“Miss Chadwick.”

Julia froze, like an animal caught out in the open. Guy felt very much like the hawk, ready to swoop down and claim his prey when she turned to face him. Eyes wide, lips slightly parted, a slight blossom of color in her cheeks. She had successfully avoided him for the rest of the party but no longer. He had caught her.

By some miracle, he kept his amused grin tucked away. He could not help himself sometimes, though. Julia Chadwick was so intent on hating him.

“What can I do for you, Lord Weston? It is late, as you can see we are heading home.” Julia’s mother and sisters were fussing about getting into the carriage while Julia watched the fuss from the entrance hallway of the viscount’s house. Guy only caught a hint of the conversation but it seemed Emma had lost a pack of cards and wanted to go back and search for them.

“Emma, just get in the carriage. We can search another day,” her mother declared.

“I was wondering if you would do me the honor of showing me these otters.”

“You wish to see the otters?” She peered over her shoulder at the commotion her mother and sisters were causing and rolled her eyes.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Because he wanted more time alone with her. Because she was getting beneath his skin and making him itch. Because the pleasure he garnered from exchanging words with her was something he’d never experienced before.

“I would like to see exactly what is so wonderful about these otters that you would set yourself so firmly against me?”

“Does that mean you do not think all animals are worth fighting for?”

“If you were to spend your time fighting to save every animal on this planet, Miss Chadwick, you would be a busy lady indeed.”

She tugged her shawl around herself. A slightly protective movement, he decided. It did not stop him from admiring the gentle swells of her breasts, however. They were creamy with only a few freckles here and there. His fingers twitched at the idea of touching each freckle and drawing a path between them.

“I do what I can. I am only one woman. But, at the moment, the otters are the ones in most danger, thanks to you, Lord Weston.”

“You wanted to convince me to move my mill. This is your chance. Show me the otters.”

“You are serious?”

“Deadly.”

Miss Chadwick pursed her lips and gave a long sigh. “Very well. I shall have to sneak out. Mama is already annoyed at me for gallivanting about on my own—those are her words—but my sisters can be counted upon to stay quiet.”

He lifted a brow. “How scandalous of you.”

“I never run into anyone in the woods anyway. At least not until recently.” She sent a sour look his way.

“Name the time and I shall be there.”

“Two hours’ time. The long evenings will mean we have time and the otters might be out to hunt by then.”

“Excellent. I shall be there.”

She twisted on a heel and strode over to the carriage without bidding him farewell. He watched the sassy sway of her hips beneath her pale yellow gown and felt a swell of heat rise inside. Miss Julia Chadwick might hate him more and more with every breath but he was finding her more and more interesting. The stubborn woman likely had no idea of her appeal. She would not understand that the way her hips moved made him hard or that when she pursed her lips, he thought of nothing more than pinning her up against a wall and kissing her firmly.

He observed her getting into the carriage. She had to grab Emma’s arm and force her to sit as she was still fussing over her cards. Emma stuck her tongue out at Julia and Guy laughed. They were quite the handful, these Chadwick girls.

“We had better be leaving.” Morgan approached from behind. “We do not want to be unfashionable and be the last ones to remain.”

“Because I always care about being fashionable,” Guy drawled. “Where have you been? I hardly saw you once.”

“Mingling, of course. Everyone in Hampshire now adores me.”

Guy shook his head at his friend’s smug expression. There was no doubt that he had charmed and seduced anyone here whom he had not already met. Guy hardly thought himself inept with people—though Miss Chadwick would disagree—but Morgan had a way with men, women, and children. Upon meeting him, they all thought him to be the best person in the world.

“Have you seen Stephen?” Guy asked. He had tried to keep track of his brother but he found himself somewhat distracted by a certain person.

“Probably has his head buried in a maid’s cleavage.”

“Christ, I hope not.”

Before Guy could go searching, Stephen emerged from the drawing room. Guy narrowed his gaze at him. “Have you been drinking?”

“A little punch, that is all. I am not in my cups if that’s what is concerning you, but it would have made this whole ordeal more pleasant.”

“That’s a lie,” Morgan leaned in and whispered. “I saw him talking to Miss Frimley and Miss Reid. Both pretty, both sixteen.”

Guy did not know whether to be happy or concerned that his brother had preoccupied himself with merely talking to some young ladies. If Stephen had the chance, Guy was certain he would not turn down taking a young virgin to bed. He would have to warn his brother to tread carefully later. It was bad enough getting a young, poor woman in the family way but if he ruined one of the local ladies, there would be hell to pay.

Once they had returned home, Guy changed out of his finer clothes and into clothes more suited to otter hunting. He pushed a hand through his hair and thanked his valet, muttering something about not being home for supper. He had already told Morgan he would be out for the evening, researching their chosen mill spot and Stephen hardly cared where Guy was going.

