“How have I lived in London my entire life and never known such a place existed?” With her neck craned backward to stare up through the magnificent trees, dancing rays of sunlight dappled her cheeks and hair.
“But you’ve been to the country?”
She sat forward again, shaking her head. “I’ve never been out of the city. I’ve only ever been to the park. But it’s so quiet here, except for the birds and the water—and the leaves. And the sky is so perfectly blue.” She clutched her hands together in her lap as though embarrassed by her disclosure.
Her father had kept her hidden away like a dirty secret. Her brother had done the same until recently. Born to a nobleman’s mistress, she’d become a prisoner of sorts.
Greys reached out and squeezed her hand. “Then it’s high time you did some exploring.” At her nod, he released her to dismount the high carriage. By the time he walked around, however, the minx was already climbing down on her own.
With her back to him, he found himself appreciating the curves beneath her gown as well as a generous flash of her ankles.
When she reached around but failed to locate a foothold, he settled his hands at her waist. “I’ve got you.”
She relaxed her hold and, with his assistance and a graceful leap, landed softly on the ground.
Rather than demurely step away from him, she clasped one of his hands and spun around in his arms. “It’s like ballet,” she explained upon seeing his baffled expression. “When you lifted me.”
Greys placed his other hand on her back and allowed her to sway from side to side, startled, but not unhappy at having her in his arms.
“But there’s no music,” he pointed out.
She, of course, laughed. “There is the water and the rustling of the leaves.”
She no doubt was the most fanciful lady of his acquaintance, and he would have thought that spending time with such an impulsive and quirky gel would be an utter waste of time.
And yet, here he stood, keeping her from floating away as she danced to nature’s music.
He cleared his throat and gently set her away from him. “There is a bridge upstream. It isn’t far.”
He had kissed her the night before. And he’d stopped himself because her family had been only steps away.
Today, he had brought her to a secluded and romantic spot when he ought to have insisted they wait until the driving hour. He ought to be driving her in public amongst the fashionable members of theTon.
That had been the purpose of this outing, after all.
Instead, he was following this sprite of a young woman as she sashayed along the stream. Because, of course, she didn’t merely walk. Her hips swayed from side to side, one hand fluttering over the water where she swept her fichu through the air like some sort of fairy. Two chestnut strands of hair, streaked with gold, had fallen out from beneath her bonnet. Good lord, he could almost hear the music himself.
His cock stirred, and his fingers itched to pull the pins out of her hair and watch it fall around her shoulders.
Instead, he straightened his shoulders and clasped both hands behind his back. Spending time with her shouldn’t give him cause to rethink his decision to court Lady Isabella.
Lady Isabella would not expect him to share his feelings with her or to listen to all of her hopes and fears. He’d be responsible for her well-being, for her health and security, but he wouldn’t be responsible for her happiness. Nor would she be responsible for his.
He could handle the obligations that came with being Greystone. But he had no desire to be responsible for another person’s emotions.
That would be a bloody nightmare.
Diana stopped to crouch down and leaned forward, peering into the water. “I see fish!”
“Of course there are fish in there. It’s water.”
She turned to him and rolled her eyes toward the sky. “I know fish live in water, but unlike the serpentine, this water is so clear—like glass. I can actuallyseethem.” She pointed into it, but from where he was standing, he couldn’t see a thing. She shuffled her feet and leaned further over the water.
“Be careful—” He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her waist for the second time that day to prevent her from falling. The stream would make for an icy bath, indeed. “You’re supposed to be the graceful one,” he admonished, tugging her upright.
“Sometimes, when one wants to see something special, she has to risk falling over.” She wasn’t at all shaken by her near dunking.
“You risk too much, Diana.” Comprehending her lack of fear and subsequent lack of caution set the hair on the back of his neck on end.
Because when one took chances, she was correct, one opened the door to exciting possibilities, but…
One also opened the door to possible calamities and tragedy.
And for both those reasons, he kept one arm firmly around her waist as they continued toward the bridge.
