What was wrong with her? She had been content with her life on the shelf.
Correction, shewascontent with her life of doing as she pleased, so why did Crisp enjoying the flirtations of others bother her so?
Because she’d always thought of him as hers. Even though he’d been gone for seven years, and it had been another two before she saw him, in her heart, Crisp had always been hers. It was likely the reason she’d never given any other gentleman serious consideration when they had attempted to court her. Well, other than Lovell, but that had nothing to do with love and had been a huge mistake.
“Jealous?”
Vanessa nearly jumped when Crisp crept up on her.
“Of course not. I just wished to escape the noise. It was growing quite loud in there.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he gently argued.
“It was to me,” she argued. “Why are you out here?” she countered.
“I needed to escape as well.”
“It appeared to me that you were having a delightful time with your court.” She snorted and laughed to try and hide the pain and yes, jealousy.
“If I had to sit there much longer being fanned by fluttering eyelashes and endure silly giggles behind glove hands, I would have been booking passage on a ship back to Egypt,” he complained.
“A gentleman could do worse.” Joy sprung up inside, but Vanessa held it in so that he didn’t notice. Crisp hadn’t liked his court and he’d come to find her. Nothing could have pleased her more this evening.
“Did you think your behavior would make me jealous?” she ask casually because she wasn’t certain if he had just been teasing her about being jealous or if he had hoped that she was.
“You appeared jealous.”
She tilted her nose as if this discussion was beneath her. “I simply found the absurd flattery quite grating on my nerves, if you must know.”
“So, you weren’t jealous.”
“Did you wish me to be?” She blinked at him innocently.
“That’s rather disappointing.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. “Why? Were you attempting to make me jealous?”
“Not, exactly.” He kicked a stone out of the path, much like he did when he was younger and had something on his mind or was not certain what to say. “When you seemed like you were jealous, I was rather pleased.”
She paused on the walk. “Why?”
He stopped and turned to her, placing his hands on her upper arms. “Because, Vanessa, had it been you sitting amongst half a dozen gentlemen who were all vying for attention, I would have been eaten with jealousy.”
Her heart nearly stopped before it started pounding a heavy tattoo. “You would?” She knew her question came out more of a surprise at his statement, except, she had been, but it also thrilled her to her toes.
“It doesn’t matter.” Crisp dismissed and let go of her. “We should return inside before someone notes that we are missing,” he said as he walked away from her.
“Wait!” she called, but Crisp kept walking. “Crisp,” she called again, but he disappeared inside.
Oh, why hadn’t she admitted the truth?
She thought he’d only been teasing her.
She needed to explain so that there was no misunderstanding.
Vanessa hurried after him and into the sitting room, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“If you are looking for Lord Crispin, he has retired for the night,” Lady Osbourne offered with a knowing smile.
