Page 46 of How to Seduce a Duke this Autumn
Even accompanied by her dear friends, she couldn’t quite evade the feeling.
Charlene glanced over at Ashley, who clutched her doting fiancé Thomas’s arm and leaned toward the rail, her cheeks pink with excitement. “Look at this view! You always think of everything.”
“Spectacular, right?” Thomas said, but his eyes were on Ashley, his hand lightly covering Ashley’s where it rested on his sleeve.
Charlene almost rolled her eyes at the pair; at the same time, she also felt a pinch of envy.
“It’s almost time for the spectacle,” Thomas added. “Let me fetch some ratafia before it begins.”
The moment he left, Maddie nudged her shoulder. “Why are you so quiet?”
Charlene pressed her lips together, her gloves twisting in her hands when she noticed that Ashley was now also scrutinizing her.
Should she tell Maddie? But once spoken, it would no longer be hers alone. Did she even want it to remain a secret? Or was she simply afraid of what saying it aloud would mean? On the one hand, keeping it to herself felt safer, but on the other, these were her friends. If anyone could help her make sense of this mess that warred in her head and heart, it was them.
Well, there was nothing for it, then.
She would tell them.
“I…” Charlene began, her voice faltering. How was this so difficult! She sighed and lowered her gaze. “I shall admit, I did something shocking, and now I don’t know what to do.”
Her friends exchanged quick looks.
“Shocking?” Ashley whispered, her tone a mix of curiosity and alarm. “What happened?”
Charlene hesitated, color rising to her cheeks. “I went to the park,” she said finally. “Alone. To… to meet Adam.”
“When was this?” Maddie asks.
“About two weeks ago.”
Two delightful weeks of agonizing over the man.
Ashley gasped, covering her mouth with her gloved hand. “Char! Alone? With the duke? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
Oh, she did. “I wasn’t thinking,” Charlene said, her voice barely a notch above the clamor in the square. “The man just makes me so furious!”
“Oh?” Maddie murmured. “And how did he do that?”
“He sent a note after the ball,” Charlene said flatly. “Practically goading me.”
“And you fell for it,” Ashley said with a nod. “Of course you would.”
“Of course I would? What does that mean?”
“It means,” Ashley said with an arch of her brow, “You have unfinished business with that man.”
Charlene felt her pulse quicken, felt the heat rising unbidden to her throat. Unfinished business? It felt rather finished to her. Or it had, before he returned. Since his return… Perhaps Ashley wasn’t wrong.
“Yes,” Maddie said thoughtfully. “Because goading aside, why else would you need to meet the duke if not for a sense of unfinished business?”
“However,” Ashley said. “I’d caution you, Char. A new duke, handsome and unattached? People will notice. People will also talk. You should be careful not to put yourself in a position where you cannot get yourself out.”
“Well, there were certain positions, for sure,” Charlene muttered. But none too scandalous.
Ashley’s eyes bulged. “What are you saying?”
Charlene laughed. “Wait, what position do you think I—what are you implying?”
