Page 71 of Under the Seductive Ladys Charm
“Ah, well, now you know.” Charlotte smoothed down her skirts. The sight of the man’s hat made her think of her own, then she noticed he had his jacket off. She felt warmth rise to her cheeks.
Lord Easterly noticed her gaze. “Of course, I had forgotten that I was half-dressed. It was warm during the walk. Forgive my indecency.”
“It is hardly indecent to seek comfort from the heat. It would be as if I told you to take your winter jacket off because it is not fashionable,” Charlotte said, trying her best to sound reasonable as Lord Easterly slipped his arms back in his jacket and situated it against his muscular frame.
“Now what was it that brought you out here into the storm to seek me?” Lord Easterly’s eyes seemed as grey as the clouds overhead and Charlotte was lost in them for a moment. “Miss Browne?” He eyed her with concern.
Charlotte opened her mouth and then snapped it shut again. What was it she came to tell him? He was far too close for rational clear thoughts to win.
Lord Easterly reached out and ran a fingertip along her cheek. Charlotte whispered, “I love you.”
He looked at her as if he had not understood her. “I fear I must have been walking too long,” he whispered. “I surely did not hear that correctly.”
Charlotte shook her head. She nervously took his hand and tugged on it. He took a step closer, bringing them together. “I said that I love you, Lord Easterly.”
“What brought this on?” His eyes were suspicious, and Charlotte felt the distance between them still, even as they stood nearly touching each other.
Charlotte released his hand and put her hands on the front of his jacket. She looked up at him, pleading with him silently to understand. “It is not something that was brought on by anything. I have felt this way for a long while, but I did not have the courage to say it.”
Lord Easterly brought his hand back up to cup her cheek tenderly and Charlotte leaned her cheek against his palm. “What about Lord Stanhope?”
Charlotte whispered, “I do not want to marry him. I did not want to marry him before he showed his true colours and I do not want to marry him now. I told him the same thing.”
“Pity I did not get to see that,” Lord Easterly said with an angry edge. “I apologise for speaking so. It is not appropriate in front of a lady.”
His ire did not frighten Charlotte. She smiled up at him. “If you did not like him then why tell him about the dowry?”
“You deserve to have your choice of match, not have it chosen for you. I thought you might still have feelings for him.” Lord Easterly shook his head. “I wanted to make sure you had what you wanted out of life, even if it was not me.”
Charlotte eyed him silently for a moment. “I do not quite understand.”
“Lord Stanhope is penniless,” Lord Easterly informed her. “I thought you wanted to marry him, so I told him of the dowry. Do not be angry with me, please. Is it not right that I should want you to be happy no matter what?” Lord Easterly seemed to be genuinely asking her the question. His eyes held such fragile hope that Charlotte felt her heart melt.
Charlotte whispered, “You really do sacrifice yourself for others too much. Sometimes it is better to simply say what you want, Lord Easterly, instead of trying to quietly help others get what they want.”
“So I should just tell you that I love you, then? he whispered back her.
Charlotte smiled. “Is that the truth?”
“It is.” Lord Easterly laughed, and the sound of it was almost unhinged to Charlotte’s ears. There was relief in it and Charlotte smiled.
She looked up at him through her lashes. “Do you feel better now?”
“Much better.” His arm encircled her waist and pulled her against him. His mouth found hers and Charlotte surrendered to his kiss completely and kissed him back with equal abandon.
The kiss made her head spin and Charlotte opened herself to him without even a second thought, stepping backward in unison with him as they nestled close to the oak to be out of view.
Charlotte felt her back touch the tree. The impact seemed to bring awareness back to both of them of just what they were doing. They broke the kiss but remained pressed together against the tree bark.
“Miss Browne,” Lord Easterly whispered, his gaze unsure.
Charlotte smiled at him. “You can call me Charlotte.” She pressed her lips back against his.
Lord Easterly made a noise that could have been pleasure or frustration. Charlotte had no experience to tell the difference, but it gave her a heady feeling all the same. She slipped her arms up around his neck and kissed him with all the passion that she felt.
When they parted again, the kiss left them both panting softly. “I guess you should call me Graham then,” Lord Easterly said with a grin that Charlotte had not seen before. It reminded her of Amanda’s mischievous grin when she was doing something she knew was wrong.
Charlotte was about to speak when there was a bright flash of lightning followed by a loud crack thunder. She gasped and clung to Graham. The next instant rain cascaded down out of the sky all around them. The tree protected them some, but Charlotte still felt the rain hitting her.
