"No respect for the dead." His words came out in silent whispers, his teeth clenched.
A small smile tugged on her lips. "Respect is earned in life, my lord. When a man fails to earn respect in life, it cannot suddenly be bestowed on him simply becau...
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Kissing Lady Atkins was wrong, but desiring to kiss her once again was madness; madness Noah knew he needed to find a cure for.
He must leave London, he concluded, raking his fingers through his hair as he paced the length of the room. His presence had caused more than enough damage, and he was afraid if he remained, he would ruin things irredeemably. He couldn't trust himself to stay away from Lady Atkins if he remained, and with his absence, perhaps it shall ease the effect of the scandal the kiss he shared with Lady Atkins tonight had caused.
Ignoring the odd feeling of sadness at the thought of never seeing Lady Atkins again, he crossed the room to his bedside and pulled the bellpull, summoning his valet. Roger, his valet, appeared at his door several minutes later, tiredness dimming his brown eyes.
"Yes, my lord?"he asked, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. Noah felt slightly guilty for disturbing his servant's sleep, but he didn't believe he had a choice.
"You must ready my things for my return to Camden at dawn. Let Thomas know of my planned trip once you're done," he instructed and waited until the valet nodded his understanding, before leaving the room to his study downstairs. There was no point trying to fall asleep when his mind was so troubled by the happenings of that evening, that it left him wide awake with a headache.
Noah worked all night, but even work proved incapable of ridding his mind of Lady Atkins. He wasn't certain why he was incapable of forgetting the kiss they shared—it made little sense. Noah was the Marquess of Camden, a rich, sought after bachelor in England. His wealth and position had seen many women falling at his feet, some of which he had taken advantage of; he was no stranger to a woman's lips.
What was it about Lady Atkins that plagued him so? Lady Atkins, a woman whose physical appearance could barely rival the women Noah had been with; a woman who was from the lowest class of society with an ill-reputed father; a woman widowed and rumored to have killed her husband...
A woman whose lips tasted like honey and whose eyes were more beautiful—much more captivating—than gemstones. A woman who spoke without fear of wrath or retribution; who held her head high in the face of scorn.
She intrigued him. She captivated his mind enough to deprive him of sleep, and although Noah hated to admit to it, he knew there was something about Lady Atkins that attracted him.
But he was wrong to be attracted to her; he reminded himself. She was Oliver's widow; Oliver, with whom Noah had grown up. The two had been so close, they had often been mistaken for brothers. When Oliver's parents died, Lord Camden, Noah's father had held their estate in trust until Oliver was old enough to take possession of it. It was nothing short of barbaric for Noah to set his interests upon Oliver's widow when Oliver wasn't even a year old in the grave...
It was cruel to be interested in Lady Atkins at all.
For propriety's sake Noah would be on the road to Camden in—he pulled out his pocket watch and stared at the time—the next three hours.
