She could scarcely believe she’d been so bold as to utter such a thing.
He lifted his gaze to hers, one corner of his mouth curling up into an ironic grin. “Yes, but things are likely to get out of hand if I don’t stop now. Your cat very likely saved your virtue.”
“Why did you even begin it?”
“Because I spent the better part of my night imagining some lord luring you into a garden and doing just this. Because I want you, Fancy, but I like you far too much to ruin you for anyone else, not when your Season has only just begun.”
Taking a small step back, he placed his hands on her waist, brought her down to the floor, and cradled her cheek. “Are you still intent on securing a lord as a husband?”
“My family will be devastated if I don’t marry into the nobility.”
“Perhaps you should consider what you want.”
“I want them to be proud of me. I want all the effort and coins they’ve put into me not to have been for naught. Perhaps at the next ball, some fellow will dance with me of his own accord—and the rest will follow suit. Thank you for the waltz. It was a lovely way to end the evening.”
He hesitated, and she thought he might pull her back into his arms. Instead he headed for the storage room. Opening the door, he glanced out, then leaned back in and brushed a soft kiss over her lips before stepping outside.
After closing the door, she pressed her fingers to her swollen lips. Would her family understand if she set aside their plans for her in order to embrace her own desires?
Chapter 14
Fancy took that kiss to bed with her and woke up still able to feel the press of his lips against hers. The first kiss he’d given her had been devastating in its complexity. The last kiss devastating in its simplicity. It was the sort of kiss that spoke of a far greater intimacy than that created by unbridled passion. It was the sort of kiss that branded one as belonging to another.
Those thoughts traveled with her in the coach as she journeyed to her mum’s residence. When she arrived, she shook them off, thanked the footman for handing her down, and crossed over to the door. Opening it, she stepped over the threshold into the small abode where she had spent most of her youth when she wasn’t off learning how to project the image of a proper lady.
“You’re right on time, love!” her mum sang out from the kitchen. “I have your tea ready.”
She shuffled in balancing a cup on a saucer in each hand, and Fancy was hit once again with how much she loved this woman whose brown eyes warmed and sparkled at the sight of her.
“Sit down, pet.”
Fancy took one of the two chairs set before the fireplace while her mum took the other, placing the saucers on the low table between them. Settling back, she smiled as though nothing brought her more joy than visiting with Fancy. “Now, tell me everything.”
“Ah, Mum, I wish you’d been there. Nothing I describe could do it justice.”
“People came, did they?”
She rolled her eyes. “So many people. The ballroom was packed. I could hardly move through it. Gillie was so pretty and self-assured. She charmed everyone.”
“As did you, I’d wager.”
“I tried. Here, I brought you something.” Reaching into her reticule, she pulled out her dance card and handed it over to her. “My dance card. The first several dances are blank because I was standing in the receiving line, but as you can see, I had quite a few gents dance with me.”
Her mum didn’t need to know why they’d danced with her. Her annoyance with her brothers was mollified a bit since their efforts gave her a card with names on it that she might not have had otherwise.
With a great deal of reverence, her mother stroked the elaborate dance card. “Oh, it’s so pretty.”
“Gillie did everything to perfection. The flowers, the orchestra, the footmen wandering around.”
“Did any of the gents snag your attention? Were any of them worth a second look?”
Matthew.But how would she explain him to her mum? “The gentlemen were all quite nice, polite, respectful.” They wouldn’t dare be otherwise in fear of losing their boon.
“Handsome, I’ll bet.”
“Most, yes. But I’m more interested in how he treats me than how he looks.”
“Did any of them make you laugh?”
