Page 29 of A Duke's Temptation Poetess
“And Clarissa? Make sure you close the door properly,” her mother snapped. “Just because you refuse to listen to reason does not mean you also have to keep the door open for vagrants to wander through.”
Then, her mother was gone.
***
When Lady Bentley joined them for dinner, she came alone. Colin felt his heart plummet. This was his fault. “Where is Lady Clarissa?” his aunt asked.
Colin was grateful that she had asked instead of him. He felt the fierce urge to apologise at once for having been alone with her daughter, worse for giving into the temptation tokissher daughter. If it had not been for Lady Clarissa’s own fortitude, he would have done something utterly disgraceful.
As it was, he had still done something highly improper, but… But Colin could not say a word about it without potentially causing harm to Lady Clarissa’s reputation. He silently cursed himself for not having more control over his passions.
Lady Bentley sighed. “Clarissa is feeling rather poorly and is resting.”
She was feeling ill because of his actions. Of that, Colin had no doubt. He should not have tried to kiss her. No, he should not have even allowed himself to approach her without a chaperone. What was he thinking?
“That is unfortunate,” Lady Matilda said. “I do hope Lady Clarissa recovers quickly!”
“As do I,” Lady Bentley replied.
“Indeed,” Colin said quietly, sensing that both women expected some comment from him. “Shall we go to dinner?”
They did, and Colin sat quietly, content to let his Aunt Matilda and Lady Bentley dictate the conversation. Unfortunately, that also left him alone with his thoughts, which revolved around Lady Clarissa. He had never in his life gotten so intimate with a lady before, but somehow, knowing that she was the mysterious author of the book of poems had filled him with such an unspeakable feeling of passion that he had been utterly defenceless against it.
Unbidden, her poem about a lady’s first kiss came to mind. It had been a sonnet, heavily edited and scrawled out with black ink. Lady Clarissa’s poem had used a litany of cliches and bore the clear hallmarks of a woman who had never been kissed before. She had tried to replicate what other poems said about kissing, but it seemed as if she had never read anything very scandalous. It was endearing.
And I sought to give her some real experience,he thought.
“I am surprised,” Lady Matilda said, “that Lady Clarissa has remained unwed for so long.”
Colin’s head snapped up at the mention of her name. It was because those other men did not appreciate a proper, intelligent lady. They wanted someone conventional and prim. But Lady Clarissa had remained unwed for several Seasons.
And I could have ruined her chances of having a respectable husband with my actions,he thought.
Or worse. If they had been caught together, especially kissing, Lady Clarissa might have been forced to marry him. That would be a terrible way to begin a relationship, much less a married one. She would hate him for the rest of their days. That much was certain.
“It is unfortunate,” Lady Bentley said. “My dear daughter has had a difficult time of it. I do think her father’s death has made it hard for her to find the enthusiasm for finding a match.”
The thought of Lady Clarissa finding a match with a man of the ton gave Colin a strange feeling in his stomach. “If she cannot, I suppose that she will have time to devote to her poetry, at least,” he said.
“Poetry?” Lady Matilda asked.
“Lady Clarissa is a poetess,” Colin said, carefully omitting that he kept carrying around a copy of the young lady’s poems.
He supposed that he ought to have given the book of poems back to her when she asked. That would have been the proper thing to do, rather than trying to kiss her.
“I did not realise that,” Lady Matilda replied, “but I have frequently seen her carrying around books. I assumed that she enjoyed sketching.”
“No, it is poetry that she enjoys,” Lady Bentley said.
“An unusual pursuit for a young lady,” his aunt Matilda said.
His aunt was the very image of unconventionality, though. She was an utterly unrepentant spinster, delighted with her lot in life, and she would probably enjoy Colin having an unconventional wife. He knew that he could not fulfil her hopes, though.
Even though his mind was filled with her, images of him kissing her and holding her in his arms once more, he knew that he could never marry a woman, even one as unusual as Lady Clarissa. More than anything, Colin dreaded becoming his father, and the solution to that was simple. He would not wed. Instead, Lady Clarissa must remain a beautiful temptation which he could never indulge in.
“I have tried to dissuade her of pursuing it so ardently,” Lady Bentley said, “but it is her passion. What can I do?”
“Encourage her,” Colin said abruptly. “She is very talented.”
