Andrew was stunned when her lips reached up to his, her actions completely taking him off guard. He pulled back the moment their lips met, staring down at her with wide eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, softly. "I thought…." Her words trailed off and Andrew could see the confusion and worry in her eyes. Of course, they had formed something of an attachment, and yes he did very much want to kiss her, but at the same time there was a loud warning sounding in his mind. He was going to be taking this further than he should, especially when she did not know his true identity. And he was not sure he could keep a sweet kiss from turning into something far more.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, taking a step back. “I should not have acted with such impropriety.” Her hands left his chest, dropping to her sides. Her face fell, and she stood there, looking utterly alone and the very picture of misery.

Unable to stand it, Andrew stepped closer, drawing her to himself. He tipped her chin up and lifted her face to his once more. “I was just taken aback,” he said, by way of explanation. “I do care for you very much, Miss Marley.”

Her lips curved into a gentle smile. “Arabella,” she breathed, her eyes dropping to his lips.

He smiled in response, his gaze drawn to her slightly parted lips, hearing her breathing quicken in response to his closeness. There was no resistance as he lowered his head, aware of her eyes closing as he grazed his lips against hers. In a heartbeat, she melted against him, and he put his arms around the soft curves of her waist, holding her close.

Andrew lost himself. Time slowed as he kissed Arabella Marley, drinking her in as best he could. Her lips parted for him as he explored her mouth with a gentle slowness that began to burn a fire in him. He felt her hands creep around his neck, her fingers twining into his hair. Carefully, he took his lips from hers and pressed them along the curve of her jaw towards her ear, hearing her gasp at his caress.

Her gasp undid him. He began to tease her nipple through the soft fabric of her dress, drawing it to a peak as he reclaimed her mouth with more passion than before. She whimpered as she melted even further into him, opening herself up to all he had to offer. The same finger he’d used to lift her chin lifted her skirts and found her through the folds of her dress.

“Oh,” she sighed, completely oblivious now to her surroundings, her proprietary, to everything she had held of such importance just moments ago - now, nothing mattered by the feeling of the Duke, who was causing sensations in her she had never before experienced.

She came to a climax with a cry, and Andrew came suddenly to his senses. Stop! Came the warning from his conscience. You are not your brother.

That did it. With reluctance, he stepped back and took her hands as they fell from his neck, not wishing her to think he intended to leave her after what he guessed to be likely her first kiss, let alone the passion that followed.

“My dear Miss Marley – Arabella,” he murmured, rubbing his thumbs over the back of her hands. “I must beg your forgiveness. I should not have taken such advantage. You enchant me in a way that I cannot explain and I was far too forward.”

Her eyes, lit by moonlight, were heady with pleasure and, were the sun high in the sky, Andrew was sure her cheeks would be pink.

“There is no need to apologize, Your Grace,” she replied. “It was I who invited you under this arbor and off the path, knowing what it might hold for me. I must thank you for your concern to… to keep certain things intact.”

He brought her close and gave her one last chaste kiss.

“We must continue,” he said, once more looping her hand under his arm. “You have, ahem, that reputation of yours to protect, and I would not like to upset your father either. Perhaps he is looking for you.”

To his very great surprise, Arabella gave a harsh laugh. "I very much doubt that, Your Grace," she muttered, walking alongside him. "Although I do thank you for your consideration."

He looked down at her, wondering at her response. Apparently, there was more to her relationship with her father than first met the eye. "You think he does not care much about you?”

“I know he does not.” Sighing, she shook her head. “Forgive me, Your Grace. I should not speak so openly.”

"Not at all," he replied, softly. "You must know that I care for you, Miss Marley. It brings me pain to see you distressed."

There was a short silence, while she considered his words. “From what I had heard of your reputation, Your Grace, I must confess myself a little surprised to hear such sentiments from your lips.”

Remembering that he was meant to be his brother, Andrew gave her a tight smile, relieved that she could not see the deep frown on his face. “Perhaps you are the one who has changed me, Arabella.”

Walking back towards the gathered crowd, Andrew ensured he stayed close to Miss Marley, eventually finding her father, who had been imbibing more than a little liquor. The look of disgust on Arabella’s face made his heart swell with sympathy for her.

“Ah, you have returned,” her father murmured, lifting a glass to his lips. “I thought I had lost you.”

“No, Papa, you did not,” Arabella replied, firmly. “Although, perhaps we should return home. After all, it is quite late.”

Her father laughed uproariously, shaking his head. "Ashamed of me, are you? Well, that comes as no surprise, my dear." Taking another large swig of whatever it was in the glass, he turned to Andrew. "And you, Your Grace. I do hope you have not been attempting to seduce my daughter, for I must warn you she is not all that she appears!" He gave a hearty wink. "Is that not so, my dear?”

Before he had a chance to ask what it was the man meant, Arabella had taken his arm and practically dragged him away, her face full of embarrassment.

“I am terribly sorry,” she said, her eyes filled with a sheen of tears. “Please, do not listen to him. I am so incredibly ashamed.”

His mind refusing to let go of what the man had meant, Andrew tried to focus on the sadness he saw in her eyes, lifting her chin again with one finger.

“Think nothing more of it, my dear Arabella,” he murmured, glad that they had found a quiet area of the gardens. “Are you quite well?”

She straightened her shoulders, blinked a few times and gave a sharp nod. “Unfortunately, this is something I have become used to,” she replied, honestly. “In the morning, he will forget what it is he has done, and then I shall be left to explain it all to him." Her voice trailed off, as though she had done that very thing many times before.

Andrew's sympathy for her arose anew. "Then I shall ensure tonight you have the very best of evenings," he promised, gently caressing her cheek. "And then I shall escort you home without your father if he is not to be found." He smiled lightly. "Do not fear, Arabella. You will not be without a friend tonight."

---

It was not until the early hours of the morning that Andrew finally reached the front door of his brother’s home. Stumbling inside, utterly exhausted, he threw his hat and gloves down before making his way to his rooms. He had ordered the staff to stay abed, refusing to force them to wait up for him as he was sure William would do. It was a little more difficult to remove his clothing without the aid of his valet, but soon Andrew was tucked up in bed, ready for a good few hours of sleep.

However, his mind refused to allow him such a pleasure. Instead, all he could remember was the feeling of Arabella’s lips against his own, coupled with the words of her father in his ear – “she is not all that she appears.” Whatever did that mean? Had Arabella pulled him from her father out of embarrassment or because he was going to reveal something about her true reason in her forming an attachment with him? Groaning, Andrew rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. It had been she who had drawn him into the arbor, kissing him first, knowing the Duke’s reputation. Was there any truth in what her father had said?

The thought refused to leave him, keeping him awake until the first fingers of dawn began to spread across the sky.