William put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “I did not,” he said. Charlotte’s hand shook. She undid the clasp that held her cloak on and slid it off her shoulders. She was still wearing the same dress she’d worn that day; sky blue as if to convince herself that she was free. All she could do was nod.
William’s breath rattled. He reached out and took the cape from her and hung it on the banister of the railing. He then directed her to follow him back into the sitting room. “She came here with the intent of asking for me back and I refused her. She only wants what she cannot have which I suppose is an affliction we all suffer from.”
That specifically was a hot knife in Charlotte’s chest. She didn’t just want him because she couldn’t have him. She wanted him because he brought something to life in her that no one had ever been able to. She loved the way he made her feel. All he had to do was smile at her, and she knew she would have the best day of her life.
“Do you—”
William held up his hand to stop. “Sit,” he ordered. “It is my turn to ask a question.”
Charlotte took a deep breath.
“When did you meet Octavia?”
Charlotte frowned. “At the garden party,” she said. “She is not so bad after all, I have come to find out.”
“Not so bad?” William asked. “That is because you are not a man. She has nothing to toy with.”
Charlotte leaned back in her chair crossing her legs. “I am just saying that I expected her to be very nasty.”
“I am glad you are now aware that no one is black and white. I am so please to have been a part of that journey,” he sneered. “Will you leave my house as well?”
“No,” she said.
William exhaled with annoyance. “Okay. And what did you speak of?”
“You,” she admitted. “I told her that I did not care if she pursued you and now I wholly regret that.”
William stilled, looking out the window, his back turned to her. She couldn’t help but admire him even though it was beginning to look like she would never touch him again. “You did not…” he paused. “Did you tell her to stop pursuing me? Be honest.”
“Be…” Charlotte gawked, an amused huff escaping her lips. “Me? You think that I fought with her on account of you? I never said such a word to her. The only obstacle between you and I is our own poorly-conceived aspirations. I will not be reduced to fighting another woman for a mate like some wild animal.”
William opened his mouth, but closed it in shock when Charlotte stood up, her finger pointed at him. He turned around to face her, arms crossed over his muscular chest.
“You know what?” she asked. “What if I did?”
“Then you would be meddling in my love life when you specifically told me you did not plan to marry.”
“Nor do you, my lord, and yet you admitted you loved me in return. For what reason other than to confuse me?”
“To be honest with you.”
Charlotte held her palm up to him. “No,” she said plainly. “There is no need to be honest anymore. Honesty gets us in trouble. Should I admit I wish to pursue our match despite my original plans for the future, where might we take that?”
William stilled. He dropped his arms and stared, his mouth forming shapes, but never making any noise. Finally, he took a breath and looked down. There was a coffee table between them, and if it wasn’t there, Charlotte wondered if he might move in closer. “Is this true?”
Charlotte swallowed hard and looked away from him. She had promised that she would never do such a thing, but what she didn’t realize was that this was never her choice to make. Whatever had developed between them was bigger than anything she could begin to understand. Her voice trembled. “Yes.”
There was a small desk in the corner of the room, pressed against the wall. It was the type of desk for writing correspondence. He took a seat on the bench beside it and looked at his feet. “Did this develop before or after I broke our courtship?”
“Before, I think,” Charlotte whispered, unable to make her voice any louder than what it already was. “It is hard to say.”
“And everything you said…”
“I was scared because I have had one plan my entire life. Now I want something else, and it is the most terrifying thing that I can imagine.”
“And that something else?”
“You!” she shouted.