“It was,” Beatrice admitted, having no sense of hiding the truth of her heart from him. “My mother has been very strong indeed, however, and my brother has taken to the title admirably well.” Her lips curved for just a moment, recalling their joy the previous Christmas, when they had all been together for the festive Season. There had been no hint of illness back then, no whisper that things would not continue as they had done for so long. “But now we must look to the future, I suppose. Life cannot be held under a shroud of mourning for the rest of our days.”
“Indeed not,” Lord Bradford agreed, quietly. “Miss Williams, I wonder if I might – ”
Beatrice frowned, wondering why his steps had slowed, why they were no longer moving in time with the music, only to see Lord Bradford lift his head. With a smile on his face, he released her hand, reached up, and plucked one mistletoe berry from the bough above them, making Beatrice’s heart slam into her chest, anticipation thundering in her veins.
Then, to her surprise, he placed the berry into his pocket, took her hand again, and continued to dance.
Beatrice’s heart slowed as she kept her steps in time with the music, her disappointment overwhelming. He had taken a berry, yes, but he had been meant to kiss her, right there and then. Instead, he had put the berry in his pocket and continued to dance! Why had he done such a thing? Her eyes closed briefly as the music began to come to an end, slowing down little by little as their time together drew to a close.
“Forgive my boldness, Miss Williams.”
She frowned, opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but there was no time. In an instant, he had released her waistbut kept his other hand in hers, tugging her away from the other dancers, away from the guests, and towards a door. A door that Beatrice, caught in confusion and now excitement, permitted herself to be pulled through.
Once in the darkened hallway, Lord Bradford turned to face her, his breathing quick and matching her own.
“This is most inappropriate,” he said, hurriedly, as if there were very little time for him to speak. “I will not force you to stay here, Miss Williams. It is only that I thought… well, I do have this.”
Beatrice’s eyes flared as he took the mistletoe berry from his pocket and held it up between them. Usually, a gentleman took a kiss from the lady he was dancing with right there and then, but Lord Bradford, it seemed, had desired to take it somewhere a little more private.
“You can refuse me,” he said, his voice soft, his nearness tempting her. “I will not hold you here, Miss Williams. The door is just there, and I shall not bar you from it, even when everything within me longs for you to linger.”
Longs for you to linger?The sweetness of his words was astonishing to her, making her heart leap up with a sudden, furious hope. “I – I will not depart from you, Lord Bradford.”
His eyebrows lifted just a little, a warmth in his smile that sent fire into his eyes. Beatrice’s heart began to pound, her breathing quickening as he moved closer, his hands settling at her waist. She closed her eyes, tilting her head up, waiting for him to brush his lips against hers in what would be her very first kiss. This was all most astonishing, most extraordinary, and yet she could not resist it. Her mother and brother would expect her to behave appropriately, to stay back from a situation such as this, and indeed, to run from it as any young lady ought, but she could not. Not when her heart begged her to linger.
“I must tell you something, Miss Williams.” He was whispering now, his breath hot on her cheek, his fingers clasping her tightly. “I am a gentleman uninclined towards any sort of feeling or the like but you… You have quite captured me, I fear.”
Her eyes flew open, astonished by what he said. Could she trust him?Dareshe trust that he spoke the truth?
“You will think me foolish, no doubt, when we are not long acquainted, but I am afraid that my heart is quite taken with you, Miss Williams,” he said, still speaking in such a soft tone, each word wrapped around her heart and held her there, tied to him. “I fear that I may be already falling in love with you.”
Before she could respond, his lips were on hers. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and overwhelmed by all that she felt, Beatrice put out her hands and clung to him. Her hands went to his shoulders as he lingered, the kiss burning her senses, searing her lips, sending fire right through her.
And then, he stepped back.
Beatrice swayed, and his hand was back at her waist, the other capturing her hand.
“Forgive me,” he rasped, as she blinked to clear her vision. “These last few weeks, whenever we have been in company, I have battled with the desire to kiss you.”
“I – I am glad you did.”
The corner of his mouth quirked and he lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.
“You spoke of being in love, Lord Bradford. I must tell you, I – ”
“Beatrice?”
She gasped, her hand pulling from Lord Bradford’s.
“I will take my leave through another door,” he said, smiling at her as if it was quite all right that someone should be calling for her when she was standing here alone with him. “I do hope… well, that is to say, Iwillspeak with you again, Miss Williams.”He reached out his hand and touched her fingers with his for only a moment as if he could not help but do so. “Beatrice.”
Her eyes followed him as he disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, leaving her quite alone. Hearing her name being called again, she lifted her chin and tried to steady herself, praying that her brother would not notice the heat she felt burning in her cheeks. Making her way to the door, still trembling with all that Lord Bradford’s kiss had done to her, she stepped back into the room as quietly as she could.
“There you are.” Her brother was frowning, stepping towards her with long strides. “One moment you were dancing and then – ”
“I stood on the hem of my gown,” Beatrice said, interrupting him. “I felt so very embarrassed that I had to step out for a few minutes.”
To her relief, her brother did not seem to think much – nor care much – for this explanation. With a nod, he took her arm and then walked her back to the other side of the room. “With the dancing concluded, we will need to return home. It has started to snow again.” He threw her a glance. “I presume you have managed to fix whatever damage was done to your gown?”
