One Night of Sin (Mansforth Chronicles Book 1)

Never before in his life had Braxton met such a beguiling, vexing woman, and yet he was certain that God himself broke the mold when he’d created someone so profoundly disagreeable. But for all the disdain currently settling in his chest, this woman had captivated him, making him fall under a spell unlike any he’d ever known.

And now, he was nearly powerless to stop it.

Braxton stormed out of the carriage, nearly falling to his face as he scrambled to catch up with her.

“Stay here!” he yelled to the driver.

The driver, seemingly irritated by the inconvenience, shot daggers at him. This had been, of course, precisely what he had feared—more unruly passengers gone rogue; an irritating occurrence that was happening far too often as of late.

He really should just hang it up already. He was far too old to deal with such follies!

As for Lilliana, for all the gusto the woman possessed, brisk walking had never been her strong suit, and within four great strides, Braxton was at her side, demanding answers as he grabbed her arm.

“Surely, you are not so foolish to think it would be wise to be out here alone!” he growled.

Lilliana stopped mid-stride, her eyes seething with irritation as she turned to face him. “Well, then, perhaps I am truly daft. But I don’t see how suffering a minute longer in your presence will do me one bit of a good!”

“And to think that I had been so inclined to save you!” he roared. “Truly, if there ever comes a time where this situation should occur again, I shall think twice on the matter!”

“Yes, well, you made the pitiful presumption that I even needed saving. I would’ve sufficed just fine on my own, thank you!” Lilliana lifted the bustle of her skirt, and started forward at a brisk speed, only to be pulled back once more. “Let go,” she seethed, “or I shall be forced to deal you the same fate that Giovanni received.”

Oh, he would love more than anything for her to try, for it would be quite amusing if she were to take him on. “You wouldn’t,” he said coolly. “If you had truly wanted to, you have had at least a half dozen opportunities this evening, alone.”

For once, she did not have an answer, merely staring up at him with empty blue eyes. Well, at least he was attempting to acknowledge how many times he had incensed her.

Still, there was no sense in arguing with the man, for they would be going around in circles the whole night through. And at present, she had far more pressing things to concern herself with.

And entertaining this man’s foolishness did not quite make that list.

“Well, I… I suppose you do have a point,” she conceded. “It seems rather foolish of me to argue that.”

“Yes, it would be. But as stubborn as you are, I cannot say with absolute certainty that you wouldn’t try. You have proven yourself to be quite vexing, at times.”

Vexing, and altogether the most striking woman he’d ever known, perhaps, though he was far too proud to admit.

He really should’ve stayed far, far away from her, but it was too late now. She’d become his problem to deal with, fitting herself into his life in a way he had not expected in the least when the evening had started.

Now, it seemed as though a whole millennium had passed since she’d collided with him. It all was beginning to blur together, and could not shake the feeling that their paths, perhaps, were meant to cross.

Even if he could not fathom the reason as to why.

“I do propose we reach some sort of amenable resolution,” he said. “I would much rather have an ally than an enemy in my circle, and I certainly do not relish the idea of traveling the rest of the way alone on foot. I would much prefer the carriage.”

She stared up at him suspiciously. “Surely, you don’t believe we were headed in the right direction.”

Braxton resisted the urge to shake her, wishing with every fiber of his being that she would simply listen for once. “Well, I for one would think you mad to—” The words died in his throat as the carriage driver whipped his horse and began to take off, leaving the two of them thoroughly in the past where they belonged.

“Damn it all!” Braxton snarled. “Do you see what you have done? We cannot afford to lose our conveyance!”

Panic raced through him as he began to sprint after the carriage. Unbeknownst to him, Lilliana was catching up with him, practically nipping at his heels.

He came to an abrupt stop, staring up at the black sky in agony. He would never be able to run fast enough to catch up with the steed. At this point, he did not have energy to burn or lose, and time was simply not on their side.

Neither was luck on their side, for that matter.

“Look what you have done!” he shouted. “My feet shall be bloodied by morning, at any rate!”

And for the first time that evening, Lilliana nearly felt sorry for the man. Perhaps she had been wrong to feel as she did. Perhaps the driver wasn’t the fool she had made him out to be. But she could not change the course of time. All she could do now was move forward.

“You certainly will not be the only one with such an ailment,” she admitted bitterly, her feet nearly aching already in protest. Yes, she would be dreadfully exhausted and famished by the time they arrived, but there was no sense in worrying over the inevitable.

“You quite possibly are the most foolish woman I’ve ever met, for only a foolish woman would make assumptions about perfect strangers as wildly as you do!”

Lilliana looked down at her feet as the heaviness of it all come tumbling down around her. She had failed him. And herself. She was squarely to blame.

And at this late hour, there was simply nothing she could do.

She looked at him crossly, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. “I may be a lot of things, Mister… Mister… oh, bollocks, I don’t believe I ever even received your name.”

“Braxton Hayworth,” he offered. He didn’t know why precisely he had offered up his name. Likely by the time they reached where they wanted to, he would never want to see the likes of her again. Which was just fine with him! Stunning as she was, she’d been nothing short of a thorn in his side from the moment she’d collided straight against his chest!

“Bloody hell,” he mumbled under his breath. Braxton kicked at a stone on the ground. “Clearly, the man wanted the coin, and nothing more. Ignorant bastard!”

“We can always find shelter elsewhere for the night.”

A dry, wheezing laugh escaped him as he glanced all around him. “Oh yes, yes, and behold all the spectacular options we have for the taking!”

His peevish tone did not go unnoticed by her, flaring her anger once more, and reigniting it like embers igniting to a full flame. “Well, one must travel to find such a place. Surely, you would agree?’

Braxton nearly laughed aloud. He’d hardly agreed with her on a single thing this evening, and it was a pattern he surely would not be able to break now. Not with her being so obstinate. ‘I do not,’ he said haughtily. It was, perhaps, a paper-thin lie, one of which neither one believed.

And though Lilliana hated to admit it, she was beginning to suspect Braxton Hayworth rather liked getting under her skin.

“As of now, my only concern is to seek shelter for the evening before the rains return.’

Lilliana’s brows lifted. ‘Rains? And how can you be so certain that a storm is brewing?’

‘Well, not a single thing has gone as planned this evening, my fair lady, and I can hardly see any way this pattern will change any time soon.’

Lilliana’s eyes shifted to her feet. She should not have felt guilty. He had been the one to offer himself up as a hero, whisking her away without worry. She had never asked for as much.

And she certainly could not stand to listen to him complain about their predicament, either. What had been done, she could not change, but by morning, she knew they would part.

And that would be that. There would be no long, lingering goodbyes, no partings of sweet sorrow. She’d be simply glad to be rid of him, never to see him again.

And the world would still turn all the same.