a fond smile. “Why, Miss Athwart had the most cunning idea for a pamphlet extolling the glories of the Isle. Our previous booklet is sadly out-of-date, and she thought it was time to modernize it. I have agreed to finance her endeavor. The duchess and I are set to discuss the details now.”
Margery shot Daniel a guarded look before turning back to smile at Miss Athwart. “Perhaps you might postpone for a few minutes? His Grace was quite interested in talking with you on the merits of owning a parrot such as your dear Phineas.”
Instead of gaining the woman’s interest, as Margery had no doubt intended, however, Miss Athwart shot him a condescending look. The bird, too, eyed Daniel with a certain amount of sharpness. “Parrots are not for the hobbyist, Your Grace,” the woman said. “They are much more than a mere pet, or a decoration or oddity you wish to lay claim to, to be brought out when the amusement strikes you. I will, of course, be quite happy to talk to you another time. Though I daresay anything I might have to impart would dissuade you quite thoroughly. For now, this pamphlet is of utmost importance. It is imperative we showcase Synne’s superior features. I will never understand,” she continued, shooting a frustrated glare out the shop window to Admiralty Row beyond, “why Brighton is so popular. We’ve a much more pleasant position, in my opinion. Just because some rotund Regent has decided to build his Pavilion there?” She made an aggravated little sound. Her parrot puffed up its feathers and mimicked the sound, as if in agreement with its mistress.
“Too true,” Lady Tesh chimed in, her perturbed expression a mirror of the young lady’s. And the parrot’s as well, if Daniel was being honest.
He saw in that moment just why the two women, from such different ages and backgrounds, seemed to share such a camaraderie. For, as frightening as it was, they were alike as any two people he had ever seen.
“Shall we, my lady, Your Grace?” Miss Athwart said in her no-nonsense way, motioning to a rich blue brocade curtain at the back of the shop.
They all started off together, Margery and Daniel bringing up the rear. Suddenly Lady Tesh stopped and turned to her granddaughter.
“Where are you going?”
