The richness of his laugh took Vivian by surprise. The sound stole into her chest, pulling her own laughter out and into the open.
He has such a wonderful laugh.She felt the knot ease in her chest, and as she glanced up at Thomas, she saw that his hair had fallen across his face.
She reached up and brushed it across his forehead, tucking it out of the way. Her fingers barely grazed his skin, but it felt like she had touched fire. His eyes widened, but he did not pull away. She let her hand fall.
“You almost seem like you are having fun, Vivian.” His voice was light and teasing.
“I am,” Vivian admitted, surprising herself at the truth of it. “I think I am starting to get the hang of this sort of thing.”
“I would have to agree.” Though his lip quirked upward, Vivian thought she heard an edge to her voice, something like trepidation, but that made no sense.
They continued to walk around the park, and it was only as they turned back to go home that Vivian realized she had not even felt the stares of the people around them.
“I do not know about you, but I am absolutely famished,” Thomas said as he helped Vivian out of her coat.
It had been a few days since their walk in Hyde Park, and Vivian and Thomas had decided to visit an art gallery, with the promise of refreshments. It was a private viewing, which meant they had the place to themselves, save for their guide. To Vivian, it was a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of balls and garden parties, but unfortunately, the food had been wanting at best.
“I could do with a bite to eat, but I would not wish to disturb the servants. I had not thought we would be back so late.” Vivian let Thomas take her coat from her, grateful that he had given the staff instructions not to wait up for them. “I can always bring you something to the study.”
“You may be my wife, Vivian, but I do not expect you to wait on me like a servant. We can both go and get ourselves food.” Thomas shrugged. “Besides, I have never managed to shake the habit of a midnight feast in the kitchen. The staff are well used to it by this point.”
“I see.” Vivian fell into step beside Thomas as they walked towards the kitchen.
“Where did the time go?”
Thomas massaged his neck. “It is easy to lose track of such things, especially when the champagne is flowing as freely as that. It is a pity they did not show us more of the landscapes. Those were marvelous.”
“I loved the rolling hills and the fields of buttercups. The brushstrokes were exquisite.”
“It is baffling that the man could create such stunning scenery and yet his portraiture left much to be desired.” Thomas shuddered and began to rifle through the kitchen cabinets.
“What, did you not enjoy that painting of the dog?” Vivian perched herself on a stool, feeling slightly giddy as she did.
Perhaps I should not have had quite so much champagne.
“I am not sure you could call what he painted a dog. It looked more like a demon than a dog.” Thomas sat down beside her and put a plate of biscuits between them.
Vivian’s stomach growled as she popped a biscuit in her mouth. “It was not as bad as the portrait of that old lady. I was under the impression that artists were supposed to make one look good.”
“Perhaps the patron did not care for the artist’s subjects and paid him to make them look bad.” Thomas shrugged. “Either that, or the man lacked skill.”
“Or he intentionally did them badly in the hope that his patron would allow him to do landscapes.” Vivian helped herself to another biscuit, chewing thoughtfully. “Or perhaps it was his way of protesting being asked to do portraits instead of landscapes?”
“If it were, I do not think he counted on the stubbornness of his client.” Thomas ran a hand through his hair. “Though it was worth it to watch Lady Hortensia try to think of something complimentary to say. She was the woman with the green coat you admired.”
“Oh! I thought I would burst when the guide asked for her thoughts. You could just see on her face how little she cared for everything, but she could not bear to be impolite.” Vivian shuddered. “It was bad enough when he asked for mine. All I could think to say was that I preferred landscapes to portraiture.”
“It is lucky grandmama did not attend; she would have had no qualms about letting the artist know exactly what she thought of everything. If that is what passes for art nowadays, I pray that the Lord above will see fit to take my eyesight and spare me the indignity of looking at it.”
Vivian laughed so hard that she nearly fell off her chair. She yelped, her arms windmilling wildly as she tried to steadyherself. Thomas lunged toward her, holding her in place even as he laughed.
She grinned at him. “Thank you.”
“I did say I would not let you fall, Marchioness.” His eyes searched her face. He was so close that she could see the stubble forming on his jaw.
Before she could second-guess herself or talk herself out of it, Vivian closed the distance between them and gently pressed her lips to his.
She felt Thomas put a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her away from him. “Do not do this.”
