Her eyes brightened. “Excellent. Oh, thank you, Derrick.” She impulsively threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. He returned the gesture, marveling at what a perfect fit she was against his body. Most women were so small. He liked how Arianna was strong yet feminine. If he had been a poet, he would have composed a sonnet to her beauty and strength.
“We had better go to dinner,” he said as he reluctantly released her.
“Dinner... Yes.” She blushed again, then put her arm through his as they left the drawing room. These seduction lessons would have to be their little secret. No one else would ever know, and damned if it didn’t make Derrick flush with heat and excitement at the wicked thrill of being her private tutor in love.
Arianna’s heartraced as she sat beside Derrick at dinner. She had acted quite well—almosttoowell, as though she truly was in love with another man and that it was not Derrick who affected her. A clever omission she was sure to bring up when the time was right.
He had agreed to her scheme, to tutor her in the ways of catching a man’s attention. If things went well, she could have success like her mother and win a husband for herself.
As the dinner progressed, plans for Christmas were discussed at length, which she listened to intently. Well,mostly. In her mind, she was planning her first request for their lessons. She hoped to start tonight.
“We’ll be having about fifteen to twenty guests for the weekend. It should be a perfectly lovely holiday,” Martha exclaimed, quite pleased with herself.
“Derrick,” Barrett cut in. “Would you be interested in a bit of deer stalking? We’ll need to thin out the fallow deer population, and the meat will feed the local families.”
“I’d be honored to, sir.”
Hearing how happy her father was tonight filled Arianna with warm contentment. Ever since Derrick and Lucas’s falling-out, Lucas had spent less time at the family home, and her father missed the company of another man. He viewed Derrick like a second son.
After dinner, they all stood, and servants came to clear the table while they decided how to spend the rest of the evening.
“Oh, Mama, I thought I could show Derrick the latest blues in the conservatory before he leaves?”
“Yes, of course. You two go on.” Martha shooed them away, giving Arianna and Derrick a chance to go to the small glass house near the gardens in the back. She opened the door to the glass house, and the rich smell of earth and blooms hit her senses like a potent amorous drug.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she whispered. “I thought this would be a good place for us to speak without being overheard.”
“Of course,” Derrick agreed as he closed the door, sealing them inside the warm, flowering world of the hothouse. The glass above them was opaque with fog, hiding the winter stars, but it didn’t matter. Arianna clasped her hands in front of her, her excitement creating wild flutters in her belly.
“I thought we should discuss the lessons and make a plan?” she began uncertainly.
Derrick was eyeing the blooms around them. He reached out to touch the petals of a nearby white-and-pink-spotted orchid. She knew how strong those hands could be, and seeing them so soft and gentle now as they touched the orchid’s petals made her legs strangely weak.
“What should be my first lesson?” she asked.
He let his fingertips drop from the flower before he turned to face her.
“Your first lesson is confidence.”
“Confidence?” She wrinkled her nose a little. It wasn’t exactly the romantic lesson she had envisioned.
He drew closer. “Yes. Some men expect meek little humble creatures who titter at every joke they make and then retreat into dutiful silence and look pretty at a man’s side. You do not want a man like that. You want a man who will see the beauty inside you, your strength, your natural charm and intelligence. All of these qualities are enhanced by confidence.”
That intrigued her. It may not have been the passionate kisses she’d been hoping for, but it was certainly something she wanted.
“Confidence comes from knowing and more importantlybelievingthat you are enough, that you are worthy of all good things and good people in your life. You must believe in yourself.”
He cupped her chin in one hand, gazing down at her with a soft expression that made her want to melt into a puddle at his feet. “Confidence can be more beautiful than physical beauty. Do you understand? A woman whobelievesherself to be beautiful can be more alluring to a good man than the loveliest diamond who lives in constant doubt of herself.”
“Confidence.” Arianna tried to will herself to believe she was as lovely as some of the other women who had debuted with her. It wasn’t easy.
Derrick chuckled. “You’re trying too hard. Close your eyes.” He continued to touch her chin with his fingers, and they moved to stroke down her throat.
Her lashes fluttered, and she was entranced by being alone with Derrick, surrounded by flowers in the dark.
“You know what I see when I see you? I see a woman whose face lights up whenever she tells me of the latest novel she’s read. I see a woman whose laugh is like sunlight. Think for a moment of all the people you know who love you, who adore you—your parents, Lucas, your friends. Think of them and how you know deep down what they feel about you, how much they love you. Everyone has someone who has loved them so much that they were cherished and adored, even in their darkest hours.”
Little by little, she sank deep into her memories, opening little bottles in her mind of moments where she had felt loved and adored. A bright warmth flooded her chest, and she gasped as her eyes flew open.
