Bennett’s stare transferred from her to the box she was clutching. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” she hedged.
Too late, she realized her impulsive gift was unusual. Far too intimate. Not something a lady would give to a gentleman unless she was brazen and utterly ignorant of social niceties.
God, what was I thinking?Heat scorched her cheeks.
He held out his hand. His long fingers crooked in a gesture that conveyed,Hand it over.
Her grip on the box tightened. “I’ve actually, um, changed my mind.”
“You can’t take back my gift.”
“Since I haven’t given it to you, I’m not taking back anything.”
“Despite your tendency to argue over everything,”—while his expression was grave, his voice held a trace of humor—“do you think, in this one instance, you might make an exception and give me the damned gift without prolonged debate?”
“I don’t argue over everything…” She bit her lip, feeling supremely foolish.
He quirked a sardonic brow.
“Oh, all right.” She shoved the box at him. “But don’t blame me if you think it’s stupid.”
“I won’t think it’s stupid.”
On pins and needles, she watched him set the box on the table, untie the string, and lift the lid.
His brows drew together. “You brought me…boots?”
Mortification tautened her insides. “I told you it was stupid. It’s just that I ruined your best pair because I was being silly and thoughtless and—”
“How did you know my size?” Lifting one of the boots from the box, he ran a hand over the supple black calfskin.
Despite her embarrassment, Tessa thought those boots would look smashing on Bennett. She’d asked the bootmaker to model them after those made by the famed but now defunct Hoby’s of St. James, the shop that had made footwear for the Duke of Wellington. The so-called Wellington boots were taller, closer-fitting, and less fussy than Hessians, and she thought their utilitarian elegance suited Bennett to a tee.
“I retrieved your old boots from the rubbish heap and gave them to the bootmaker. He was able to construct this pair from those measurements.” Seeing the way he caressed the leather shaft, almost reverently, she ventured, “Do you…like them?”
“They are very fine. Finer than any I’ve owned,” he said softly.
Relief and pleasure hummed through her. “Oh. I’m glad.”
Clearing his throat, he said, “As it happens, I have something for you as well.”
She faltered into stillness, her heart jerking oddly. “You do?”
He replaced the boot in the box and went to his jacket, which hung on a hook on the wall. Rummaging in one of the pockets, he returned with a small package.
“It’s just a trifle,” he muttered.
Bennett brought me a gift!Whatever it was, she would treasure it forever.
With trembling hands, she took the parcel, removing the cheerful yellow ribbon and brown paper. Her eyes widened at the sight of the tin, which was affixed with images of hearts, flowers, and cherubs.
“Howpretty.” Opening the lid, she breathed, “You brought me lemon drops?”
“I told you it wasn’t much.”
“Lemon drops were myfavoriteas a girl. I haven’t had one in ages.” Eagerly, she selected one of the jewel-like confections and popped it into her mouth. The tart sweetness spread over her tongue like sunshine. “These are delicious. Would you like one?”
