Page 132 of Every Rake Has A Silver Lining

“You reek of whisky, Mooney. Go home and sleep it off before you get locked up again.”

Mooney delivered an obscene gesture, then proceeded inside on shaking legs.

Simon shook his head in disgust. Three people to avoid. The list continued to grow, but he refused to have it spoil the evening.

Once outside, he pulled in great lungfuls of the crisp May air, reviving his spirits and clearing his mind.

To say Charlotte wasn’t Joy was a gross understatement. And besides, he was the one in love, not Charlotte. If anyone would suffer harm, it would be him. And although that prospect was less than appealing, it wasn’t as horrific as he would have thought mere weeks ago. Oh, certainly it would pain him for Charlotte not to return his love. Not something he would either look forward to or relish.

But Charlotte was his wife, bound to him by law, and if Simon was anything, he was optimistic. Charlotte may not love him yet, but he would wear down her resistance until she had no other choice but to succumb.

Drake was right about one thing. Simon loved a challenge.

With renewed hope bubbling inside, he gazed up at the moon. Soft beams of light drew long shadows. Footsteps crunched against the pebble walk, and a woman’s shadow loomed from behind him. Hands pressed against his eyes.

A smile stretched across his lips as he remembered performing the same action on his beautiful wife the day before.The minx. But before he could turn and pull her into his arms, he tensed.

The fragrance was all wrong.

Breathless from thelively country dance, Charlotte hurried back to find Simon.

Where is he?

She scanned the room, searching the couples pairing for the next set. Her brows drew down.

“He stepped outside.”

Charlotte spun around toward Judith’s voice, a smile replacing the frown. Of course he did. “Restless again?”

Judith laughed. “You know him well. But I think perhaps it was another reason this time. Hurry, and you should catch him.” She gave Charlotte a little push toward the exit.

Stepping outside, Charlotte rubbed her hands on her arms. The night air cooled her skin, overheated from the crowded assembly room. Stars sparkled in the sky, and the moon, not yet full, shed the perfect amount of light and shadows for clandestine lovers.

A thrill trickled up her spine at the thought of surprising Simon and stealing a kiss or two—or more.

Movement ahead caught her attention, but something seemed off. She narrowed her eyes as they adjusted in the moonlight.

“Someone will see us,” a man’s voice said.

Charlotte froze. Not any man. Simon. A chill having nothing to do with the night air raced through her veins. The shadowy figures took shape, the unmistakable flow of a skirt outlining someone much shorter than the one of Charlotte’s husband.

“Let them,” the woman’s voice answered.

Careful to tread lightly, Charlotte crept forward, catching the movement of the woman’s hand caressing the man’s arm.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Charlotte said, tamping down the ache in her heart and keeping her voice nonchalant. She refused to give Simon the satisfaction of knowing his actions upset her.

Simon practically threw the woman off of him.

Hester Pace.

Charlotte should have known.

“Charlotte! This is not what it appears to be.”

“Oh?” Charlotte said, the ache in her chest near unbearable. If loving someone meant enduring such pain, she’d been wise to avoid it so long. No wonder Simon wanted no part of it. Was it too late for her, or was she doomed to live in misery because she allowed him to sneak into her heart? “What might that be then,Husband?” She laced as much vitriol in the address as she could muster.

Hands extended in supplication, Simon stepped forward. “Charlotte.”

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