Page 38 of A Game of Scandal

I felt Ash stiffen. He muttered a rough curse, which I enjoyed and saved up to use myself at a later date. “What is he doing here?” he said, almost to himself, echoing my own earlier question. “He typically steers clear of the managing mamas and their eligible daughters, happier to do business at one of the clubs or gaming dens. Stay away from him,” he warned.

“Easier said than done,” I sniffed. “He asked me to dance. I don’t think he recognized me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ash said grimly. “When it comes to Edward Laing, every interaction is a chess match, a calculated move. There will certainly be an ulterior motive when it comes to asking Lady Felicity Vane to dance.”

“Perhaps he found me attractive,” I said sharply. “People do, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” Ash’s voice was laced with laughter.

“And I handled the situation well enough.” My mother’s words came back then, her determination to find a husband to take care of me. “I’m perfectly capable of managing things. I don’t need anyone else to look after me.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest that you did.” Ash sounded startled by the vehemence in my tone.

I rubbed my forehead. “I’m sick of being underestimated.”

“People will refuse to see what’s right in front of them. They can’t understand your brilliance, and that’s their loss. I hope you know that I’d never be so foolish.”

“No,” I mused. “You didn’t underestimate me. You kissed me instead.”

“An act I shall be happy to repeat, any time you like,” Ash said hopefully. “Moonlit gardens always seem the perfect backdrop to such a scene.”

“Kissed a lot of people in moonlit gardens, have you?” I asked, and then raised my hand as if to stop his response. “No, don’t tell me. I already know the answer to that.”

“I shouldn’t really have kissed you in the first place,” Ash admitted. “I don’t make a habit of romancing eligible young ladies fresh out in society. I’d be poison to your reputation, you know.”

“That would be an issue,” I said, trying to keep my tone easy. “If I cared much for my reputation.”

“You may not.” Ash leaned closer, and there was something rueful in his eyes. “But I know the truth. You care too much for your family to do damage that may reach them. You’re a protector, Felicity, whether they realize it or not. You sacrifice tiny pieces of yourself for them every day because you love them.”

I stilled at the words, at the understanding in his eyes, an understanding mixed with something sad and heavy. I felt laid bare in a way that I’d never experienced, as if Ash were looking straight through to some secret, hidden part of me.

Then he grinned, and the feeling dissipated. “Me, I’m much more selfish,” he continued. “Which is why I can’t find it in myself to apologize for the kiss.”

“I’d be offended if you did,” I retorted. “And I’d like to remind you that it takes two people to make a kiss … at least one like that. Maybe it’s me who should apologize to you.”

“There’s your chivalrous streak again.” He sighed. “Perhaps we can call the matter a draw.”

“So it won’t happen again?” I asked, hoping that he wouldn’t hear the disappointment in my voice.

“I didn’t say that,” Ash responded. “Only that it probably shouldn’t happen again.”

“No. It definitely shouldn’t,” I agreed.

“A very bad idea,” Ash murmured.

The distance between us was evaporating. I could feel the last words against my lips, as his breath mingled with mine. His body was kicking off a heat and need that matched my own and was so intense it edged towards pain. I couldn’t tell if touching him would bring relief or send me up in flames.

“Felicity?” Izzy’s voice shattered the moment as thoroughly as if it had been a china vase swept from a shelf.

Ash’s eyes fluttered closed. “Your sister-in-law has such impeccable timing,” he groaned, pulling back from me as Izzy stepped into our hidden enclosure.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. Her gaze moved to Ash, and her eyes narrowed, though she had clearly learned her lesson about interfering. She restrained herself to a short, clipped: “Ash.”

“Your Grace.” Ash got to his feet and tucked his hands in his pockets, looking boyish for once, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.

Izzy’s lips pulled up at the corners. “I came to rescue you from the ball,” she said to me. “Though it looks like you made your own escape.”

“Only a brief respite,” I replied briskly, standing to dust off my skirt. “I’ll be glad to go home.” I needed to think. About a lot of things.