He found Miss Chadwick peering out over the river. “So where exactly are these otters?”

Miss Chadwick jumped and whirled, a hand to her chest. “You scared me.” She motioned for him to be quiet with one hand. “They will never come out if you talk so loudly.”

“Forgive me, I thought I was being quiet,” he said, his lips twisted.

She motioned for him to come close and squatted down. He followed suit, stealing a glance at her. Though she had changed into another simpler dress, a cream muslin trimmed with a tiny amount of lace along the sleeves and neckline, she had not stopped to neaten her hair. As though aware of where he was looking, she blew the curl from her forehead. Her gaze remained intent on the water.

“You really do love otters, do you not?” he murmured.

She nodded. “But not just otters. All animals.”

“Apart from wasps.”

“Yes, apart from wasps. But they are insects.” She pressed her glasses up her nose. “I have loved animals since I was a young girl.”

A soft smile curved her lips and Guy found himself enraptured. It was rare she smiled at him or even around him. Usually her lips were pursed into a pout or pressed into a straight line. It drew his attention to how plump and delectable they looked and it softened her cheeks, making him want to stroke the back of his hand down her face.

Guy drew in a breath. If he was not careful, he was going to get himself in trouble and scandalize her. It was bad enough that they were alone. Though he could not regret asking her for this time together—not when he got to see her like this.

“When I was about five, I spotted my first rabbit—or at least as far as I can remember it was my first—and I tried to chase it to give it a cuddle.” She laughed softly. “I tumbled into a thatch of stinging nettles and Mama scolded me horribly. It hurt like the devil but all I could think of was seeing that rabbit again.”

“And so started your interest in animals.”

Miss Chadwick glanced at him and seemed to remember with whom she was talking. Her smile vanished.

“Yes. And I quickly realized we as humans have a responsibility to protect them. Do not forget we are accountable for hunting wolves and boar into extinction and otters have suffered too. I would not wish to see another species die out.”

“I know otter hunting happens but it does not happen here, surely?”

“No.” She grinned. “Someone tried once.”

“And I imagine it did not work out too well for him. Not the pigeons again?”

“Well, it works, does it not?”

He glanced up at the trees above them. The hour was getting late but they had several hours until sunset. Though he had no intention of keeping her here after dark, the temptation to find a way to increase their time together burned bright in his chest. A few minutes together and he had already learned much. The image of a young Julia, bounding across the grass after a rabbit was enchanting. He rather liked she had not lost that. Too many women found themselves stifled by society but Julia had somehow blessedly been saved.

“I hope there are no pigeons lurking today.”

She shook her head. “I have little intention of being, um...”

“Excreted upon?” he suggested.

“Yes. Besides you might learn something.” She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Now be quiet. They will never come if you keep talking.”

Unfortunately for him, he wanted to keep talking but he did as he was told and settled next to her. She cared little about the dirt that would be staining her dress but he should have guessed as much after their first meeting. After a while, she moved onto her front and propped her elbows on the ground and her face on her hands. He copied her.

“Does this help? To be lower?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Now do be quiet.”

He masked a chuckle. How many women would be willing to speak to him like that? So bluntly with little care for pandering to his feelings. He could not help but adore it. He swung his gaze sideways and admired the little creases between her eyes as she studied the water. Perhaps he was also beginning to adore her.

The only question was, could she ever be persuaded to adore him?

Under the pretense of getting more comfortable, he let his arm brush hers. A little dirt dropped onto her bare arm so he brushed it off, ever so slowly and languorously as he relished the soft feel of her skin. She sucked in a loud breath and scowled at him.

“You had a little mud.”

The day was bright enough for him to see the blush in her cheeks. If he was not much mistaken, her breathing remained rapid for some time. He caught her looking at him more than once in the next half an hour. She might not adore him but she was certainly feeling a physical attraction to him. It was enough, for now. He could wear her down, he was certain.

A shudder traversed her body and he tapped her hand to get her attention. “Are you cold?”

“No,” she whispered. Another visible shudder ran through her.

“Liar.” The evening was cooling off and while he was dressed well, her thin gown would not offer much protection. He eased up to sitting and tugged off his jacket. When he laid it over her shoulders, she stiffened. He took a moment to adjust it, accidentally but not so accidentally brushing the exposed back of her neck with his fingers. Though she trembled again, he knew it was not from cold this time.

Guy settled back next to her, assuming the same position as before. “I would have thought an experienced nature watcher such as yourself would have brought a thicker coat.”

Another half an hour passed by his estimation and still no sign of the otters. He hardly cared. He passed the time imagining slipping off her spencer jacket and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Or perhaps loosening her gown and tickling his mouth over her back.

