Laurie Benson - One Week To Wed

Mrs Knightly cleared her throat and held out a teacup to him. How long she had been sitting like that, he’d rather not contemplate. ‘The roads are that treacherous?’

‘Quite,’ Toby confirmed, his attention on the tea his wife was fixing for him.

‘Then Charlotte must stay the night,’ Mrs Knightly stated, pouring milk into his cup.

The woman beside Andrew let out the faintest gasp, which stirred his blood.

‘Certainly, they cannot be so bad. And I have not brought anything with me. How can I possibly stay?’

Mrs Knightly waved her hand dismissively after handing Toby his tea. ‘We are practically the same size. I’m certain I will find things to fit you. If the roads are as bad as they say, it’s safer for you to remain here tonight.’

It was apparent Lady Charlotte had no interest in spending the night, and who could blame her after the blunder he had just made. What recently widowed woman in her right mind would want to be near a man who flirted with her?

Lady Charlotte looked to Toby for help. ‘Please inform your wife the roads are not that bad,’ she practically pleaded, raising her brows high above her green eyes for emphasis.

Much to her obvious displeasure, Toby was no help. ‘But you will be heading straight into the storm on your way home. Ann is right. The roads are becoming hazardous with the mud and trees are at risk of coming down. It took us nearly an hour to travel here from the village. You should stay, Charlotte. It is much safer for you, your driver and your horses.’

Not once had she looked at him since their awkward exchange. Could Toby not see that she would rather go out into the stormy night than remain in the same house with Andrew?

‘There,’ Mrs Knightly stated, appearing rather pleased, ‘it’s settled. You will stay the night.’

Lady Charlotte placed her teacup on the table to her left, beside the hearth. ‘It’s not settled. For it to be settled, I need to agree.’

Mrs Knightly took a leisurely sip of her tea. ‘Surely you do not want to risk injury. Don’t you agree, Lord Andrew? Isn’t it safer for Lady Charlotte to remain here until morning?’

Why did she have to drag him into this? He looked at Lady Charlotte, who was blushing while staring wide-eyed at Mrs Knightly. He was such a dolt when it came to respectable women. He couldn’t help himself from wanting to spend the evening between the thighs of the enticing widow beside him. Those lips of hers were calling to him every time she spoke, stirring certain parts of his body.

‘I said wouldn’t you agree, Lord Andrew?’ Mrs Knightly reiterated because, apparently, she thought he hadn’t heard her the first time.

‘Yes, it would be best if you stayed the night.’

In my bed, where I’m certain I can incite more of those gasps.

He cleared his throat. ‘As much as I’m sure it’s an inconvenience, the conditions were deteriorating by the time we arrived here. They probably have only got worse.’

As if she didn’t believe any of them or didn’t hear the rain pelting the windowpanes, Charlotte went to the window. It gave him an excellent opportunity to admire her shapely form as she walked across the room. He shouldn’t be looking at her. She was a woman in mourning. She was not the kind of woman he should notice in any way. She should be like wallpaper; you’re aware it’s there, but you couldn’t describe it five minutes after you left the room.

To shake himself out of staring, and before she turned and noticed, he looked towards the fire and caught the amused expression of Mrs Knightly.

Taking a drink of tea, Andrew tried to think of an inconspicuous way to let Toby know they should leave the ladies. He had no wish to make Lady Charlotte uncomfortable. Being repulsed by an attractive woman was not something he strived for.

‘In the moonlight, you can see how muddy the ground has become,’ Lady Charlotte said on a sigh, turning away from the window. She trudged back to her stuffed chair and lowered herself on to the cushion with a defeated expression.

‘I promise you will not have to stay here for days. The morning sun will dry out the roads and you will be able to leave by midday,’ Mrs Knightly replied reassuringly.

Lady Charlotte reached for her tea. ‘I hope that’s true.’ Her gaze briefly met Andrew’s before it skirted to Toby’s wife. ‘Very well, but I refuse to be more of an imposition than that. I will leave as soon as the conditions improve.’

‘You are certainly no imposition,’ Mrs Knightly said with a genuinely warm smile. ‘We adore having you here.’

Lady Charlotte smiled back at her friend and then glanced once more at him before she took a long sip of her tea. A soft pink flush edged its way up her neck. It was impossible for Andrew not to picture the rest of her body flush with that rosy glow after an enthusiastic encounter in the sheets...or in a carriage...or...

No wonder the woman was eager to leave. She probably knew what he’d been thinking.

As if watching a performance at the theatre, Mrs Knightly let her attention float between Andrew and the woman beside him. The auburn-haired wife of his friend was not very subtle. He was certain Lady Charlotte had not missed her friend’s attention.

He looked over at Toby and caught his eye, curious to see if his friend was as eager as his wife to promote a match.

‘Lord Andrew and I were on our way to the billiard room,’ Toby offered to no one in particular. ‘We would hate to impose on your conversation any further, ladies. I’m sure we interrupted some bit of town gossip.’

‘But—’

Toby arched a brow, and Mrs Knightly did not continue. At least he had a friend in Toby Knightly.

While he found Lady Charlotte strikingly attractive, he would not pursue her. She was a widow in mourning, not the kind of woman open for a dalliance. Even more importantly, once she was out of mourning a respectable woman like Lady Charlotte would be looking to marry again. With the dangerous life he led, he would not take a wife. And no woman would want to be attached to a man who was capable of doing the things he had done in his life.

Yet he did know he would be thinking about her and those enticing lips when he lay in bed later that night. Now, he would pass the remainder of his evening in the pleasant company of his friend, enjoying a competitive game of billiards and drinking what he hoped to be fine brandy.

‘Lord Andrew, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance,’ Lady Charlotte said with what appeared to be an apologetic smile.

Andrew stood and placed his teacup on the table before politely tipping his head to her. ‘The pleasure was all mine. If I do not see you before you take your leave tomorrow, I wish you a safe journey home.’

‘Thank you, and you as well.’

Strolling out of the room with his friend, he wondered if she was an early riser.

Chapter Five

Charlotte adjusted the blue cashmere shawl Ann had let her borrow the night before as she followed her friends’ footman to the breakfast room. Before she even reached the doorway the scent of coffee and bacon drifted on the air. It smelled delicious. At least she would not go home hungry.

There were no sounds coming from the open doorway. Apparently, she was the first one awake and ready to start the day. Dining alone and in silence was nothing new. She had been doing it for years and, considering she was forced to wear this jonquil gown that Ann had loaned her, she really did prefer it that way. No matter what Ann said, Charlotte knew it wasn’t possible for her not to have any grey or lavender gowns in the house. Every woman she knew kept mourning clothes on hand for when she needed them.

The footman stopped before the open doorway and stepped to the side so she could enter the room. But when she crossed the threshold her body froze at the sight of Lord Andrew, sitting at the oval table reading the newspaper placed beside his plate of food. Her feet refused to move while she stared at him.