‘There are plenty here. Go on, try one—not that you need sweetening up.’ His mouth tiltedin a smile.
I sighed. ‘Very well.’
I was about to take the large raspberry from his palm, but before I could, he was holding it gently against my lips. The fruit was plump and warmed by the sun, and as I bit into it, some juice dribbled down my chin.
‘Whoops,’ Mr Hart murmured and wiped it away softly with his thumb, which he then licked slowly, watching me.
My belly tightened, and I turned away, annoyed at myself for reacting to him. He smirked to himself, which made me even more annoyed.
Faintly in the distance, I heard wheels crunching on unraked gravel at the front of the castle, and I knew the mail coach had arrived. Ihadto bear Mr Hart’s ridiculous flirtations for a bit longer for the sake of the others. But I did not have to stand so close to him to do so. I moved a few paces away and continued picking, ignoring his presence. But this only seemed to encourage him all the more, and by the by, he was standing next to me again.
‘I have to say, I am most impressed by you withstanding my advances, Felicity. Most women would have had their wicked way with me by now.’
‘I am not most women,’ I said coldly. ‘And I am married.’
‘That is true for the former, but the latter is not usually an obstacle,’ he replied in a confident tone as hecontinued to rapidly pluck raspberries. ‘Well, admittedly, it can be somewhat of achallengeto persuade married women to cheat on their husbands, and the endless flirtation can be tiresome. But it is so rewarding when they finally give in to me.’
I shuddered, wondering how many women he had seduced and discarded ... how many marriages he had ruined.
‘You, for instance, had me intrigued from the start. From the night we first met at the ball ...’
‘Oh?’ I said, listening with half an ear for the sound of crunching gravel to resume.
‘During our dance, you said you were thinking of me as your husband. And I know it was only in jest, but I started thinking, “What if I was? What if she could persuade me to live a better life?”’ He huffed a short laugh. ‘But I fear there is no hope for me … unless you can give me some ...’
I had not really been attending to anything Mr Hart was saying as I was too busy listening out for the reassuring crunch of gravel. There! The sound of wheels moving off down the drive finally came to my ears, and I let out a pent-up sigh of relief. Jane and Lucinda had escaped!
‘Felicity ...’
Something about the wistful, but urgent tone in Mr Hart’s voice made me glance at him.
‘Yes, Mr Hart?’ I asked. ‘Have you finished picking?’
‘You have not been listening to me,’ he said querulously.
‘Ah, my apologies. What were you saying?’
‘I have been trying to convey that I have strong feelings for you ...’
My fingers stilled on the raspberry I was about to pick. A bird warbled in the copse of trees somewhere off to the left, and I could feel the heat of the sun broiling the top of my head through my bonnet.
Incredulously, I turned to face him. ‘Pardon?’
Mr Hart spoke quickly, not meeting my eyes. ‘It is a strange thing for me to admit, I know, as everything you think of me I am and probably worse. But last night, you handed me a mirror, and I was forced to face the truth. I do not like what I see, Felicity. I am ashamed of how I acted, and I want to try to be a better man for you.’
He took my limp hand from the raspberry bush and kissed my fingers, then pressed it against his smooth cheek.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked with a half smile, gazing at me.
‘I am thinking you are ludicrous and c-corrupt,’ I stuttered.
‘I am. For now. But I want to change my ways. Did you not hear what I said?’
Carefully, I extracted my hand from his, not wanting tostartle him. He was clearly insane. ‘Mr Hart, if I am not mistaken, you were telling me about how rewarding it is to seduce married women. In your next breath, you profess to have strong feelings for me ...’ I shook my head. ‘Forgive me if I am a little confused.’
He smiled at my expression of bewilderment. ‘Does not night turn into day? Can not a rake be changed by love?’
I shook my head. ‘No, you have no clue about what it means to love someone.’