He leaned in and let his arm press against hers. “How much longer do we have to wait?”

“As long as it takes. Otters are shy creatures.”

“And you do this often? Sit and wait for them?”

“Yes. At least recently. They had babies and I wanted to study the family unit. They have burrows not far from here but this is where you can truly see them in action when they come to hunt.”

“How often do you get to see them?”

“Oh, I’ve seen them about three times.”

“Only three? And how many days have you been here?”

“Nearly every day for the past month.”

He shook his head. “You have more patience than I, Julia.”

She twisted toward him, her mouth open. It left their faces mere inches from each other. He had not intended to use her name, it had simply slipped out, but he was glad of the effect if it meant he could get closer to her. Several heartbeats passed and he searched her eyes. Her gaze slipped down to his lips then up to his eyes. He saw her shake her head a little then turn away.

“You can call me Guy if you wish.”

“I hardly care.”

Her dismissive tone told him he’d thrown her onto the edge again. Perhaps her defensiveness had been more to do with her attraction to him and less about the otters than he’d thought. He would have to pay closer attention from now on.

“I can call you Julia then?”

“If you wish.”

“Well, Julia, where exactly did you tell your mother you were going?”

She shrugged. “Mama will not notice I am gone. She always claims she has too many daughters to keep track of us all.”

“That is useful. Particularly when you’re sneaking out of the house in the evening to have an illicit meeting with a man.”

“There is nothing illicit about this.”

“To us, yes. To everyone else...I am fairly certain they would think it illicit.”

Julia twisted her head to look at him. “I must trust your word then. After all, I am sure you know all about illicit meetings.”

“Perhaps.” He chuckled. “It does not concern you that if anyone caught us, you would be ruined?”

She snorted. “No one comes here apart from me. Well, until recently. Besides, no one would expect a duke to want to seduce a Chadwick. Everyone apart from me and my sisters were shocked when a viscount asked Amelia to marry him.”

“If they are shocked then it is because they do not see your excellent qualities.”

“You are teasing me.” She turned away from him. “No one believes red hair and freckles and a liking for anything studious are excellent qualities.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I might?”

Instead of turning toward him again, she eyed him sideways. “Now you really are teasing me.”

“Not at all.” He fingered the curl that had fallen over her forehead again and pushed it back. “I happen to think red hair is quite enchanting. A welcome break from a sea of fair hair and brunettes.” He flicked a finger over her nose and she made a startled sound that he wanted to hear again. “Freckles too. I like them. They make me curious.”

Now she looked again. “Curious?”

He suppressed a wicked grin. “I won’t tell you why. It will only scandalize you.”

“You forget I am a nature lover. The animal world is not so nearly as prim and proper.”

“The animal world does not have the mind of a wicked man.”

“And you certainly are a wicked man.”

“That I am,” he agreed.

“What do they make you think, Guy? Tell me.”

“Very well.” He rolled onto his side, keeping his head propped up with one hand. “They make a man wonder about other freckles.”

She frowned.

“You have a few on your arms. Some on your collar bone. And...” He dropped his gaze and eyed her cleavage meaningfully.

Julia gasped. “You really are wicked!”

“You cannot say I did not warn you.”

Her gaze ran up and down him before settling on his eyes. “I will not deny that perhaps...just perhaps some men might like redheads and freckles. After all, Amelia’s husband does. However, I have yet to meet a man tolerant of a woman who likes to study.”

“Nicholas does not?”

“He is an exception.”

Guy shook his head. “You have likely observed humans just as you have observed nature. You have probably seen exceptions when it comes to animals and plants. Do you not think it is possible there is more than one exception?”

“If you are trying to convince me you are an exception, you will have no chance. I saw what you thought of me when we first met and I told you of the otters.”

He sighed. “For a clever woman, Julia, you can be incredibly stupid.”

“How dare—” She reached out to push him and he gripped her wrist and used the movement to draw her close.

“I certainly never looked down on you because of your love of animals or even bloody otters. Quite the opposite actually.”

A crease appeared between her brows. “What...?”

He tugged her further in so only a mere inch was between them. Her breath danced across his face. Every part of him heated. The uncomfortable ground beneath him and the gentle rush of wind through the trees was forgotten. He could not even recall what the sound of the river was. All he could think of was Julia. Clever, courageous, fiery Julia and her plump lips and delectable body.

He leaned in.

“Oh.” She twisted out of his grip suddenly. “Look,” she whispered, her voice full of awe. “There they are.”

He squinted at the water and sure enough, two otters had slipped into the river and were making their way downstream past them. They were what most women would call cute creatures but they moved with an agility that any man would admire.

Guy could see why Julia was so fascinated by them. However, he could not help regretting the interruption. Had they not arrived, would he have had the chance to kiss her as they both so clearly wanted?