He would not give her cause to regret doing so. He patted her hand once again and began listing all that he knew of her. “I know you care deeply for animals. You are not prone to the vapors, and you are a generous and loyal friend.” He paused. “You are also a beautiful woman.”
She tucked her head down at those words. They had arrived at his vehicle, and he turned to assist her. The cushioned bench seat was high off the ground. This gave him an opportunity to place his hands around her waist, lift her up, and linger until she was safely on board.
Dev then pulled himself up as she gathered her skirts into herself.
“Do you think anybody ever really knows another person? Sometimes I find it difficult to even know myself.” She’d not relinquished their train of conversation. She’d also, he noted, ignored his compliments. Most debutantes would have fished for more.
Dev lifted the reins and guided the pair into traffic. “Perhaps in allowing the right person to know you, you can come to know yourself more fully.”
A small hum escaped as she seemed to contemplate his words. “I feel that way with Rhoda sometimes, and some of my other friends.” She sounded almost melancholy. “We speak of private matters when we are together, and yet, I feel they cannot ever really know me completely.”
As Dev drove along the crowded road, an odd sense of intimacy wrapped around them. What a strange conversation to be having with a lady, and as they drove through town, no less. He glanced sideways at her.
So serious, and yet, for all the world, one might think she was as empty-headed as any other debutante. She wore pastels and lace, naturally. Her lips were full, and he imagined, usually inclined to smile and laugh. It was that troubled look in the back of her eyes that intrigued him.
Was it a troubled look? Anxious even? Was he imagining something that did not exist. Perhaps, and yet he’d learned to trust his instincts. They’d gotten him through more than one assignment alive. Thousands of others had not been so lucky.
“What of your fiancé?” He kept his eyes focused upon the road as he asked the question. “Does he know you?”
He felt, as much as heard, her sigh. At first, he didn’t think she would answer him, but then, softly, “I’ve no idea…”
“Tell me about him.” Did she know her fiancé at all? “How long have you been betrothed?”
Again, another sigh. “Nearly a month now.” She did not sound like an enamored bride. “He is… sweet and kind. He is well connected and…” She shrugged. “…I am lucky to be marrying him. This is my second year on the marriage mart, and my stepfather had been hinting it would be my last.”
An arranged marriage? Not exactly… perhaps. But a woman’s choices were limited. “He is the lucky one, Sophia.” Dev’s voice caught for some unknown reason. He cleared his throat and then glanced at her.
She returned his gaze for barely a second before her lashes dropped and she began fidgeting with some lace on her dress. His inclination was to cover her hands with one of his own, to comfort her.
“He is a good man, and he treats me well.” She spoke softly, barely loud enough for Dev to hear.
Damnit, what the hell was he thinking? He ought not to have come today. He would change the subject. “It is as much an exhibit as a circus.”
Sophia looked away from him to watch the passing scenery. “I’ve been to the menagerie, to the tower. I’d rather have gone shopping for a new bonnet.” She was a somber little creature.
This statement, he was certain, wasn’t because she did not find the animals fascinating. It was not because she believed a new hat vital to her personal enjoyment.
It was because she felt deeply for animals.
“Sophia,” he said, again taking liberty with her name, “would you prefer I convey you home?” He did not wish to force himself upon her if it would… complicate her life too much. He merely wanted to spend time in her company. It was odd, how he knew that she most likely usually laughed easily and smiled at everyone. She was not so easy today.
She peered over at him. Ah, yes, a troubled look lurked in the back of her eyes. “I would like to see the lion…” And then a tentative tilting up of the corners of her mouth. “…please.”
Had he not been in such heavy traffic and crossing the bridge, in that moment Dev would have pressed a kiss against those lips.
This was why he’d come.
Oh, yes, he was going to have to investigate the circumstances of her betrothal.
“We’re almost there.” He would buy her a confection, some sort of sugar-covered pastry. She gripped his arm securely. When they’d cleared the bridge, he turned and watched for a place to pull out of traffic. Special events such as this never failed to draw crowds.
The circus tents and colorful flags created a carnival-like atmosphere. An aroma of fried foods and various animals was an unlikely combination indeed, but most definitely one aspect of the event’s allure.
Helping Sophia off his curricle was even more heady than assisting her up. Again, with his hands about her waist, he slid her down along the length of his body. He didn’t let go until he could feel that her feet were on the ground. “Let’s see if we can locate that lion.”
Sophia nodded and pulled herself out of his grasp, flustered.
Hell, if he were honest with himself, so was he.
