“But I have not even said goodbye to Esther, or my family…” she trailed off as Christopher guided her away from the crowd, and outside into the fresh air.
“There is no time for that.”
They made their over to the carriage in record time. As the doors closed behind them, they looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
“Christopher, why does it feel like I have just fled the scene of a crime?” Frances asked through her laughter.
“Believe me, if we stayed there longer, it would have turned into one. Thank you for the dance, by the way.”
He took in how beautiful she looked even now, away from the ballroom lights.
She nodded, smiling. “You know, you confuse me much sometimes. But I have decided that it is just a part of your personality.”
“That means you accept me for who I am?” he asked, suddenly invested in what her answer was going to be.
“Oh, believe me, I do.”
Their gazes met again, and time felt as though it had stood still. Christopher was only thinking of one thing.
Could their relationship turn into something more romantic? In moments like this, it did not seem like a bad idea in the slightest.
CHAPTER15
Life had truly changed for Frances. More and more, she felt like she living out her dreams of some grand romance that she had never thought would be possible for her.
She corrected herself. It was not a romance yet.
There had been no declaration of love from either side. But still, something felt really different between them.
For one thing, the initial awkwardness that both of them had after the kiss was gone. Life had returned to a semblance of normalcy at Huntington Estate. The tension from the ball had dissipated, and Christopher and Frances found themselves growing closer each day.
She had thought about the dance quite a few times since and even dreamed of dancing with him again. She knew that at the next ball they attended together, she would be the one to ask him for it.
“Frances.” Edwin wandered into her room. “What are you doing for the remainder of the evening?”
Frances snapped herself back to reality and turned to face him. “I have things to do around the house. Later, I might spend some time in the garden.”
She noticed that Edwin’s eyes lit up as she said the words. “I was hoping that you would say that.”
“Were you now? I wonder why that is?” she probed gently.
“Well, for one thing, I really like it when you talk about gardening. You know so much about it. How is it that you seem to know everything?”
Frances chuckled, thinking back to her childhood. When she was at that age, she too thought that adults knew everything that there was to know. “My dear, it is a deep interest of mine. As you grow older, you will develop interests of your own, and then I will ask you the same question.”
“Will you be here still when Ernest and I are all grown up?” He feigned shock, and then excitement.
Even Frances felt taken aback by the realization.
“I will be here, of course,” she assured him, thinking to herself that she had committed the rest of her life to being with Christopher and the children.
This was only the beginning.
Edwin broke into the biggest smile possible, and he lunged forward to hug her. Frances eagerly embraced him.
The twins were getting more and more comfortable with showing affection. It felt like a great accomplishment, given the extent of the trauma that they had experienced.
“Can I grow up to like gardening just as much as you do?” he murmured.
