Page 16 of Married to the Lord

Her gaze eased reluctantly over to him.

“I...” He groaned inwardly. “Let us walk a little,” he offered, indicating down a path that led between more rose bushes. He was a coward, but the problem was, he did not feel one jot sorry for the kiss. Sorry that he had betrayed his brother to be sure, and sorry that he could have damaged her reputation. Not sorry for the actual kiss. If things were different...

But they were not. Despite Augusta’s sudden interest in the opposite sex and willingness to kiss him, deep down, she loved Henry. And why should she not? He might be a little wayward but he was handsome, charming, and a good man. Miles owed him a hell of a lot. Without Henry, Miles might very well have been dead in a gutter a few years ago. Really, it was right that Augusta and Henry were together. They deserved each other very much. If only he could persuade Henry to actually come home and claim her.

All his problems would be solved then and he wouldn’t have to think on the kiss ever again.

They strolled in silence for a while. A gentle breeze brushed the ribbons of her bonnet, sending them curling around her face. She swept them aside with a little annoyed grunt and Miles tucked his hands behind his back to resist the temptation of sorting them out for her. When they came to where the path branched off and too far away from the party for their time together to be proper, Miles stopped. Augusta looked at him expectantly with dark eyes that made him wonder if she could see inside his soul—see quite how dirty and black it was. Though, she should have figured that out by now. There were few good men who would kiss their brother’s fiancée.

“I must apologize for that night...”

She blinked at him. “What night?”

The words hurt, jabbing straight into his heart like a pointed spear. Surely she remembered?

He cleared his throat. “The night where I...uh...kissed you.”

“Oh.”

Her lips formed a lovely ‘o’ shape that made him want to take her face in his hands again and kiss her until he had her knees trembling and her body capitulated to him. Damn it. He shouldn’t have walked this far or taken this long to gather his courage. It would be far too easy to slip off somewhere without anyone noticing. He could dirty her skirts and muss her hair to his heart’s content.

God, he really was a cad.

“Anyway, I wanted you to know that I regret that action. Deeply. You...you are my brother’s fiancée.” His throat tightened over those last words. “Even if you were not, to kiss you like that, in public...it was utterly unacceptable.”

“I see.”

“You do not forgive me?” He shook his head and smiled. “Of course you do not. And I have no right to expect it.” He eyed her. “Gus, how is it you can make a man feel even more heartily ashamed of himself with but two words?”

“I do not mean to make you feel ashamed, I swear it.” She plucked a leaf from a nearby tree and twined it between her fingers, keeping her gaze lowered.

“I think perhaps you take a little pleasure in it.”

She lifted her head. “You tease me!” She flung aside the leaf. “You know I would never take pleasure in such a thing.”

“Perhaps.” He gave a half-smile. “But at least then I get a response from you.”

“I...” Her chest rose as she took a breath and he could not help but watch the enticing movement. “I accept your apology.”

“Good.”

“And I think it best we forget the whole matter. Call it a moment of madness, if you will.”

“Madness? Yes, I suppose it was something like that.”

Augusta certainly seemed to bring him to the edge of insanity but he doubted she understood quite how or why.

She smiled but it did not reach her eyes. “I do not think it serves either of us to dwell on it.”

“So you shall put it from your mind then?”

“Absolutely.”

“What a fine thing it is to know one can be put from Augusta Snow’s mind with such ease,” he drawled, unable to help himself.

“If you are trying to imply I have any ability of wounding your ego, Miles, I would call you a liar.” She lifted her chin and eyed him head-on. “You are a titled gentleman with above average looks and a fine way about him. I am certain there are many kisses in your past and in your future, and you shall forget me quite readily.”

“I am glad to know I have above average looks.”

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